The Windmills of Your Mind
許多年前我第一次聽到 Windmills of Your Mind時已經是70’s,那是由Ray Conniff所翻唱的,在當時我只覺得這首歌非常好聽,Ray Conniff的音樂被稱為Easy Listening,歌聲輕輕柔柔的,曼妙的合聲輕快的節奏,讓人在毫無負擔的狀態下浸潤在音樂中.Ray Conniff唱Windmills of your mind也不例外,只是多加了一點點空靈飛旋的感覺.我知道Ray Conniff都是翻唱別人的歌曲,只是當時我並沒有找到原唱是何人,當然也就沒聽過原唱是如何唱的.
多年後在電視的電影台看到Pierce Brosnan所主演的The Thomas Crown Affair我又再次聽到這首歌,這次我的英文比較好,比較能從歌詞中取得更多的資訊,不過,那也只不過是一首好聽的歌而已.由於卡拉OK文化的影響,聽到好聽的歌就想哼上兩句,好聽的歌不見得好唱,不是抓不準音,而是抓不住情感,從歌的旋律與歌詞中很明顯的感受到輕快的飛旋,但是這種旋轉的情感卻很難掌握,研究旋律研究歌詞就是走不進那漩渦的中心,也許是語言的隔閡也許是文化的素養不足,總之,那個美的感覺似有若無,一直無法掌握.
某一天,我看了1968年Steve McQueen所主演的The Thomas Crown Affair,這是原汁原味的原版電影,在影片中當Steve McQueen開著滑翔機時,這首Windmills of your mind又響起,主角駕著滑翔機飛行的畫面配上這首音樂,滑翔機飛行的方式就是要尋找上升熱氣流盤旋而上,這音樂的旋律有是流暢的旋轉,我終於開始領略這首歌曲的美.
The windmills of your mind是為了1968年的The Thomas Crown Affair所做的電影配樂,也獲得那一年奧斯卡最佳電影原聲帶獎,這首歌是Michel Legrand所寫的,他是個法國人也是Jazz音樂的先驅之一(所以這首歌也有法文版Les moulins de mon cœur.),這首歌的風格有一點香頌也有一點爵士,我猜想就是因為法國味道的爵士音樂才讓我迷惑也總是掌握不到那種美.
這首歌的結構很有趣,有一點卡農有一點輪旋有一點爵士,樂句的開始並不是小節的開始,重音變得有點奇怪,很像爵士手法,G大調4/4拍,每一小節的第一拍與前一小節的後三拍成為一個動機,兩個起音相同的動機結合成為一個旋律,旋律重複一次然後在最後一小節將動機平移上升一個音,做成一個樂句.於是,這個由四小節所組成的樂句,每一個動機的開始都是在B起音,於是就有一種週而復始的感覺,最後一小節(動機),起音後便將剩下的三拍全數平移上升一個音,下一個樂句與第一個樂句完全完全的相同,只是平移上升三個音,所以聽起來就有一種盤旋上升的感覺,兩個樂句後接下來的兩小節就像是將先前上緊的發條放鬆般,有著輕柔平靜的感覺,如果用每一個句子作為樂句來看,這首歌的結構就像A, B, A’, C, A,….這就像輪旋曲,如果將兩個句子當一個樂句來看,那就像是相同的樂句以不同的key來唱,這就像卡農.我一直用飛旋,旋轉來形容我聽這首歌的感受也就是受到這種有趣結構的影響.
這首歌不只是音樂美,歌詞更是迷人,Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman這對夫妻為這首歌填上直得細嚼品味的歌詞.第一段的歌詞就直接破題,第一個字就是旋轉繞圈圈,然後就帶出外宇宙的事物,一串無止境的旋轉,旋轉中沒有起點沒有終點,整個宇宙裡時間空間都是週而復始.無始無終,第二段就說內宇宙,心思就像進入隧道中一樣,一個隧道接著一個隧道穿梭著,沒有起點沒有終點,夢想理想在這隧道穿梭中消逝,如同水花漸漸平息一般,第三段說到人本身,Key代表人所擁有的物質,Word代表人所有的掙扎,一切一切人所想要保有的事物,終究會消散,淡逝.就像不論人多麼的想要挽留夏日的昌盛,蕭瑟的秋季一定會來到.人永遠無法阻擋這個輪轉.最後一段又回到第一段,輪迴,旋轉,繞圈圈,所有人身旁的一切就像是思緒中的風車,不斷迴轉.
歌詞有一點哲理,並不是愁而是豁達.電影中,Steve是個非常有錢的人,他愛很多帶有危險性,刺激性的事物,馬球,沙灘飛車,滑翔機,我記得有一幕戲,當他從滑翔機下來時,他的女伴勸他要考慮這些活動的危險性,Steve回答他所考慮的是明天還能在追求甚麼更新的事物,也因為Steve喜歡刺激,所以他策劃了銀行搶案,一個完美的犯罪,警察一愁莫展,銀行所投保的保險公司派了一位女調查員也就是電影女主角來協助,這調查員為了要抓出Steve不惜以肉身相捨,Steve也知道女調查員的目的,不過因為他喜歡刺激,所以也與女調查員進一步交往,甚至動了想要穩定下來的念頭,所以他又再度策劃一模一樣的銀行搶案,同時將部份細節透露給女調查員,目的是想要測試女調查員對Steve的心意,當然女調查員的心思是想要抓到Steve,所以聯絡警察埋伏抓人,當然由於這是Steve所設的局,當警方埋伏抓人時,Steve正在私人飛機上,電影的最後一幕是Steve面色沉重,似乎為了女調查員的背叛而傷心,然而到了最後一個鏡頭Steve笑了,非常開朗的笑了似乎為了重新的自由而開心的笑了.The Windmills of Your Mind的歌詞所隱喻的也就是這樣的豁達.
歌曲好聽,除了要有動人旋律外也要有”故事”可說,The Windmills of Your Mind會獲得奧斯卡最佳電影原聲帶獎並非偶然,他的旋律不但與歌詞與電影畫面相呼應,他的歌詞有緊緊的扣住電影的故事發展,確實是個難得的好作品.
Windmills of your mind
(from "The Thomas Crown Affair")
Music by Michel Legrand
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Round,
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel,
Never ending on beginning,
On an ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain,
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on its face
And the world is like an apple
Spinning silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half-forgotten dream
Like the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on its face
And the world is like an apple
Spinning silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly?
Was it something that I said?
Lovers walk along a shore
And leave their footprints in the sand
Was the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway
or the fragment of a song,
half-remembered names and faces
but to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair?
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Music by Michel Legrand
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Round,
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel,
Never ending on beginning,
On an ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain,
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on its face
And the world is like an apple
Spinning silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half-forgotten dream
Like the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on its face
And the world is like an apple
Spinning silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly?
Was it something that I said?
Lovers walk along a shore
And leave their footprints in the sand
Was the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway
or the fragment of a song,
half-remembered names and faces
but to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair?
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
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