THE FACTS OF LIFE is a record of songs I wrote some 10 years ago, but which I have revisited, re-edited and re-mastered this year (2019) as a means of processing major emotional upheaval in my life.
Here are the 15 tracks in the record, alongside the visuals for each “single”.
SIDE ONE of the album consists of 7 conventional pop songs building up to rapture and denouement.
SIDE TWO of the album – also 7 songs – delves deeper into the more complex, and sometimes darker side of love and relationships.
And there’s a BONUS TRACK, which is an alternate version of the track E.M.P.T.Y.
Listen to the album in the order of the tracks, ideally with your earphones on. These are all unmastered demos…
1 – MAGIC
“I believe in MAGIC, magical experiences…like dinners in the desert, with only stars above. I can hear you laughing… ‘cos I’m so impressionable. Don’t you under-rate it, the power of romance.”
2 – E.M.P.T.Y.
“E – M – P – T – Y without U!! L – O – N – E – L -Y without U!! Wanna run all the way to where U R, I can’t stand even a minute we’re apart! L – O – N – E – L – Y without U! E – M – P – T – Y!!! It’s like you’ve kidnapped my heart… and I’m here barely breathing.”
3 – 兩個人
“渴望你永遠地，永遠地在我身邊，這是我內心深處的心願！不論乾坤倒轉，雷雨風霜，我們都會珍惜一切！”
4 – MORNING
“Sunlight strikes the edge of the bed, our feet are softly touching. Pigeon coos outside the window… mmmm…no, not yet. Kitty clambers over my body, touches nose to my nose. Cradled between you and kitty… mmmm… no, not yet.”
5 – …THIS
“And after it’s all over, we lie awake giving thanks. The universe was born here, right where we lie. The one true religion is …this, my love. And nothing can surpass this feeling, inside.”
6 – URBAN
“This year’s Spring is just too cold, baby. This year’s rain like drops of ice. I’m wrapped up, but I’m still cold, baby. Won’t you take me in your arms? Everything shines so silver-white, baby. ‘Cos I’ve got you by my side. The city’s shining so silver-white, baby. Won’t you hold me close to you?”
7 – RISK
“Time just stops when I’m with you. You don’t know this and I don’t want to tell you just yet. But somehow we’ve become more than friends. You didn’t notice, but I’ve known it for some time. It’s in the way we stare at each other. It’s in the way we talk when we don’t talk…”
With this track, SIDE ONE is complete.
SIDE TWO begins from here on down.
8 – MASOCHISTIC
“Why are we bent on being masochistic? Wanting something we just can’t have? Craving this sad, sadistic torture we bring upon ourselves? Why are we bent on being masochistic? Building castles with broken glass? Choosing battles that we can’t win just to feel alive?”
9 – WATER……
“On the boat that day, we sat by each other. Your hand was barely touching mine. And I asked you then, but you stared at the water… “Was it all a waste of time?” Then we took our tops off and lay in the sun. “So I heard you love him now, is it true?” And we passed these screaming cormorants. I thought the water was so blue.”
10 – NIGHT
“The night is too dark for us to swim in the bay. Out there only sea creatures play. The stars are too bright for us to lift our eyes above. Down here there is only earth. The sea is not sea, it is ablaze with blue fire. Turtles climb ashore from this pyre. By the thousands they come from the dark and the deep to lay their eggs at our feet.”
11 – MISTAKEN
“Wish I could say how and why it was over. When did I know that you and I just weren’t meant to be? That baby, you were poison to me? Wish I could say it’s a fairytale ending. Why am I here, waiting, always waiting? But you never know how things could go. These are things you just don’t know.”
12 – GLOWING
“It’s 2 a.m. The streets are silent. The city is glowing. The night is young. An empty square. Two lovers embracing. The sound of footsteps. The metro still runs. I’ve nowhere to go. Is it tomorrow? Or is it today? I’m sorry, but I don’t know. Let’s dance.”
13 – THE FACTS OF LIFE
“These are the facts of life. No one’s gonna soften the blow. Seal up those cracks inside before they start to show. Some people won’t like who you are. Most people won’t understand. Takes so much more than just two fists to make a man.”
14 – WAITING
“Let me be the one to tell you all the routes to take. Let me be the place your tired wings will lead you to. Let me be the stone that paves the path under your feet. Only say you’ll be mine always, and I’ll be waiting…”
15 – E.M.P.T.Y. (Lovesick La-La-La Mix)
“E – M – P – T – Y without U!! L – O – N – E – L -Y without U!! Wanna run all the way to where U R, I can’t stand even a minute we’re apart! L – O – N – E – L – Y without U! E – M – P – T – Y!!! It’s like you’ve kidnapped my heart… and I’m here barely breathing.”
Dream Of A City 