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Joan Armatrading — Baby Blue Eyes
Album: Into the Blues
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 919








Released: 2007
Length: 3:50
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Those little imperfections
Are what I love about you
The scar on your arms
In the shape of a heart
Baby blue eyes
And the smile of an angel
Melt the snow from any mountain
And make a madman sane
He won't ever complain

In the everglades
In the backyard lit by fairy lights
With garlands let us walk
By the water's edge let's dance
Let's dance, let's dance, let's dance, let's dance
You lead, I'll follow
And if I stumble
Catch me
Before I fall

I know where we've come from
I know the road we've travelled to get here
We've seen some tragedies along the way
When folks want to exchange places
Just walk a few steps in these shoes
Sometimes they hurt cost they're too tight
It ain't always easy being me
It ain't always easy being me

Those little imperfections
Are what I love about you
The scar on your arms
In the shape of a heart
Baby blue eyes
And the smile of an angel
Melt the snow from any mountain
And make a madman sane
He won't ever complain
Comments (159)add comment
 Edweirdo wrote:

Love Joan Armatrading, but this is a pretty poor effort.


Actually, no, methinks this is a very fine song.  Don't you hear the sincerity and passion? 
That's not Eddie Vedder....
Love Joan Armatrading, but this is a pretty poor effort.
 ziggytrix wrote:
Wow, I've heard this so many times, and never realized the singer is the same woman who sang Love & Affection! She sounds so different here.
 
Hey, that's talent! 
Can't get enough of this goddess's voice.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=...

BASHUNG 1991
 noe.architecte169 wrote:
It seems like - Osez Josephine - Alain BASHUNG 1991 - and very good video 
 

It seems like - Osez Josephine - Alain BASHUNG 1991
Wow, I've heard this so many times, and never realized the singer is the same woman who sang Love & Affection! She sounds so different here.
I'm just so happy to hear Armatrading again.  But we need NEW material, eh? 
 stkman wrote:

OK we get the idea so since you have rated more songs a 1, over 1300 thats 22%  which means most of the time you don't like what ya are listening to and don't appreciate Bill and Rebeccas hard work, and it is I was a DJ , to bring us a blend of musical excellence then why don't you (close your eyes Bill and Rebecca) take that mandolin that you want to light on fire and stick it in the small hole at the south end of your oh hell skip that just shove it up your ass!!!!! sorry Bill I know I'm in the dog house. Please forgive me

 

Wow, I love Joan, but when I looked to check the artist, I expected to see Marianne Faithful or some unknown.

Very nice.
Can't believe my ears. Sure doesn't sound like the Joan I remember. Unrecognizable. First listen and not digging it at all. Sorry.
This woman is incapable of making a bad song (:
 cc_rider wrote:

Rest assured, Ms. Armatrading could be twice the man most of us aspire to be.

 
Hear Hear!
 
 shutter wrote:
...well she does sound rather man-ish, baby

 
Rest assured, Ms. Armatrading could be twice the man most of us aspire to be.
 hayduke2 wrote:

{#Nyah}

Joan Armatrading is a Goddess

 
She's all yours. 
Masterpiece. Masterful.
 Stingray wrote:
WHERE WOULD STINGRAY  BE 
WERE HE (also) BEAUTIFUL, AND EVEN A LITTLE INTELLIGENT!

 
{#Nyah}

Joan Armatrading is a Goddess
 Stingray wrote:
WHERE WOULD JOAN BE 
WERE SHE (also) BEAUTIFUL!

 
I remember a concert in Toronto years ago when both Joan and I were much younger.  We were probably both more attractive in our youth.  Joan was amazing then and even more amazing today.  She is still touring, making music and happily married.  We should all be so lucky.

Probably one of the most uniformed, shallow comments I've seen posted in a while.
Everybody in my alien space craft loves this song...
Wow, had no idea who this was. Love this song.
I have never heard this before. I do like Joan. Terrific singer songwriter. Love the guitar too.  Thanks RP.
8-->9

Just love this 'Joan channeling Richie' style of playing. Oh yeah, the lyrics and her voice are pretty okay too... 
I love her! Never heard this album before. Thanks so much RP! Songwriter, rock guitarist, singer, musician. From the Bottom to the TOP!
She is a great musician and singer/songwriter - more like this on RP {#Dance}
I was hip with it until she started playing the kazoo.
Truly Outstanding!!
this is very very powerful (ly) good
 Stingray wrote:
WHERE WOULD JOAN BE 
WERE SHE (also) BEAUTIFUL!
 

Please tell us, O wise one, what this comment brings to the discussion except to prove to the world your utter and complete jackassedness.
I love this song.
This reminds me of Eddie Vedder's ukulele. I hope he's next!
 WonderLizard wrote:
You ears hear the music—not your eyes.
 

