michel
Griffin
Singer | lyricist | composer
 | Atlantic Avenue Released: Oct 2013 |
| ||||||
| Make You Feel My Love |  | |||||
 Arranged for three acoustic guitars, with a sensational tenor-sax solo from the Belgian horn-player, Alexis Van Eeckhout. Dylan's most romantic ballad, delivered with all the tenderness at my command. own  iTunes  spotify  video When the rain is blowing in your face And the whole world is on your case I could offer you a warm embrace To make you feel my love When the evening shadows and the stars appear And there is no one there to dry your tears I could hold you for a million years To make you feel my love I know you haven’t made your mind up yet But I would never do you wrong I’ve known it from the moment that we met No doubt in my mind where you belong I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue I’d go crawling down the avenue There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do To make you feel my love The storms are raging on the rollin’ sea And on the highway of regret The winds of change are blowing wild and free You ain’t seen nothing like me yet I could make you happy, make your dreams come true Nothing that I wouldn’t do Go to the ends of the earth for you To make you feel my love Copyright © 1997 by Special Rider Music Return  | ||||||
| Atlantic Avenue | | |||||
 The first self-penned song on the album is a very spare arrangement. A single guitar, and Marcel "Frenchie" Dègre’s plaintive harmonica accompany the song’s poignant narrative. A song that stays with you ... own iTunes spotify video The last time I saw Wendy, she had tears in her eyes She was heading for a breakdown, I was heading for the skies; Can’t blame her for trying, she just picked the wrong disguise To take her to Atlantic Avenue. The sun is low, it’s dying, scattering blood across the sky, The wind is up, it’s trying to wrestle teardrops from my eye; To say I’m not conflicted would be to tell a lie But I’m going to Atlantic Avenue. Nobody said it would be easy Sometimes this world will make you blue; But when this world just drives me crazy I turn to you, Atlantic Avenue. From the halo of a streetlight, her pale face haunts me still She is smiling shyly up at me, and I guess she always will; There are partings left unfinished in the heart of every man, I take mine to Atlantic Avenue. Nobody said it would be easy Sometimes this world will make you blue; But when this world just drives me crazy I turn to you, Atlantic Avenue. The last time I saw Wendy, she had tears in her eyes She was heading for a breakdown, I was heading for the skies; Can’t blame her for trying, she just picked the wrong disguise To take her to Atlantic Avenue. Copyright © M.J.C. Griffin [ASCAP] Return | ||||||
| O to be in Paris! | | |||||
 A jaunty ragtime instrumental, arranged for three guitars and a double-bass. own iTunes spotify | ||||||
| The House of the Rising Sun | | |||||
 A new take on a very old tune. A bluesy interpretation which avoids the trap of simply reproducing the Animals' iconic version. Apparently, this song goes right back to Elizabethan days, having its origin in a madrigal about a young prostitute in old Londonne towne. own iTunes spotify There is a house in New Orleans They call it the Rising Sun And it's been the ruin of many a poor soul And me, I know, I'm one. My mother, she was a tailor She sewed my new blue jeans My father was a drinking man Down in New Orleans. Now the only thing a drinker needs Is a suitcase and a trunk And the only time that he is half satisfied Is when he's roaring drunk. Go tell my baby sister Not to do like I have done But to shun that house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun. Now it's one foot on the platform It's one foot on the train And I'm going back to New Orleans To wear my ball and chain. My life is almost over My race is almost run I'm going back down to New Orleans To that house of the Rising Sun. Return | ||||||
| New York Kaleidoscope | | |||||
 A driving song that captures the sights, sounds and energy of Manhattan, featuring Alexis Van Eeckhout's soaring saxophone and a blistering guitar-solo from Chieli Minucci (of 'Special EFX' fame). own iTunes spotify video Follow the tail-lights into the city Blinded by the love-light in your new love’s eyes New York has never looked so pretty Filigree of diamonds 'gainst a velvet sky ... Tyres screaming down the FDR Feel the pull of the traffic in the hot night air There’s music playing, it's a saxophone The hips that are swaying, you can follow them home Heat rising from the paving stones A song in your head that won't leave you alone; The beat on the street, a sudden spark Hungry hearts chasing hungry hearts ... Follow the tail-lights into the city Blinded by the love-light in your new love’s eyes New York has never looked so pretty Filigree of diamonds 'gainst a velvet sky ... Kaleidoscope colours swirling in the haze Ruby-red kisses in the urban maze The pulse of jazz on the Summer street A halo of light where the lovers meet ... Follow the tail-lights into the city Blinded by the love-light in your new love’s eyes New York has never looked so pretty Filigree of diamonds 'gainst a velvet sky ... Copyright © MGP & M.J.C. Griffin [ASCAP] Return | ||||||
