Around the World in a Day (1985)
From the initial piano flutterings until the dying timpani heartbeat, Condition of the Heart is a breathtaking composition. The first two minutes are Edenic in their beauty and paint a campestral paradise with frolicking deer and darting butterflies. Béla Bartók dreaming of our animal past. Ninety seconds in and this idyllic scene is disturbed by a laser beam that cuts the atmosphere in two. It’s the bite of the apple. The opening of the box. The stealing of the gods’ fire. Man awakens from his Arcadian slumber and after blinking the sleep out of his eyes falls into a downward spiral of shame, heartbreak and loss. A terminal condition of the heart, without which the history of music would just be nursery rhymes and military tattoos.
I almost experienced a heart condition when I saw this placement. Fully expected this in the top 50.
Controversial I know. For me he goes a little overboard on the histrionics to hit the top 50, but fantastic song nonetheless.
This is your least favorite song on around the world in a day?
Yeah. But only because the rest of the album is so strong.
For context, I’ve rated COTH better than every single song on Emancipation bar one.
Holy river?
Oh. I have bad news.
I love this list. I hate emancipation except for two songs. Holy river and his cover of la la la la means I love you
We have wildly different tastes my man. I’m afraid those two do nothing for me.
The lyrics of this song are absolutely gorgeous, but I do agree that he goes a bit over the top here.