...that's a very flattering cover photo, regardless...
Hearing Joan always makes my day. Thanks.
holy cow.
Her playing reminds me of Richie Havens. I can see how some folks don't like that style, but hey, different strokes. I like 'em both.
 Stingray wrote:
WHERE WOULD JOAN BE 
WERE SHE (also) BEAUTIFUL!
 
You ears hear the music—not your eyes.

I saw Joan last year here, but I don't remember hearing this song, now
Like most others thought Bill had listed this incorrectly... but no it is Joan, really surprising. For an acoustic number it has amazing drive and energy and I for one love it.
 RabbitEars wrote:
wow, would never have guessed this is Joan.  so stripped down for her... cool.
 
Heard and liked this song many times on RP.  
Didn't realize it was Joan until I looked at the playlist detail today.
Some of her stuff I really dig and this is definitely one I enjoy..............  {#Sunny}
 macadavy wrote:
{BUMP} Re-posting seems a theme on this thread (including trash talk from the likes of Excelsior and Manbirdexperiment) so I'm going to re-post something I wrote here a couple of years ago:

"She achieved fame in the mid 1970s as a headlining musician who was also a solo performing woman of colour, a rarity at that time. Known for her distinctive low voice and intelligent, sensitive lyrics, Armatrading was a pioneer for other female artists and is a three time Grammy Award-nominee" ~ Wikipedia

I've been listening to the girl from St.Kitts for 30+ years and she just keeps getting better. The driven, insistent mandolin counterpoints the tender, poignant lyrics -
just awesome!  {#Good-vibes}  

9 > 10
 

amen.
 Stingray wrote:
WHERE WOULD JOAN BE 
WERE SHE (also) BEAUTIFUL!
 
Looking, you mean, right?
 Xeric wrote:
Wow.  Very cool.  Wonderful to hear a woman singer pushing into the lower reaches of her range—so rare.  Nice.
  Check out Happy Rhodes if you like exploring the low range.


WHERE WOULD JOAN BE 
WERE SHE (also) BEAUTIFUL!
{BUMP} Re-posting seems a theme on this thread (including trash talk from the likes of Excelsior and Manbirdexperiment) so I'm going to re-post something I wrote here a couple of years ago:

"She achieved fame in the mid 1970s as a headlining musician who was also a solo performing woman of colour, a rarity at that time. Known for her distinctive low voice and intelligent, sensitive lyrics, Armatrading was a pioneer for other female artists and is a three time Grammy Award-nominee" ~ Wikipedia

I've been listening to the girl from St.Kitts for 30+ years and she just keeps getting better. The driven, insistent mandolin counterpoints the tender, poignant lyrics -
just awesome!  {#Good-vibes}  

9 > 10


 joshtime wrote:
i keep waiting for it to break and the BIG DRUMS and BASS to come in and save the day... still waiting.
 
I know.  Doesn't matter how many times I hear it, I still keep thinking it'd be cool if the band started now... or now... or now... too late.

Wow.  Very cool.  Wonderful to hear a woman singer pushing into the lower reaches of her range—so rare.  Nice.
i keep waiting for it to break and the BIG DRUMS and BASS to come in and save the day... still waiting.
painful ineptitude...awful!
I thought this was John Hiatt

 RabbitEars wrote:
wow, would never have guessed this is Joan.  so stripped down for her... cool.
 
wow, would never have guessed this was...a WOMAN.  like it, though.

The intro to this sounds very similar to "Rise Up", by Eddie Vedder, to me.
wow, would never have guessed this is Joan.  so stripped down for her... cool.
 floydoftherocks wrote:
wow. i thought this was george harrison makin' another comeback.

anyway love the song. also reminds me of 'the beach'

 
oh, shit.. just remembered he's dead..

my bad. {#Taped-shut}
wow. i thought this was george harrison makin' another comeback.

anyway love the song. also reminds me of 'the beach'

I like her music and first the lyrics. She sings the truth!
 AdyMiles wrote:
what's with the strumming, mediocre middle-of-the-road folk music in the selection of the last four or five songs? makes me want to turn of RP and switch stations
 
{#Rolleyes} Please do,and don't bother switching back....

...well she does sound rather man-ish, baby
what's with the strumming, mediocre middle-of-the-road folk music in the selection of the last four or five songs? makes me want to turn of RP and switch stations
"Those little imperfections
Are what I love about you"

My response to the Joan-haters out there.  She is, if nothing else, authentic and talented.  Repeat after me: "diversity is good ..." {#Chillpill}
 liser wrote:


For a true catharsis (i.e., life-changing, enlightening experience) learn to play it instead. 
 
