A free trip to Tripoli

[imomus]

I spent the weekend learning about Arabic scales from the excellent MaqamWorld website and ended up making a song based on the bayati scale. It's about a Tripoli taxi driver who loves slapping his wife -- and being slapped back. The idea comes from a fragment of an answering machine message heard on Dorine_Muraille's Mani album in which Julien Loquet's voice can be heard saying 'I slapped you because I love you a lot'. It seems like a pretty French theme, so I sang it in French, turning it into a kind of Rai song.

This one seems like a diversion or curiosity to me, and I don't think it'll make the 2005 album, so I'm offering it here gratis. Think of it as a free trip to Tripoli.

Klaxon

Sorry, this track is no longer available. Please buy the CD when it comes out!

Je suis conducteur de taxi
(Je vais te claquer)
Dans les ruelles de Tripoli
(Tu va me claquer)

Klaxon, klaxon
Dans ce cloaque de la passion

Tu es ma femme, moi ton mari
(Je vais te claquer)
Et comme tu partage mes avis
(Tu va me claquer)

Claque moi, claque moi
Chacun qui claque doit frapper fort

Klaxon klaxon
Dans ce sieste de la raison

Comme je t'ai toujours bien aime
Je vais te claquer
Si tu m'aime bien, ah, ma cherie
Tu va le payer

Parce que claqueses
Claquent que ceux dont elles sont amoureuse

N'aie pas de peur, n'aie pas le trac
(Viens te faire claquer)
Il y a de l'amour, pas d'attaque
(Viens vite t'faire claquer)

Klaxon klaxon
Ca fait du bien de claquer quelqu'un

C'est bon de frapper, oui c'est bon
(Je vais te claquer)
Ma jolie cedre de Liban
(Viens te faire claquer)

Les belles claqueses
Ne claquent que ceux dont elles sont amoureuse

Klaxon, klaxon
Excuses je donne, mais aucun explication

Je ne veux plus conduire mon taxi
(Je vais te claquer)
Toute la journee et toute la nuit
(Je vais te claquer)

Un jour la chair
Que je claque fort ne sera plus que poussiere

Klaxon, klaxon
C'est un peu glauque, mais il y a de la passion

For those who don't speak French, here's a literal translation courtesy of Alta Vista's Babelfish service:

I am conducting of taxi (I go you claquer) In the lanes of Tripoli (You me claquer goes) Horn, horn In this cesspool of passion You are my wife, me your husband (I go you claquer) And as you divides my opinions (You me claquer goes) Opera hat me, opera hat me Each one which opera hat must strike extremely Horn horn In this nap of the reason As I t'ai always well likes (I go you claquer) If you m'aime well, ah, my chery You will pay it Because claqueses Claquent that those with which they are in love N'aie not of fear, n'aie not the trac (Come to make you claquer) There is l'amour, not d'attaque (Come quickly t'faire claquer) Horn horn Ca makes good of claquer quelqu'un C'est good to strike, yes c'est good (I go you claquer) My pretty cedre of Lebanon (Come to make you opera hat) Beautiful the claqueses claquent only those with which they are in love Horn, Excuses horn I give, but no explanation I do not want to drive my taxi any more (I go you claquer) All the day and all the night (I go you claquer) One day flesh That I strong opera hat will be nothing any more but dust Horn, a little glaucous C'est horn, but there is passion

Comments

Honking good

[(Anonymous)]

Wonderful! Sort of like an updated Three Mustaphas Three, but more devilish. (This does remind me of their "Taxi" song. Momus must go to Tripoli and sample their taxi horns to finish this one off.)

Momus should also do a sort of "Around the World with Momus" albums, like one of those old easy listening stereo demonstration records,appropriating the genres of many of the countries he's visited or resided in. I'm still waiting for the promised Tatar pop song, by the way.

Re: Honking good

[stanleylieber.livejournal.com]

Me too.

Re: Honking good

[imomus.livejournal.com]

One thing that occurred to me is that the album might be turning into something like David Bowie's third Berlin album, 'Lodger'. That's also a kind of 'around the world with David' record. In fact, Klaxon could almost be seen as an amalgam of two songs off Lodger; it's got a theme like the wife-beating song 'Repetition' and music not unlike the Turkish immigrant worker song 'Yassassin'. Since Kreuzberg, where Bowie hung out and where I may be moving later in the year, is by far Berlin's liveliest district (the city can feel a little too laid back elsewhere) and is largely Turkish, it's arguable that after the experimental music scene has impacted musicians moving here (and 'Summerisle' is the sound of that, perhaps), the next thing to 'slap us in the face' is Kreuzberg and its somewhat macho energy. It was swinging on May 1st, I can tell you!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Download the song again, it now has added car horns, honks and klaxons!

[(Anonymous)]

I'm blushing in gratitude. Those horns send the song over the edge.

Should've thought of "Yassassin"--"Lodger" is probably my favorite Bowie album.

[(Anonymous)]

I refer you to today's (actually May 5th's) "Zippy" comic:

http://zippythepinhead.com