My Top 20 albums from 1979 no 3

ARMED FORCES
Year Of Release: 1979
New Wavey pop with a conceptual edge and a diversifying variety of various diversity. Gee, I hate the army too.
Track listing:
1) Accidents Will Happen;
2) Senior Service;
3) Oliver's Army;
4) Big Boys;
5) Green Shirt;
6) Party Girl;
7) Goon Squad;
8) Busy Bodies;
9) Sunday's Best;
10) Moods For Moderns;
11) Chemistry Class;
12) Two Little Hitlers;
13) (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?;
[BONUS TRACKS:]
14) My Funny Valentine; 15) Tiny Steps; 16) Clean Money;
17) Talking In The Dark; 18) Wednesday Week; 19) Accidents Will Happen (Live);
20) Alison (Live); 21) Watching The Detectives (Live).

Fie on you, Elvis. See, this could be Costello's masterpiece - undisputed masterpiece, that is, since even in this form Armed Forces manages to garner more or less the same rating as This Year's Model - but somehow it isn't. Somehow? I know how! It's his singing, consarnit! On no other record does his singing constitute such a major throwback as on this one. Okay, so I could disregard that problem on the first album (do you need to have a good voice if you're a rockabilly guy?); it bothered me significantly on the second album, but I got over it (after all, it was more punk rock than anything, and do you need to have a good voice if you're a punker guy?). But Armed Forces is another huge step forward for Costello musically, as he plunges deep into the world of complex New Wave music, often forgetting angry rock for subtle poppy structures, and heck, if you're into mature pop, you need a good voice. Okay, so not everybody can have a good voice; but what actually bothers me more is that in more than a few cases Elvis drastically overrates his voice. Don't your eardrums nearly burst at his off-key croaky chanting in 'Accidents Will Happen'? Particularly in the stripped-down piano-only version presented here as a bonus track, where his ugly (or should I say 'intentionally uglified?' voice) isn't obscured by anything. Ugh, I nearly had a fit here. And what about the hilarious Nick Lowe cover that ends the album? It's almost as if Elvis tries to 'press' his voice down, falling on it with all his weight, but it still rebounds back and the produced effect is almost gross. (Then again, John Alroy did call that vocal 'outstanding' - so I guess it's all a matter of subjective tastes. Gotta root it out, gotta root it out).
One point off the rating because of that, please, and because some of the songs seem to be underarranged - I feel that a bit more slickiness couldn't have hurt this nearly-perfect album of New Wave/dance pop (and sure, some of these songs can easily fall into the category of 'dance pop', which is not necessarily a bad thing at all - some complain about the album being way too 'generic New Wave', but that's all right by me as long as the melodies are memorable). But now that I vented myself, I can state with equal ease that melody-wise, Armed Forces is not an iota worse than its predecessor. Thirteen songs on here, with a minimal amount of filler - okay, I have never understood where's that famous hidden hook residing in 'Big Boys', and a couple other tunes are a bit duller than the rest, plus, 'Chemistry Class' rather blatantly gives us a re-run of 'Accidents Will Happen', but everything else is classic, not to mention the bonus tracks on the new re-issue, which just might be the best bonus tracks on any given Costello album.
So what's up with the album? It's rather easy to see that it's a conceptual one, with Elvis selecting the Army as his primary goal and making it one of the most powerful anti-militarism statements since... well, since at least the Kinks' Arthur, I'd say. I wonder if the elephants on the cover are supposed to be a metaphor, and if yes, a metaphor for what? So far, the album cover has only induced me to misspell the title of the first song as 'Elephants Will Happen' a few times. Speaking of which, even despite the creeky crooky vocals, 'Accidents Will Happen' is a perfect pop number that leads us in with the trademark Costello feature - a short accapella start that leads in the band. And from then on, it's just one mini-triumph after another.
'Senior Service' is wonderful and boppy (isn't that ascending keyboard line a marvel?), but perhaps the best thing in it is the unexpected shift from soft and boppy to angry and raunchy, with Elvis rapping out the lyrics in the 'Pump It Up' tradition. Then there's 'Oliver's Army'. This one was certainly written under serious ABBA influence (Elvis himself stated that, so I'm not imagining things) - the opening pompous piano chords are pretty much lifted off 'Dancing Queen', but the song itself is not, although I think ABBA would make a good job trying to reproduce it. Hear that, snubby ABBA bashers? This band has served as an influence for more of your favourite artists than you could possibly imagine... 'Green Shirt', as I already mentioned earlier, rips off the melody of the Kinks' 'Powerman', but it's still a great catchy number that arguably superates the 'original'. And 'Party Girl' introduces Costello the 'power balladeer', with a heavy rhythmic beat and a thick, pounding rhythm guitar (not to mention more ABBA-esque sparkling piano lines) that give the tune a steady epic feel.
The second side kicks off with the spooky 'Goon Squad', the centerpiece of Costello's concept - a song written in the form of a paranoid letter written home by a soldier who complains that he 'never thought they'd put me in the goon squad'. Watch out for that arrangement! Do you hear the faint organs in the background? That's subtlety for you! Plus, it's the side that's most diverse - after that spookiness, you'll also get the weird waltz 'Sunday's Best', the irresistable robotic dance 'Moods For Moderns', the humble reggae of 'Two Little Hitlers', and, of course, that Nick Lowe cover, '(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace Love And Understanding?' Again, despite the forced vocals, it's a true Costello classic - booming, raging, epic, and oh so true. I mean, really, what's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? I do wanna know that too, especially considering all those cretinic hippie-bashers ridiculizing 'peace vibes' everywhere. It's because of those people that Elvis had to put out Armed Forces, you understand. Keep it up, Mr McManus!

