Holidays in Eden - Cover My Eyes
Introduction:
Steve Hogarth in the liner note for Six
of One: "The song didn't really exist until
just before we commenced recording Holiday's in Eden in February '91.
We had just given Chris (Neil) a cassette of unfinished half-ideas along
with songs that were already complete and he telephoned one night to say
that if we were to arrange two of the ideas together, we would have another
'single'. When we got together at Nomis to routine the album, we set about
with glue and string... Sixties actress Eleanor Bron inspired the original
lyric idea. See if you can spot David Niven."
and later added on Marillion.com, "Lyrically,
it's a fantasy about beautiful women - an intensity of beauty which
intimidates and scares. The examples are stolen from movies, art,
literature, and pop videos."
'Like the girl in the novel in the wind on the
moors'
This is a reference to Catherine in Wuthering Heights; Emily Bronte's
classic novel of love, hate, passion, revenge and crappy weather in
Yorkshire.
'She's like the girl in the movie when the
spitfire falls'
Duncan Lauder said: "In
one of his films (Stairway to Heaven directed by Michael Powell)
David Niven plays a pilot who crashes to the ground and for various reasons
is between heaven and earth, the girl is the radio operator who he talks to
on the way down."
Duncan also located the following review:
Stairway to Heaven (1946) Reviewed by: Andy Morley
"A fantastic film, the era was one of celebration at the end of years of
the horror of war. Britain felt 'Great' again, and yet some film makers
chose not to wallow in the glory of self promotion and victory. The
'trial' where Squadron Leader Carter is faced with a jury made up from
nations that Britain has at some point in the past, wronged is in my
opinion a masterly piece of cinema. The outcome excellent. If you haven't
seen this film, then keep your eyes peeled on the listings, or find a
video store that stocks it. The perfect film for a crisp winter
afternoon."
Also see:
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0038733 for the IMDB review.
I have two things to say about this. The first (trivial) point is that
I have the film and it's actually called A Matter of Life and Death;
Stairway to Heaven is the US re-titling - films often change their
names in different markets. But my major problem is that Niven is in a
Lancaster Bomber... I asked h on the MOLF and he said that it was
A Matter of Life and Death, but that 'Lancaster' didn't scan!
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