| Ça me bat | | |||||
 A catchy instrumental. The title is a play on words - translated literally, it means " It beats me ", but say it quickly and it sounds like 'Samba'. The real joke is that the rhythm of the piece is nearer a Bossa than a Samba ! own iTunes spotify | ||||||
| Imagine | | |||||
 A re-imagined approach to Lennon's masterpiece, arranged for guitars, spoken voice and a small choir. Anne-Emmanuelle Marie wrote the text which she recites in the middle of the piece (in French). own iTunes spotify video Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky. Imagine all the people living for today. Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace. A-ha you may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us. And the world will be as one. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people sharing all the world. A-ha you may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us. And the world will live as one. Written by John Lennon Copyright © EMI Music Publishing Return | ||||||
| Come On, Rapunzel | | |||||
 A raunchy, tongue-in-cheek 12-bar, with " Coco " Correch rattling the double-bass and " Frenchie " Dègre blowing up a storm on the harmonica. own iTunes spotify Don't need no imagination to see the flesh inside the dress And get the inclination to help a damsel in distress; Come on, Rapunzel, come on, let down your hair From your tower full of loving, come on, help me get up there ! Come on, Rapunzel, come on, let down your hair Come on, Rapunzel, come on, let down your hair Got a tower of love, you know you really want me there ! I got the itch for you baby, you know it won't leave me alone I got the itch for you baby, it ain't gonna leave me alone But you seem so far up there in your tower of stone. Come on, Rapunzel, come on, let down your hair ... etc. Now, Shrek & Fiona, they're both good friends of mine You know, Shrek & Fiona, they're really good friends of mine If you let them up too, we could all four have a good time ! Come on, Rapunzel, come on, let down your hair ... etc. Now the joint is jumping, the party's gonna last all night Now the joint is jumping, the party's gonna last all night If it gets any hotter, I believe we're gonna melt Snow White ! Come on, Rapunzel, come on, let down your hair ... etc. Now you know Cinderella, she's always singing the blues Yes, Cinderella, she's always singing the blues No surprise - the prince sold her dancing shoes. Copyright © MGP & M.J.C. Griffin [ASCAP] Return | ||||||
| Diane | | |||||
| Another Way of Looking | | |||||
 A lyrical evocation of that moment of realisation that a long-term relationship is coming to an end. " Frenchie " Dègre's harp-playing has never been more plangent. own iTunes spotify Now the sun is shining, there's a mist rolling up from the sea; There's another way of looking at everything we used to be. I could catch you unawares, smiling that secret smile: I have to say - it's been a while. There's a hot wind blowing that don't mean no-one no good; I've got no way of knowing when you're leaving, or why you should. The mist is clearing, restless as the sea: Waves breaking over me. Now the seagulls are skimming the rising waves, You ain't alone to feel the lure of the tide; I've always known you'd be leaving one day, From the weight in your heart your eyes could never hide .... from me. I will always remember flying on the wings of our dream You were the most beautiful person that I had ever seen; You could say our love was doomed right from the start - I only know I broke your heart. Now the seagulls are skimming the rising waves, You ain't alone to feel the lure of the tide; I've always known you'd be leaving one day, From the weight in your heart your eyes could never hide .... from me. Copyright © MGP & M.J.C. Griffin [ASCAP] Return | ||||||
| Run Like the River | | |||||
 A lyrical reflection on the transience of Life, to an intricate guitar accompaniment, subtly accented by Coco Correch's rhythmic double-bass. own iTunes spotify video In the Spring when we were young, we would run to the river, There in the clearing where the trees touch the sky; Dappled by the sunlight, laughing by the river, Holding the future in our eyes. The hazy days of Summer would lure us to the river Splashing in the shallows where the shadows kept it cool; Lazing in the long grass, we knew we'd live forever, And the slowly rolling river knew it too. Dancing in the sunlight, running with the wind; Careless, we were heroes, we were young: If we have to run, why can't we run like the river ? Run like the river runs. Now Autumn mist is hanging like a pall across the river, Every falling leaf another memory that fades; The slowly rolling water glides without a murmur, Sliding out of sunlight into shade; Dancing in the sunlight, running with the wind; Careless, we were heroes, we were young: If we have to run, why can't we run like the river ? Run like the river runs. The old man opens wide his window on the river, How could something move so slow and disappear so fast ? Reaching for his memories of springtime in the river, His eyes’re on the horizon, but he's looking at the past. He is dancing in the sunlight, running with the wind; He is careless, he's a hero, he is young: Oh, if we have to run, why can't we run like the river ? Run like the river runs. Copyright © MGP & M.J.C. Griffin [ASCAP] Return | ||||||