Whew, there's the bonus tracks, too. 'My Funny Valentine' is Costello doing accappella goth. That's either an unprecedented case of audacity or just kinky. You decide - I still can't. But the following four tracks are all minor delights which I won't mention one by one because I'm tired, plus there's a live rendition of 'Accidents Will Happen' that's atrocious, a live rendition of 'Alison' that's funny because the audience all goes wild each time Costello blurbs out 'my aim is true...', and a live rendition of 'Watching The Detectives' that's extended and experimental. Don't worry, the record is anything but boring.

Sure takes some time to get used to, though - I hated it at first listen, and I can easily see why some fans rate it as a slight fall-off from the level of This Year's Model: the hooks are less obvious, and the serious energy is replaced by a colder and subtler New Wavish approach. But oh boy, does it grow on you. It does it does it does. Give it a chance.

Armed Forces is the third studio album by British musician Elvis Costello, released in the UK by Radar Records and in the US by Columbia in 1979. It was his second album with the Attractions, and the first to officially credit the Attractions on the cover. The album had the working title Emotional Fascism.

The North American version omitted the track "Sunday's Best" and replaced it with Costello's version of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding," which had been released the previous November as the B-side of Lowe's "American Squirm" single. Initial pressings of the album in the UK and US also included a promotional three-song EP, Live at Hollywood High.

Armed Forces has appeared on various "greatest albums" lists in both Q magazine and Rolling Stone magazine.
Background

