Thursday 24 November 2011

THURSDAY I'M IN LOVE - Luna - '23 Minutes in Brussels'

Thursday I'm in love...a chance for me to 'waffle' on about some of my favourite songs.

 
Luna - '23 Minutes in Brussels' (1995)

In the mid 90's I used to work on Eurostar as a pumped up steward often stopping for several hours in Paris or if you were unlucky, Brussels. I don't know why I had so much animosity towards a city that was impossibly greyer and wetter than London, perhaps it was the fact that for the duration of the turnaround we were stuck in a dingy room near the Midi station, an area which was also a constant building site. Or maybe it was the yellow blazer and blue and yellow tiger stripped bow tie combo I had to wear for a uniform. It could even be the time I went to see Scotland play Belgium in a World Cup qualifier and almost winning the match by losing 2-0, my misery compounded by the Tartan Army regulars deciding to sing the horrific version of 'Hey Baby' for the rest of the evening.

Yeah! We're playing in Brussels!

At the time there was this mesmerising song called '23 Minutes in Brussels' by New York band Luna, the track becoming one of my all time favourites. It's got this fantastic psychedelic groove to it that just takes you away, great percussion throughout and an excellent instrumental section in the middle, not to mention some pretty poignant lyrics, like trying to catch an aeroplane home, completely capturing my mood. More importantly 23 minutes was probably about the optimum time you'd want to spend there.

I have since made my peace with Brussels/Belgium, realising I was just being a petulant little brat. I mean how can I possibly be mad about a country that has given us Hoegaarden, Tintin, Deus, chips and of course Jean Claude Van Damme!

Flycasual, my name is Jean Claude Van Damme and I'm very very angry!


Download the MP3 from this Luna fansite...located in the Luna file third mp3 down on the left

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THURSDAY I'M IN LOVE - Luna - '23 Minutes in Brussels'
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Oleh

6 comments

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24 November 2011 at 10:42

I defy anyone who doesn't like this song! It's one of those ones that you don't mind if it just carries on like a jamming session. There must be a super long remix version out there, right?

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Anonymous
24 November 2011 at 19:50

Not to mention Jacques Brel and Rene Magritte. Interesting track by a band I've not heard before. Guitar reminds me of Television, which is a good thing. A point off for the trousers that look scarily like flares!

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24 November 2011 at 22:00

SB, you're right Jacques Brel of course, 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' probably being one of the most brutal break up songs! I know what you mean about Televison too, as I listened to the Luna song a few times before the post and it's exactly what it remind me of, certainly the instrumentation.

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24 November 2011 at 23:07

I can't remember which year you introduced this to me. Maybe 2006, but regardless it was my favourite song that and every subsequent year since. FACT

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sfw
25 November 2011 at 12:05

Fantastic track - never heard it before!!!!

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27 November 2011 at 08:53

Fogot about Luna....went to the site for the download and also found a great Dylan Cover I did not have. Superb track!

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