So, the idea behind this mix was to choose songs that were just plain cruel or where it probably would have been better if somebody had been cruel so the other person could just move on already (thus, “Kind to be cruel”). A little note on the French songs, I’m providing a rough translation, but this artsy stuff doesn’t lend itself well to translation, especially in English, and especially by somebody like me. So all you francophones can just fermer vos boîtes à camembert !
So, I give you “Cruel to Be Kind/Kind to Be Cruel.” I hope you enjoy it!
1. Elle m’a dit (Cali)
If you don’t know Cali, you’re missing out. He’s the king of being kicked in the gut. I first listened to his debut album L’amour parfait while riding the train from London to Coventry. I still remember thinking, “Man, this guy’s been jerked around!” “Elle m’a dit” comes first, in spite of it being in a language that I think only three or four of us actually speak, because it is by far THE cruelest song in the mix (although “C’est toujours le matin” gives it a run for its money, I think). Here’s the translation for you:
Je crois que je ne t'aime plus I don't think I love you anymore
Elle m'a dit ça hier, She told me yesterday
ça a claqué dans l'air It clapped in the air
comme un coup de revolver Like a gunshot
Je crois que je ne t'aime plus I don't think I love you anymore
Elle a jeté ça hier, She threw out there last night
entre le fromage et le dessert between the cheese and the dessert
comme mon cadavre à la mer like my corpse into the sea
Je crois que je ne t'aime plus I don't think I love you anymore
Ta peau est du papier de verre Your skin is sandpaper
sous mes doigts ... sous mes doigts Under my fingers… Under my fingers
Je te regarde et je pleure I look at you and cry
juste pour rien ... comme ça for no reason… like that
Sans raison je pleure, For no reason I cry
à gros bouillons je pleure, In huge sobs I cry
comme devant un oignon je pleure, as if I were cutting an onion I cry
arretons là lalala lalalalalala let's stop here
Chorus
Elle m'a dit lalala lalalalalala She told me
Elle m'a dit She told me
Je crois que je ne t'aime plus I don't think I love you anymore
Relève toi, relève toi Get back up, get back up
Ne te mouche pas dans ma robe, Don't blow your nose in my skirt
pas cette fois ... relève toi not this time, get back up
Tu n'as plus d'odeur, I can't smell you anymore
tes lèvres sont le marbre Your lips are the marble
de la tombe de notre amour, of our love's tomb
elle m'a dit ça son sang était froid she told me, her blood was cold
Quand je fais l'amour avec toi When I make love to you
je pense à lui I think of him
Quand je fais l'amour avec lui When I make love to him
je ne pense plus à toi lalala lalalalalala I don't think of you anymore
Chorus
Je crois que je ne t'aime plus I don't think I love you anymore
Elle m'a dit ça hier, She told me yesterday
ça a pété dans l'air it ripped in the air
comme un vieux coup de tonnerre Like a thunderbolt
Je crois que je ne t'aime plus I don't think I love you anymore
Je te regarde et je ne vois rien I look at you and see nothing
Tes pas ne laissent plus de traces Your steps don't leave a trace
à coté des miens next to mine anymore
Je ne t'en veux pas, I don't blame you
je ne t'en veux plus, I don't blame you anymore
je n'ai juste plus d'incendie I just don't feel the fire
au fond du ventre c'est comme ça Deep down. It's like that.
Chorus
Alors j'ai éteint la télé So I turned off the TV
mais je n'ai pas trouvé le courage, But I haven't found the courage
par la fenêtre de me jeter : To throw myself out the window
Mourir d'amour n'est plus de mon âge I'm too old now to kill myself for love
lalala lalalalalala
2. When Did Your Heart Go Missing (Rooney)
April beat me to the punch! It’s still good, though. This one is, perhaps, a little looser on the theme for this mix, but it still seems cruel to me. I mean, “When did your heart go missing?” Ouch. And why would the object of his affection turn so cold? Maybe it would have been kinder for her to just dump him and have it over with rather than giving him the cold shoulder.
3. Re-offender (Travis)
“You say you love me, then you do it again.” Nuff said.
4. Criminal (Fiona Apple)
An oldie but a goody. And very fun to sing along to in the car. Go ahead—try it!
5. This Is the Last Time (Keane)
Not quite sure who’s being cruel in this one: all I know is Keane’s done taking the crap.
6. Suedehead (Morrissey)
“Why do you come here when you know it makes things hard for me?” I’ve loved this song from the first time I laid ears on it. I think we’ve all had that person it hurts us to be around, but we still keep coming back for more.