After 1978's punk-inspired This Year's Model, Costello moved in a direction more influenced by new wave music. Costello described this change, "At the time, it seemed as if we were making an impossibly sophisticated leap from the sound of This Year's Model, but listening now there are very few production devices that sit between the listener and the songs. The confidence and cohesion of The Attractions' playing is the product of 12 months of intense touring. The sessions were not without dissent and tension, but we probably never had quite this level of consistent musical agreement again".[2]
Armed Forces was originally intended to be named Emotional Fascism; Costello explained, "Two or three half-formed notions collided uneasily in that title, although I never would have admitted to having anything as self-conscious as a ‘theme’ running through the songs. Any patterns that have emerged did so as the record was completed or with the benefit of hindsight. Personal and global matters are spoken about with the same vocabulary; maybe this was a mistake. Betrayal and murder are not the same thing. The first of them only deadens the soul. Some of the highly charged language may now seem a little naive; it is full of gimmicks and almost overpowers some songs with paradoxes and subverted clichés piling up into private and secret meanings. I was not quite 24 and thought I knew it all".[2]
Initial
Janet Maslin, in a 1979 review in Rolling Stone, felt the album was a "killer in several senses of the word," remarking on the brief, energetic songs with dense and sometimes overly-clever but snappy lyrics. Maslin felt that Costello "wants to be daring, but he also wants to dance."[13] Robert Christgau, in a 1979 review in The Village Voice, felt Costello was using words to "add color and detail to his music" rather than as "a thinking, feeling person," though he approved of the "intricate pop constructions" and found the album overall to be "good" but not "great."[12] Both reviewers felt the album was more densely or richly produced than its two predecessors.[12][13]
Retrospective
In a retrospective commentary for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that Armed Forces was a more "detailed and textured pop production" than Costello's first two albums, making the music more accessible, though the lyrics were "more insular and paranoid."[3] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune, in his 1991 review, called the album "Costello's 'political' record, and also one of his most irresistibly melodic."[5] Matt LeMay, in a 2003 review for Pitchfork Media, also commented on the production, which he felt was "extravagantly layered with dense instrumentation and rich, effusive textures" which "often serves to conceal, rather than reveal the nuances of Costello's songwriting." LeMay concluded that "the greatest strength of Armed Forces may be the same thing that makes it less viscerally powerful than Costello's two prior records - its songs absolutely demand to be appreciated for their craftsmanship."[8] LeMay argued that the album marks the point at which Costello found his voice as a songwriter.[8]
Artwork
While the album's artwork was largely designed by Barney Bubbles and Bazooka, the original UK LP cover, featuring a herd of stampeding elephants, was designed by Tom Pogson. Initial pressings of the LP featured a die-cut fold-out sleeve, which also included four postcards of the band. The American version opted for a standard LP jacket and featured a piece of paint splattered artwork by Bubbles and Bazooka for the cover, which had also been featured inside the fold-out UK version.[17][18]

Initial pressings also included the bonus EP Live at Hollywood High, recorded on 4 June 1978, and initial UK copies came with a red and yellow sticker on the front with the words "Free EP inside."[19]

The album was released in a variety of different configurations in different territories, alternating between the two different cover designs and inclusion or exclusion of the bonus EP.[20]
Track listing

All songs written by Elvis Costello.
Side one
"Accidents Will Happen" - 3:00
"Senior Service" - 2:17
"Oliver's Army" - 2:58
"Big Boys" - 2:54
"Green Shirt" - 2:42
"Party Girl" - 3:20
Side two
"Goon Squad" - 3:14
"Busy Bodies" - 3:33
"Sunday's Best" - 3:22
"Moods for Moderns" - 2:48
"Chemistry Class" - 2:55
"Two Little Hitlers" - 3:18

The American and Canadian releases omitted "Sunday's Best" and added "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" to close side two.[21]
Live at Hollywood High promo EP

"Accidents Will Happen" (Live) - 3:18
"Alison" (Live) - 3:08
"Watching the Detectives" (Live) - 5:51

Armed Forces was reissued on CD by Rykodisc in 1993, which featured the original album and bonus tracks on one CD. Rhino Records reissued the album again in 2002 as a two disc set; disc one contained the original UK album plus "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" and disc two contained the bonus tracks.
1993 Rykodisc reissue bonus tracks

"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (Nick Lowe) - 3:31
"My Funny Valentine" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 1:28
"Tiny Steps" - 2:42
"Clean Money" - 1:57
"Talking in the Dark" - 1:56
"Wednesday Week" - 2:01
"Accidents Will Happen" (Live at Hollywood High) - 3:18
"Alison" (Live at Hollywood High) - 3:08
"Watching the Detectives" (Live at Hollywood High) - 5:51

Note: the Rykodisc reissue placed "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" after a 15 second silence following "Two Little Hitlers."