But creation is so much harder than destruction...

10 -> 10
8 -> 9
gawd and I do not like this song
 MM13 wrote:


Yo, Wormtail, you and god spend quite a bit of time together, listening to music you hate, seeing how many of these posts are in the forum.  No wonder He doesn't have time to make the world a better place. Maybe you should tell your pal to start forming an opinion of his own. I'll be waiting for signs.
 
{#Lol}  It appears that the Manbirdexperiment was a failure.

Not a big fan of Joan's but I really LIKE this one.  It's partly because of the mandolins...it gives her a very different sound!
BTW, I give this one an honest 10. Those Mandos are just plain beautiful.
Come on Guys, Excelsior has been gone for over four months now. How about we stop re-posting his trash. Thanks.

 Excelsior wrote:
Also, this song makes me want to go out, buy a mandolin, and BURN IT.  It would be an incredibly cathartic experience.
 

For a true catharsis (i.e., life-changing, enlightening experience) learn to play it instead. 
 Excelsior wrote:
Alright, we've heard this song about a billion times by now.  Can we just assume that everyone who enjoys it has already bought the CD and can listen to it on their own, and MOVE ON TO ANOTHER SONG ALREADY?  Perhaps to a woman who doesn't sound like a guy??  {#Frustrated}
 
OK we get the idea so since you have rated more songs a 1, over 1300 thats 22%  which means most of the time you don't like what ya are listening to and don't appreciate Bill and Rebeccas hard work, and it is I was a DJ , to bring us a blend of musical excellence then why don't you (close your eyes Bill and Rebecca) take that mandolin that you want to light on fire and stick it in the small hole at the south end of your oh hell skip that just shove it up your ass!!!!! sorry Bill I know I'm in the dog house. Please forgive me

This is Joan Armatrading? Wow, so different from Show Some Emotion.... What happened to her voice? I am not sure it's an improvement....
Excelsior wrote:
{#Puke}

Deep insight.

Such a radical departure from her early work, which I adore. But I have come to really
like this song.
 ThePoose wrote:
I went to her concert in Montréal in 1976 and was blown away. Still am.
 
Wow Poose, moi too!
(See earlier comment below.)


Great drum work in this one
I like her voice and style, but this song has a monotony that wears thin.
 Excelsior wrote:
Also, this song makes me want to go out, buy a mandolin, and BURN IT.  It would be an incredibly cathartic experience.
 

So true.
 Excelsior wrote:
Also, this song makes me want to go out, buy a mandolin, and BURN IT.  It would be an incredibly cathartic experience.
 

that's awesome man.  you're an incredibly witty little fella, aren't ya?  so much to say, so much to offer.
The more I hear this song, the less I like it. The mandolin is "eh" (it's just played fast) and the harmonica ok. She has a nice enough voice; I wouldn't mind hearing something else from her.
Funny, this is the first time I have heard this. At low background levels, from across a room, I thought it was T. Bone Burnett (no explanation forthcoming).

magnificent voice and talent  -  8.


 Excelsior wrote:
Alright, we've heard this song about a billion times by now...
 
Well I for one look forward to your next 999,999,991 comments on this song.

 Excelsior wrote:

You've NEVER heard this before?  This definitely must be your first day at RP.

 
I see you've really lightened up since receiving some really sound advice from smehan55.  Do you really think you are the only person listening?  Most of us have fuller lives than to be listening 24/7.  We might even only get an hour or two per week and are unaware of any frequency of repetition!! 

Also, this song makes me want to go out, buy a mandolin, and BURN IT.  It would be an incredibly cathartic experience.
 sadsack wrote:
Wow. Never heard this before. Why I listen. Thank you. 
 
You've NEVER heard this before?  This definitely must be your first day at RP.

Wow. Never heard this before. Why I listen. Thank you. 
So sick of this crap.
 Excelsior wrote:
Alright, we've heard this song about a billion times by now.  Can we just assume that everyone who enjoys it has already bought the CD and can listen to it on their own, and MOVE ON TO ANOTHER SONG ALREADY?  Perhaps to a woman who doesn't sound like a guy??  {#Frustrated}
 
Dude, you're always so negative. Life's too short to be bitter and hating everything. LIghten up, be happy. If music on RP doesn't make you happy, find something, somewhere else, that does. Don't give yourself ulcers or high blood pressure by being angry and grumpy all the time. Peace. :-)

 Excelsior wrote:
Alright, we've heard this song about a billion times by now.  Can we just assume that everyone who enjoys it has already bought the CD and can listen to it on their own, and MOVE ON TO ANOTHER SONG ALREADY?  Perhaps to a woman who doesn't sound like a guy??  {#Frustrated}
 
What's the point in bashing a song multiple times? Song after song after song? If you don't like it, comment if you must, then turn down the volume!  It's not brain surgery...

