Passionate celebration of the human condition with a fairly epic coda. Lead vocal by Rob Hodkinson, joined by a cast of several at the end. Counterpart song to You Don't Need Me To Tell You That on Alterations. See in-depth album guide ('alterations revealed') at www.marknorthfield.com for the full explanation.
A slightly shorter live version of Paradise By Numbers was used in the choreographic piece Elements by David Greenall, danced and sung by 1st year students from Arts Ed, London. It can also be seen at marknorthfield.com, on the page marked 'collaborations'.
lyrics
PARADISE BY NUMBERS
Oh, the easy life: the lure of paradise
Survival made to run to a logical outcome
The girl, the tree, the snake: the wiping of the slate
Exploit it while you can, young man
Who is the stranger here
Who is the stranger here
Oh for a life of ease: the blur of parodies
Where hope plays tag with love, where charity's enough
Us proles dare not reject our circuses and bread
We all will be a long time dead
Every face the same face
Every prayer the same prayer
Every page the same page
Every fear the same fear
Every kiss, every question
Every desire, every doubt
Countries, brands and teams enforcing loyalty
'Cross boundaries, walls and seas
The end becomes the means
The straw, the sticks, the bricks
Those cute wolf/pig hybrids
Fat fingers of finance on jazz hands
Who is the stranger here
Who is the stranger here
Every face the same face
Every prayer the same prayer
Every page the same page
Every fear the same fear
Every cry, every answer
Every singer, every song
Every face the same face...
credits
from Alterations,
released July 2, 2012
Written and arranged by Mark. Published by Substantive Recordings.
Lead vocal: Rob Hodkinson
Backing vocals: Mark Northfield, Christopher Killerby, Matthew Marks, Bryony Lang, Alexandra Howlett
Piano and percussive FX: Mark Northfield
Strings: Gillon Cameron, Nick Barr, Tony Woollard
Pianist and singer/songwriter from Berkshire, England. Also founder member of piano trio Cherry Mint Koala. Mark makes
eclectic, melodic and slightly melancholic pop/rock, with prominent classical and theatrical influences. Often collaborates with other vocalists drawn from a variety of genres. Somewhat unpigeonholeable....more
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