7. As You Are (Travis)
Ok, he’s asking for the cruelty in this one. “It’s ok to lead me on. I must admit it’s not much fun to be led on by such a one as you are.” Travis, like Cali, is somebody who’s been kicked in the crotch a time or two. And I love them for it.
8. A Million Ways (OK GO)
Hi. This is me being literal.
9. C’est toujours le matin (Cali)
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! This is one of my all time favorite songs. I have seriously played it at least five times in a row before. This song is kind of in the same vein as “Suedehead.” He’s in this position where he’s in complete and utter pain, but he doesn’t do anything about it. I’m not quite sure if the object of his affection is aware that he knows that she’s being unfaithful, but I think she probably is and that she enjoys torturing him the way she does. Here’s the translation:
C'est toujours le matin toujours It's always in the morning, always
Tu me reviens le sourire invincible you come back to me, your smile invincibleC'est toujours le matin toujours It's always in the morning, always
Comme un coup de poing Like a punch in the face
Ton sourire est terrible Your smile is terrible
Moi je suis enroulé sur moi même I'm curled up on myself
J'ai mal au bide I'm sick to my stomach
Enroulé comme un tube de dentifrice vide Curled up like an empty tube of toothpaste
Oui je t'ai attendu toute la nuit Yes, I waited for you all night
Comme un chien stupide Like a stupid dog
Oui je t'ai attendu attendu Yes, I waited for you, waited.
Ne souris pas ne souris pas Don't smile, don't smile
Ne me dis pas cette fois Don't tell me this time
Qu'il t'a aimé comme trois That he loved you like three
Epargne moi épargne moi Spare me, spare me
Ne me tue pas cete fois Don't kill me this time
Ne me dis pas qu'il t'a fait tout ça Don't tell me that he did all that to you
Et mes yeux qui t'ont aimé toujours And my eyes, who have always loved you
Viennent encore demander Come again to ask
Quelques miettes de tendresse For a sliver of kindness
Mêmes si tes habits puent l'amour Even if your clothes stink of love
Même si ton corps est tapissé Even if your body is covered
De toutes ses caresses In his caresses
Je te suis jusqu'à la salle de bains I follow you to the bathroom
Tu ne me regardes pas You don't look at me
Ton coeur brule désormais entre ses mains Your heart is on fire in his hands
Le mien vole en éclats Mine flies into pieces
J'imagine ses gros doigts I imagine his big fingers
Qui défilent sur toi Marching up and down you
Comme un armée de soldats Like an army of soldiers
Qui tendrait le bras droit **I’m gonna be honest, I have no idea how to deal with this**
C'est toujours pas très loin It's never far away
qu'il étend le moteur That he turns off the motor
Qu'il étreint tes levres That he kisses your lips
et qu'il s'installe dans ton corps And settles into your heart
C'est toujours le matin It's always in the morning
toujours à la même heure Always at the same time
Je m'habille de ténèbres I'm clothed in shadow
Tu éclabousses de bonheur You jump for joy
PS Cali has a hot brooding voice and an über-sexy accent.
10. If You Leave (OMD)
Another oldie but goodie.
11. Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off (Panic! at the Disco)
If you’re dropping the F-bomb you know it’s serious. This is another one that I’ve listened to a couple of times in a row. I like to think of it as giving the bird via song.
12. Will Never Marry (Morrissey)
Along with Elle m’a dit, I think this song is the epitome of the Cruel to Be Kind/Kind to Be Cruel theme. “I’m writing this to say in a gentle way ‘Thank you, but no.’” No messing around. No games. Just, No. The recipient can now move on with his or her life. And isn’t that all we really want?
13. Nothing Better (The Postal Service)
Awww this one’s sad. The poor singer has these deluded notions about his relationship and his girl quite handily puts him in his place. It’s for the best, really…
14. Whodunnit (The Reindeer Section)
I’m not gonna lie, I want to have hot, sweaty monkey sex with this guy. I’ve never even seen what he looks like, but if I could have a physical relationship with a voice, it would be with this guy. Ohhhhh baby, his accent!!! It sends me into convulsions.
15. Girl Afraid (The Smiths)
Here’s an instance where somebody, ANYBODY, should be doing some talking. Both of them sitting there, wondering what the other one thinks. Somebody just say something, please, so you can move on!
16. Luv (Travis)
Sorry to go out on a low note. I was thinking this was the song with a hidden track on it, and I didn’t want you to be sitting there waiting for the next song. Favorite line: “In letting you go, it only goes to show me that I’m still in love with you.”