2002 Rhino reissue bonus disc

"Tiny Steps" - 2:42
"Busy Bodies" (Alternative version) - 3:48
"Talking in the Dark" - 1:56
"Big Boys" (Alternative version) - 2:56
"Clean Money" - 1:57
"Wednesday Week" - 2:01
"My Funny Valentine" (Rodgers, Hart) - 1:33
"Accidents Will Happen" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 3:18
"Mystery Dance" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 2:01
"Goon Squad" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 3:42
"Party Girl" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 3:19
"Stranger in the House" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 3:52
"Alison" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 3:08
"Lipstick Vogue" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 4:26
"Watching the Detectives" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 5:51
"You Belong to Me" (Live at Hollywood High, 4 June 1978) - 2:39
"Chemistry Class" (Live solo at the Warner Theatre, Washington DC, 28 February 1978) - 2:34

2007 Hip-O Records reissue bonus track

"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (Nick Lowe) - 3:32

Personnel

Elvis Costello - guitar, vocals
The Attractions
Steve Nieve - piano, organ, synthesizer
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums

Technical
Roger Bechirian - engineer
Tom Pogson - artwork (elephant front cover)
Barney Bubbles - artwork (all other artwork)
Bazooka - artwork (graphics and illustrations)

Accidents Will Happen"
[Verse 1] Oh, I just don't know where to begin
Though he says he'll wait forever It's now or never
But she keeps him hanging on The silly champion
She says she can't go home Without a chaperone
[Chorus] Accidents will happen We only hit and run
He used to be your victim Now, you're not the only one
Accidents will happen We only hit and run
I don't want to hear it 'Cause I know what I've done
[Verse 2] There's so many fish in the sea
That only rise up in the sweat and smoke like mercury
But they keep you hanging on They say you're so young
Your mind is made up but your mouth is undone
[Chorus] Accidents will happen We only hit and run
He used to be your victim Now, you're not the only one
Accidents will happen We only hit and run
I don't want to hear it 'Cause I know what I've done
[Bridge] And it's the damage that we do And never know
It's the words that we don't say That scare me so
[Verse 3] There's so many people to see So many people you can check up on
And add to your collection But they keep you hanging on
Until you're well hung Your mouth is made up but your mind is undone
[Chorus] Accidents will happen We only hit and run
He used to be your victim Now, you're not the only one
Accidents will happen We only hit and run
I don't want to hear it 'Cause I know what I've...
I know what I've... I know what I've done
[Outro]I know, I know...[Repeat until fade]

Senior Service"
[Chorus] Senior service Junior dissatisfaction
It's a breath you took too late It's a death that's worse than fate
Senior service Junior dissatisfaction Though it may be second hand It's by no means second rate
[Verse 1] I want your neck I want the seat that you sit at
I want your check Because they told me I would get on
I want to chop off your head and watch it roll into the basket
If you should drop dead tonight, then, they won't have to ask me twice
[Chorus] Senior service Junior dissatisfaction
It's a breath you took too late It's a death that's worse than fate
Senior service Junior dissatisfaction Though it may be second hand It's by no means second rate
[Bridge] They took me in the office and they told me very carefully
The way that I could benefit from death and disability
[Chorus] Senior service Junior dissatisfaction
It's a breath you took too late It's a death that's worse than fate
Senior service Junior dissatisfaction Though it may be second hand It's by no means second rate
[Verse 2] I want your company car I want your girlfriend and love
I want your place at the bar Because there's always another man
To chop off your head and watch it roll into the basket
If you should drop dead tonight, then, they won't have to ask me twice
[Chorus] Senior service Junior dissatisfaction
It's a breath you took too late It's a death that's worse than fate
Senior service Junior dissatisfaction Though it may be second hand It's by no means second rate

