Two for the price of one

There are songs, and then there are great songs. Great songs with melody persuasive enough to keep you listening to it over and over again. Great songs with out of the world lyrics. Lyrics that are imaginative, and make you want to hear the song again just to catch the lyrics another time.

Among the many songwriters that I have followed, I have always been a fan of Elton John (of course, without forgetting his main lyricist Tim Rice (who wrote 'Candle in the wind', for Marilyn Monroe and 'Can you feel the love tonight' from "Lion King" for him as well as a lot of broadway musicals for Andrew Lloyd Webber). But the song that has enchanted me most is one that was written by Elton along with Bernie Taupin, who certainly had more than his share of disappointments like Elton. During their earliest days together, he and Elton were unhappily trying to be commercial songwriters.

The song talks about a youth who seeks to make a living in the "Emerald City", the land of opportunity, a town where troubles wash away. Instead, the youth is exploited for his talents and decides to abandon this place of vanquished dreams and decides to go back home where his future really lies.

For some reason or the other, this song reminds me of a world I struggled to like, never actually managed to do so, and finally give up for good, not even despairing about it. The world of being a budding Chartered Accountant. A world which, to me, can only be explained as unfairness impersonified. Even cruelty garbed in the sexy robes of hope.

And it appeals to me because it was quite obvious from the start that CA wasnt my destiny. Of course, it was a fine profession. It commanded a lot of respect. Money was there to be earned. They coloured it with the exotic hues of future prospects. But then yeah, the caveat too was accetable. Hard work, dedication. But then wasnt that a normal thing? But well, to keep it short, what transpired was a world where the mantra was work and only work, which again, isnt a bad thing on the face of it. But for a restless, fun loving guy like me, it was a bit too much. And anyway, i always studied it half heartedly.

To me, Charterered Accountants were just pretentious hypocrites. Pretentious, because they pretend they are happy, and that this is the life they yearned for (well, I know a few of them personally), and hypocrites, because they go around with the air of being the most knowledgable persons in the world, when, like most of you now know, they are just a bunch of arrogant self proclaimed intellectuals, who barely know anything (atleast, most of them) beyond the numbers they audit, who make a living -to crudely state the facts- finding fault, and even at their pinacle of professional excellence, cannot be trusted to give the truth (well, to be frank, while analysing companies, Iv been always suspect of the sanctity of its audited financial statements, which ultimately defeats the purpose - with a thousand standards and laws that justify not having to be absolutely certan)

So whenever I hear this song, there is an emphatic statement from the bottom of my heart to all those who think they can fool me about paradise, and to all my co labourers, who still go on believing in the dream that the suffering is for a moment and all that jazz... I actually compare you to the black slaves in 19th century America

So here is a dedication to the lot of you. Chartered Accountants, students, and most importantly, my old boss and colleagues who thought I wouldnt ever leave for all the threats I made. Who thought I actually cared!

When are you gonna come down

When are you going to land

I should have stayed on the farm

I should have listened to my old man

You know you can't hold me forever I didn't sign up with you

I'm not a present for your friends to open This boy's too young to be singing the blues

So goodbye yellow brick road

Where the dogs of society howl

You can't plant me in your penthouse

I'm going back to my plough

Back to the howling old owl in the woods

Hunting the horny back toad

Oh i've finally decided my future lies Beyond the yellow brick road

What do you think you'll do then

I bet that'll shoot down your plane

It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics

To set you on your feet again

Maybe you'll get a replacement There's plenty like me to be found

Mongrels who ain't got a penny Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground

And oh yeah, this is just my destiny. You choose yours. I decided that hyped up values arent worth dying for. But dont be fooled into thinking that success in life is just about working all day and night, money, deserved or not, and social acceptability. Hmm, maybe success is all about that, but then, Id rather not be 'successfull'... !

Well to leave you in a better mood, heres another song. Again, commemorating a favorite lyricist. Oh ya its ABBA (for those of you who dont know, my music begins and ends there - and Iv loaded my player with every ABBA song) but well, this song is different. For story telling it could rival Jeffrey Archer. Read on

He had what you might call a trivial occupation

He cleaned the platforms of the local railway station

With no romance in his life Sometimes he wished he had a wife

He read the matrimonial advertising pages

The cries for help from different people, different ages

But they had nothing to say At least not until the day

When something special he read

This is what it said:

If you dream of the girl for you Then call us and get two for the price of one

We're the answer if you feel blue So call us and get two for the price of one

If you dream of the girl for you Why don't you call us and you'll get two for the price of one

We may be the answers to your problem, a chance with we two

So call us and get two for the price of one

He called the number and a voice said, 'Alice Whiting'

The voice was husky and it sounded quite exciting

He was amazed at his luck The purest streak of gold he'd struck

He said, 'I read your ad, it sounded rather thrilling

I think a meeting could be mutually fulfilling

Why don't we meet for a chat The three of us in my flat I can't forget what I read'

She said, "I'm sure we must be perfect for each other

And if you doubt it you'll be certain when you meet my mother"

Cheers... Ab