Nice little lyric on my little girl from manifesto
"There's a small cafe where others take their time,
good for rainy days, too bad the weathers fine"

Funny that. I always felt that MLG was murdered by the afore-cited mahogany production values of the Mainfesto outing. But...you are quite right! What a lovely little lyric! I never really noticed it before.
I also think spin me round (almost next to MLG) has pretty excellent words throughout.

In my memory this has always been "I know a small cafè that`s good for rainy days", as I don`t listen to this song often. -But remember, the air conditioning has to be good too, and the view, and the seats should be oriented towards this view...

Renowned Roxologists,

A worthy submission, this time from @wrighta. Another diamond in the rough!

W2 listened to 'Manifesto' again today and has to violently agree with the ever tasteful RoxySiren that it is a great album that suffers from wooden production.

In fact, this whole thread and the quality of lyrics reviewed makes it more important than ever that our hero revisits some of these great songs with new treatments that really showcase their lyrics. Just in the way that he did with 'More Than This'. If this happens, I'm sure a couple would come from 'Manifesto'.

It's interesting that he did with Palmer's 'Johnny & Mary' exactly what he should be doing with some of his own classics — coming up with an arrangement that really brings the lyrics to the for. W2 love his treatment of J&M and that short movie he did for it is quite magnificent. It's enough to make you rush out and buy a typewriter!

Hopefully our hero has, by now, fully recovered and is back inside studio one working his magic:

"A nether world dancing toy
I'm wired for sound
Does it matter to me
Who turns the key?"

Is also well worth a look at while he is there!

Salutations,
W2

Monsieur Windswept,

This has to be the best thread ever posted on this forum. I remember a review of Avalon which said the album marked the final erasing of camp as an ingredient in Ferry's lyric writing. This is true except when it comes to 'Frantic' which stands out as a late, if slightly flawed masterpiece.
The excellence of the lyric in Goddess of Love and San Simeon has already been remarked upon but for me it is I Thought which stands out as maybe the best example of late-era Ferry writing.

I thought you'd be my 'Streetcar Named Desire'
My way, my taste of wine

I thought I'd find you walking in the rain
Just like a wayward child
I thought I'd find you calling out my name
So foolish is my pride

I thought I'd be your 'Streetcar Named Desire'
Your man, the one you seek
I thought I'd take you deep within myself
Subtitles when we speak

It is, I should add, the only Ferry lyric that has reduced me to tears!

I Thought: no question....one of his best ever lyrics.

Cher Jesmond,

C'est tout a fait correct, 'I thought' est vraiment un chef-d'oeuvre de Ferry!

Interestingly, another co-write, this time with Brian Peter George St.John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (try introducing him at a cocktail party).

When W2 first heard this in 2002, he thought it was a good song. Thirteen years later, he thinks it's a great song. Written by two men fandangoing into their middle years whilst looking back at what might have been.

It's laced with melancholy and if we ever listen to it together, we'll be able to cry on each other's shoulders:

"Hold on — the flower says reach out
The thunder says no shout is greater than mine
Listen and hold on — until the day fades out
Smothered in gold"

W2 also loves the BFO's version on TJA but that's devoid of lyrics so he'll save it for another thread.

Salutations Jesmond,

W2

Mes amis, everything you write sounds so good! BF should be nominated to the Nobel prize of music - if there had been such a thing.
We´ll cling
together
in the moonlight
burning the river
into gold...

One of the best threads I've ever read here. Very high level. Thanks to all contributors.

It's very difficult to name 'the' best Ferry song but I've always loved the lyrics of 'Another Time, Another Place' (M. Windswept took the words right out of my mouth ...). Bryan's lyrics have always been very important to me. Otherwise I'd never learnt about words like 'to reminisce' or 'halcyon'

Indeed. Should make the cognoscenti think. Bliss.