Where is the life that I recognize?
Gone away.

Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” is a breakup song and a coming of age song in one. The narrator is missing his significant other who he recently broke up with. Life doesn’t feel the same, and it doesn’t feel like it ever will. It is ironic how he wishes for her shoulder to cry on…as she is his best friend. This thought depresses him more. He knows he needs to get over this somehow and make a new life for himself and find a place for himself in this ordinary world.

His epiphany seems to come in the form of reading the news. There are so many horrible things like wars and poverty, does he have any right to feel this horrible about just a breakup? He will survive, and that is better than a lot of people can say. And that is what he must concentrate on doing now.

That is a lot to express in a five minute song. The song works primarily because it has such a recognizable chorus. The verses are surprisingly recognizable as well. People recognize the theme of the song; it is uplifting and something everybody can relate to feeling a need to hear every once and awhile. The theme is in the chorus: “I will learn to survive”.

Ordinary World Lyrics

Came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue,
Thought I heard you talking softly.
I turned on the lights, the TV, and the radio,
Still I can’t escape the ghost of you.

What has happened to it all?
Crazy, some’d say.
Where is the life that I recognize?
Gone away.

But I won’t cry for yesterday,
There’s an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find.
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world,
I will learn to survive.

Passion or coincidence,
Once prompted you to say,
“Pride will tear us both apart”.
Well, now pride’s gone out the window.
Cross the rooftops,
Run away.
Left me in the vacuum of my heart.

What is happening to me?
Crazy, some’d say.
Where is my friend when I need you most?
Gone away.

But I won’t cry for yesterday,
There’s an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find.
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world,
I will learn to survive.

Papers in the roadside
Tell of suffering and greed.
Fear today, forgot tomorrow.
Ooh, here besides the news
Of holy war and holy need,
Ours is just a little sorrowed talk.

And I don’t cry for yesterday,
There’s an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find.
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world,
I will learn to survive.

Every world
Is my world
(I will learn to survive).
Any world
Is my world
(I will learn to survive).
Any world
Is my world.

Songwriters: Warren Cuccurullo / Nigel John Taylor / Nick Rhodes / Simon John Charles Le-Bon

It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

Adia is hard on herself. Sarah Mclachlan says we are born innocent and we are still innocent. This language leads me to believe that Adia has feelings of religious guilt. Adia feels that she is a bad person and seems to have withdrawn from the people who love her. Perhaps it is because she is self-loathing, perhaps it is to protect them from herself. We don’t know.

Sarah is trying to reach out to Adia and tell her that we are good people. We make mistakes and it doesn’t matter; you can still make mistakes and be a good person. Forgive yourself.

Mclachlan’s voice is great as usual. She sounds empathetic in her attempt to reach out to Adia. This song is notable in that it is less piano-driven than a lot of Mclachlan’s other work. There is still a piano, but in her other work, she will often just perform with her and a piano. Here, we have electric guitars, a slide guitar, drums, bass, etc.

Adia and Do What You Have To Do both appear on her excellent album Surfacing (along with Angel, another gem). Like Jewel, she seemed to have all of her hits packed into one album. At the time of the release it seemed like she would be the next superstar. She never had another hit. However, with two top 500 songs she is a great candidate for Rock n Roll HOF eligibility when her time comes.

Adia Lyrics

Adia, I do believe I failed you
Adia, I know I’ve let you down
Don’t you know I tried so hard
To love you in my way
It’s easy, let it go

Adia, I’m empty since you left me
Trying to find a way to carry on
I search myself and everyone
To see where we went wrong

There’s no one left to finger
There’s no one here to blame
There’s no one left to talk to, honey
And there ain’t no one to buy our innocence

‘Cause we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

Adia, I thought that we could make it
I know I can’t change the way you feel
I leave you with your misery
A friend who won’t betray
I pull you from your tower
I take away your pain
And show you all the beauty you possess
If you’d only let yourself believe

That we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

‘Cause we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
‘Cause we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

Songwriters: Pierre Marchand / Sarah McLachlan

So how can you tell me you’re lonely/
And say for you that the sun don’t shine.

In “Streets of London”, Ralph McTell doesn’t want to hear about your depression and how you struggle finding a date on Tinder. He has seen real problems—like with the working poor that struggle in the streets of London. When the song was written, the streets of London appear very different than the vast, rich, financial capital of the world that it is now. That is an interesting fact about how things can change, but it doesn’t make the song any less powerful.

Mctell’s “Street’s of London” is in the folk tradition. Just a singer-songwriter and his/her guitar telling a story about people and their problems. In the early sixties, folk music was in a great place. It was leading the protest for civil rights and anti-war efforts. Folk music went a long way to change the perception of the people of those times. Folk is not as popular these days, but you can see how powerful a simple song and message can be. It can teach you about the world, be inspiring and even lead you to action. And it only requires a guitar.

Streets of London Lyrics

Have you seen the old man in the closed down market
Picking up the papers with his worn out shoes
In his eyes you see no pride and hanging loosely at his side
Yesterdays paper, telling yesterdays news
So how can you tell me you’re lonely
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I’ll show you something to make you change your mind

Have you seen the old dear who walks the streets of London
Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags
She’s no time for talking, she just keeps right on walking
Carrying her home, in two carrier bags
So how can you tell me you’re lonely
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I’ll show you something to make you change your mind

And in the all night cafe at a quarter past eleven
Same old man sitting there on his own
Looking at the world over the rim of his teacup
And each tea lasts an hour and he wanders home alone
So how can you tell me that you’re lonely
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I’ll show you something to make you change your mind

Have you seen the old man outside the seaman’s mission
Memory fading with the medal ribbons that he wears
And in the winter city, the rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero, and a World that doesn’t care
So how can you tell me that you’re lonely
And say for you that the sun don’t shine
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I’ll show you something to make you change your mind

Songwriters: Ralph Mc Tell