"Oliver’s Army"
[Verse 1]
Don't start that talking I could talk all night
My mind goes sleepwalking While I'm putting the world to right
Call careers information Have you got yourself an occupation?
[Chorus]
Oliver's army is here to stay Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else But here today
[Verse 2]
There was a Checkpoint Charlie He didn't crack a smile
But it's no laughing party When you've been on the murder mile
Only takes one itchy trigger One more widow, one less white nigger
[Chorus]
Oliver's army is here to stay Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else Than here today
[Bridge]
Hong Kong is up for grabs London is full of Arabs
We could be in Palestine Overrun by the Chinese line
With the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne
[Verse 3]
But there's no danger It's a professional career
Though it could be arranged With just a word in Mr. Churchill's ear
If you're out of luck or out of work We could send you to Johannesburg
[Chorus]
Oliver's army is here to stay Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else But here today
[Outro]
And I would rather be anywhere else x3
But here today x3

Big Boys"

[Verse 1]
I am starting to function In the usual way
Everything is so provocative Very, very temporary
[Chorus] I shall walk (I shall walk)
Out of this place (out of this place)
I shall walk out on you 'Cause you go silly
If she's willing Trying so hard to be like the big boys
[Bridge 1] So you take her to the pictures Trying to become a fixture
Inch by inch, trying to reach her All the way through the second feature
Worrying about your physical fitness Tell me how you got this sickness
[Verse 2]
I was caught in the suction By a face like a truncheon
I was down upon one knee Stroking her vanity
I was stuck on a hammerhead I came alive and left for dead
As my face returned to red Choking on my pride and pity
[Chorus] We can talk (we can talk)
Until your face is blue ('til your face is blue)
We can talk but she'll get to you
After you've been loved and hated
By the ones you've watched and waited
Found that they were overrated
[Bridge 2] She'll be the one - when the party's over
She'll be the one - when the girls have gone home
She'll be the one - that you'll wish you'd held onto
She'll be the one - but it's too late for you to
She'll be the one - who knows all your history
She'll be the one - so you can cross her off your list
[Outro] And you try so hard x2
And you try so hard to be like the big boys

Green Shirt"

[Verse 1]
There's a smart, young woman on a light blue screen
Who comes into my house every night
She takes all the red, yellow, orange and green
And she turns them into black and white
[Chorus] But you tease and you flirt
And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
[Post-Chorus 1]
Better cut off all identifying labels Before they put you on the torture table
[Verse 2]
'Cause somewhere in the "Quisling Clinic"
There's a shorthand typist taking seconds over minutes
She's listening in to the Venus line
She's picking out names I hope none of them are mine
[Chorus] But you tease and you flirt
And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
[Bridge]
Never said I was a stool pigeon I never said I was a diplomat
Everybody is under suspicion But you don't want to hear about that
[Chorus] 'Cause you tease and you flirt
And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
[Post-Chorus 2] Better send a begging letter to the big investigation
Who put these fingerprints on my imagination?
[Chorus] But you tease and you flirt
And you shine all the buttons on your green shirt
You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it
[Outro] You can please yourself but somebody's gonna get it x2

"Party Girl"

[Verse 1]
They say you're nothing but a party girl
Just like a million more all over the world
I know I shouldn't be raising my hopes so high
But I have seen the hungry look in their eyes
They'd settle for anything in disguise of love
Seen the party girls look me over
Seen 'em leaving when the party's over
[Chorus] They can't touch me now You say you don't mind
We're so hard to find I could give you anything but time
[Bridge] Give it just one more try Give it a chance
Starts like fascination Ends up like a trance
[Verse 2]
Oh, you'll never be the guilty party girl
Maybe someday, we can go hiding from this world
Maybe I'll never get over the change in style
But I don't want to lock you up and say you're mine
Don't want to lose you or say goodbye
I'm the guilty party and I want my slice
But I know you've got me and I'm in a grip-like vise
[Chorus] They can't touch me now You say you don't mind
We're so hard to find I could give you anything
I would give you anything I can give you anything but time
[Outro] Give you anything but time... [repeat until fade]