The beginning of this tune fools me into thinking it's Amy Ray's "Johnny Rotten"
{#Puke}
Beautiful tune!
hi bill, will you please play some nina simone now for excelsior?  i think that's what he's looking for!  {#Whisper}  thanks!

Great song Bill, don't take it off the playlist!
Alright, we've heard this song about a billion times by now.  Can we just assume that everyone who enjoys it has already bought the CD and can listen to it on their own, and MOVE ON TO ANOTHER SONG ALREADY?  Perhaps to a woman who doesn't sound like a guy??  {#Frustrated}

Hmmm...seems that even with all the negative comments, an average rating of '7' isn't too bad.  And I'll go with a 7 for it too.  Something about the combination of the sounds just works for me.


Pointless, unrelenting noise.
Not to beat around the bush, this song sucks.

I'm sure it was fun for the mandolin player to rock that thing all the way through the song, but not fun for anybody else.

I had no idea that was Joan Armatrading.  I thought I was listening to some weak Water Boys knock-off.

 Excelsior wrote:
Let's see...


  • Mandolin is far, far too busy

  • The woman singing sounds like a guy

  • Harmonica solo that manages to be in every key BUT the mandolin's

  • The damn song is played ad nauseam on RP


A solid 1.
 

Until you give some indication of just how often ad nauseam actually is, your apparent complaint about overplaying is pretty hard to accept. This is especially true since you seem to use this same complaint for any song that you don't like that gets played more than once in a blue moon.
As for you comment about Joan sounding like a guy, why is that a problem? She's always sounded this way and has still produced lots of great music.
So two songs ago, we had to listen to Nick Harper play a thousand notes per minute.  Now we're listening to the mandolin player play a thousand notes per minute.  {#Snooty}  Quantity does not make up for quality!

8
Excelsior wrote:
Let's see...



  • Mandolin is far, far too busy



  • The woman singing sounds like a guy



  • Harmonica solo that manages to be in every key BUT the mandolin's



  • The damn song is played ad nauseam on RP





A solid 1.


{#Clap} Amen... as someone who prefers the mandolin in the hands of say Chris Thile, this song really didn't do anything for me

I went to her concert in Montréal in 1976 and was blown away. Still am.
Let's see...


  • Mandolin is far, far too busy

  • The woman singing sounds like a guy

  • Harmonica solo that manages to be in every key BUT the mandolin's

  • The damn song is played ad nauseam on RP


A solid 1.
Droidac wrote:
Each time I hear this, my rating goes up one more number. What a great tune!
Well, one by one, it's up to a 10 for me now!
Jelani wrote:
Damn! I thought that this was Ben Harper's dry dead voice, but the music was too good. Had to get up to see who it was. I hope she hasn't been hanging out with him. It's rubbing off.
Joan could almost be his mum......
Damn! I thought that this was Ben Harper's dry dead voice, but the music was too good. Had to get up to see who it was. I hope she hasn't been hanging out with him. It's rubbing off.
Most excellent -- but overplayed recently, IMHO.
"She achieved fame in the mid 1970s as a headlining musician who was also a solo performing woman of colour, a rarity at that time. Known for her distinctive low voice and intelligent, sensitive lyrics, Armatrading was a pioneer for other female artists and is a three times Grammy Award-nominee" ~ Wikipedia
I've been listening to the girl from St.Kitts for 30+ years and she just keeps getting better. The driven, insistent mandolin counterpoints the tender, poignant lyrics - just awesome!

I cannot believe this is Joan Armatrading.....Yuck!
I like the mandolin but can't get past the voice 4
everytime i hope this is going to be "When I'm dead and gone", but everytime it's not ...
Just eeeked its way up to 9.
Excelsior wrote:
Her voice is more masculine than 90% of the male singer-songwriters currently on RP's daily playlist. That's more of a comment on the guys, not her.
clearly, she should be touring with Turin Brakes
Nice. Very very nice.
bizon wrote:
An incredible and incredibly underrated artist.
Double-ditto.
lawman wrote:
That mandolin is so exciting! So invigorating! Nice touch, Joan!
I disagree. I have heard more interesting mandolin playing. This song annoys me because the mandolin is so insistent and fast while the melody is slow and rather boring.
Each time I hear this, my rating goes up one more number. What a great tune!
That mandolin is so exciting! So invigorating! Nice touch, Joan!
Her voice is more masculine than 90% of the male singer-songwriters currently on RP's daily playlist. That's more of a comment on the guys, not her. But that mandolin is freaking annoying as hell.