| Beverly Dawn | | |||||
 An instrumental improvised in the studio, as the sun rose slowly over the Atlantic Ocean just outside the window. own iTunes spotify video | ||||||
| Suzanne | | |||||
 Cohen's classic, arranged for 2 guitars, liquid electric bass and a choir. own iTunes spotify Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her And you know that she’s half crazy but that’s why you want to be there And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her Then she gets you on her wavelength And she lets the river answer that you’ve always been her lover And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that she will trust you For you’ve touched her perfect body with your mind And Jesus was a sailor when He walked upon the water And He spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower And when He knew for certain only drowning men could see Him He said, "All men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them" But He Himself was broken long before the sky would open Forsaken, almost human, He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone And you want to travel with him And you want to travel blind And you think maybe you'll trust him For he’s touched your perfect body with his mind Suzanne takes your hand, and she leads you to the river She is wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever while Suzanne holds the mirror And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that you will trust her For she’s touched your perfect body with her mind Copyright © Sony ATV Music Return | ||||||
| Black, Brown and White | | |||||
 Recorded live at the Cahors Folk Club, this brave and moving Big Bill Broonzy song features " Frenchie " Dègre on harmonica, and " Coco " Correch on double-bass. own iTunes spotify video This little song that I'm singin' about, People, you know that it's true, If you're black and gotta work for livin', Now, this is what they will say to you, They says: "If you was white, You'd be alright, If you was brown, Stick around, But as you's black, oh, brother, Get back, get back, get back." I was in a place one night, They was all havin' fun, They was all buyin' beer and wine, But they would not sell me none. They said: "If you was white, You'd be alright, If you was brown, Stick around, But as you's black, oh, brother, Get back, get back, get back." I went to an employment office, I got a number and I got in line, They called everybody's number, But they never did call mine. They said: "If you was white, You'd be alright, If you was brown, Stick around, But as you's black, oh, brother, Get back, get back, get back." Me and a man workin' side by side, This is what it meant, They was payin' him a dollar an hour And they was payin' me fifty cent. They said: "If you was white, You'd be alright, If you was brown, Stick around, But as you's black, oh, brother, Get back, get back, get back." I helped build the country, And I fought for it too, Now, I guess that you can see, What a black man have to do. They says: "If you was white, You's alright, If you was brown, Stick around, But as you's black, oh, brother, Get back, get back, get back." I helped win sweet victory, With my little plow and hoe, Now, I want you to tell me, brother, What you gonna do 'bout the old Jim Crow? Now, if you is white, You's alright, If you's brown, Stick around, But if you's black, Hmm, hmm, brother, Get back, get back, get back. Copyright © WB MUSIC CORP Return | ||||||
A tender instrumental for the new love in my life. Album reviews
"Spectacular Songs" - iTunes ‘An album that should be in any serious collector’s collection.’ - iTunes ‘The road traveled through this eclectic mix of great covers and Michel's own original songs .. winds its way through both superb musicianship and the most beautiful of arrangements.’ - Amazon
"Superb musicianship" - Amazon
"A poet's poet of our times" - iTunes
CDs / DOWNLOADS are available from :
Liner Notes
From Paris ragtime to New York jazz, from Dylan to Cohen to Lennon to Griffin.
Atlantic Avenue takes you on a journey - just as I went on a journey. Remarried two years ago, I followed my American wife across the ocean for a few months and gave birth to a whole bunch of new tunes and arrangements - both covers and originals. I re-imagined Imagine; I tried to capture the sights, sounds and energy of Manhattan in New York Kaleidoscope, on which acclaimed guitarist Chieli Minnuci (of Special EFX) plays a sizzling lead guitar; I came up with a new take on Rapunzel's dilemma and wrote and recorded what was going on in my life in Boston, New York and my beloved France.