"Goon Squad"

[Verse 1]
Mother, Father, I'm here in the zoo
I can't come home 'cause I've grown up too soon
I got my sentence I got my command
They said they'd make me major if I met all their demands
[Pre-Chorus 1]
I could be a corporal into corporal punishment
Or the general manager of a large establishment
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the...
[Chorus]
Goon squad They've come to look you over and they're giving you the eye
Goon squad They want you to come out to play You'd better say goodbye
[Verse 2]
Some grow up just like their dads And some grow up too tall
Some go drinking with the lads Some don't grow up at all
You must find the proper place for everything you see
But you'll never get to make a lampshade out of me
[Pre-Chorus 2]
I could join a chain of males or be the missing link
Looking for a lucky girl to put me in the pink
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the...
[Chorus]
Goon squad They've come to look you over and they're giving you the eye
Goon squad They want you to come out to play You'd better say goodbye
[Verse 3]
Mother, Father, I'm doing so well
I'm making such progress now that you can hardly tell
I fit in a little dedication with one eye on the clock
They caught you under medication
You could be in for a shock
[Pre-Chorus 3]
Thinking up the alibis that everyone's forgotten Just another mummy's boy gone to rotten
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the...
[Chorus]
Goon squad They've come to look you over and they're giving you the eye
Goon squad They want you to come out to play You'd better say goodbye

Busy Bodies"

[Verse 1]
So you think that you have seen her When you're lying in between her
And you tell me that you don't care Busy bodies getting nowhere
Everybody's getting meaner Busy bodies caught in the concertina
[Pre-Chorus 1] You check her outline
Break her regulations You watch her legs through several service stations
[Chorus] Busy bodies Very busy
Getting nowhere Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
[Verse 2]
Now you're ready for the merger With the company you're part of
And you do the dirty business With your latest sleeping partner
You're becoming automatic Busy bodies out playing with the traffic
[Pre-Chorus 2] You want attention
You try my patience With the best intentions, you are nothing but a nuisance
[Chorus] Busy bodies Very busy
Getting nowhere Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere
[Verse 3]
Now you've given your performance Though the matinee was idle
And you find out that a wave of her right hand
Could seem so tidal Just a second Satisfaction
Busy bodies Temporarily out of action
[Pre-Chorus 3] You wash and brush up You want to dress up
You want to kiss her But she's busy with her makeup
[Chorus] Busy bodies Very busy
Getting nowhere Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere x2

Sunday’s Best"

[Verse 1]
Times are tough for English babies
Send the army and the navy
Beat up strangers who talk funny
Take their greasy, foreign money
Skin shop, red leather, hot line
Be prepared for the engaged sign
Bridal books, engagement rings
And other wicked little things
[Chorus]
Standing in your socks and vest Better get it off your chest
Every day is just like the rest But Sunday's best
[Verse 2]
Stylish slacks to suit your pocket
Back supports and picture lockets
Sleepy towns and sleeper trains
To the dogs and down the drains
Major roads and ladies' smalls
Hearts of oak and long trunk calls
Continental interference
At death's door with life insurance
[Chorus]
Standing in your socks and vest Better get it off your chest
Every day is just like the rest But Sunday's best
[Bridge]
Sunday's best, Sunday's finest When your money's in the minus
And you suffer from your shyness You can listen to us whiners
[Verse 3]
Don't look now under the bed
An arm, a leg and a severed head
Read about the private lives
The songs of praise, the readers' wives
Listen to the decent people
Though you treat them just like sheep
Put them all in boots and khaki
Blame it all upon the darkies
[Chorus]
Standing in your socks and vest Better get it off your chest
Every day is just like the rest But Sunday's best
[Outro] Sunday's best x3

Moods for Moderns"

[Verse 1]
Moods for moderns x4
I get hit looking for a miss
I never thought that it would come to this
[Verse 2]
Moods for moderns x4
Though we may never be the same again
I am so proud that you've been taken in vain
[Chorus]
What if none of your dreams come true? I can never run from you
There's never been a how-do-you-do There's never been an ending
Soon, you'll belong to someone else And I will be your stranger, just pretending
[Post-Chorus 1]
Moods for moderns Memory lingers
I let you into Foreign fingers
[Verse 3]
Moods for moderns x4
I never thought that I would see this day
I never thought that I would give you away
[Chorus]
What if none of your dreams come true? I can never run from you
There's never been a how-do-you-do There's never been an ending
Soon, you'll belong to someone else And I will be your stranger, just pretending
[Post-Chorus 2]
Moods for moderns Let them break us
Strong and sudden Foreign fingers

Chemistry Class"

[Verse 1]
She throws back her hair and she shows you her mouth
The breath that I waste trying to ruin your life
Beauty's on a budget but you take it on the chin
'Cause you have to do your duty, taking orders from the kingpin
[Chorus]
You've got a chemistry class; I want a piece of your mind
You don't know what you started when you mixed it up with mine
Are you ready for the final solution? Oh, oh
[Verse 2]
Chopped you up in butcher's school
Threw you out of the academy of garbage
You'll be a joker all your life
A student at the comedy college
People-pleasing people pleasing people like you
You've been around so long but you still don't know what to do
[Chorus]
You've got a chemistry class; I want a piece of your mind
You don't know what you started when you mixed it up with mine
Are you ready for the final solution? Oh, oh
[Verse 3]
Sparks are flying from electrical pylons
Snakes and ladders running up and down her nylons
Ready to experiment, you're ready to be burned
If it wasn't for some accidents then some would never, ever learn
[Chorus]
You've got a chemistry class; I want a piece of your mind
You don't know what you started when you mixed it up with mine
Are you ready for the final solution? Oh, oh

"Two Little Hitlers"

[Verse 1] Why are we racing to be so old?
I'm up late, pacing the floor I won't be told
You have your reservations I'm bought and sold
I'll face the music I'll face the facts
Even when we walk in polka dots and checker slacks
Bowing and squawking Running after tidbits
Bobbing and squinting Just like a nitwit
[Chorus] Two little Hitlers will fight it out
Until one little Hitler does the other one's will
I will return I will not burn Down in the basement
[Verse 2] I need my head examined I need my eyes excited
I'd like to join the party But I was not invited
You make a member of me I'll be delighted
I wouldn't cry for lost souls, you might drown
Dirty words for dirty minds Written in a toilet town
Dial me a Valentine She's a smooth operator
It's all so calculated She's got a calculator
She's my soft touch typewriter And I'm the great dictator
[Chorus] Two little Hitlers will fight it out
Until one little Hitler does the other one's will
I will return I will not burn Down in the basement
[Bridge] A simple game of self-respect You flick a switch and the world goes off
Nobody jumps as you expect I would have thought you would have had enough by now
[Verse 3] You call selective dating For some effective mating
I thought I'd let you down, dear But you were just deflating
I knew right from the start We'd end up hating
Pictures of the merchandise plastered on the wall
We can look so long as we don't have to talk at all
You say you'll never know him He's an unnatural man
He doesn't want your pleasure He wants as no one can
He wants to know the names of All those he's better than
[Chorus] Two little Hitlers will fight it out
Until one little Hitler does the other one's will I will return I will not burn
[Outro] I will return 1 will not burn [repeat until fade]