The warmth of your love's like the warmth of the sun

December 13, 2007 12:26 AM

"I edited this short film set to the tune of The Zombies' "This Will Be Our Year" featuring Super 8 footage shot by my parents between 1965-1979."
posted by ludwig_van (47 comments total)

This gets flagged for the misuse of the zombie tag. I take my zombies seriously and these zombies suck.
posted by uandt at 12:38 AM on December 13, 2007

I just watched a zombie movie (Fido) before reading this post.

The Zombies, however, do not suck. Before this post I never knew the mono mix of that song includes a horn overdub not on the stereo version.
posted by D.C. at 12:48 AM on December 13, 2007

That was terrific.
posted by From Bklyn at 1:17 AM on December 13, 2007

That was so damn sweet. And, yeah, it's not the greatest Zombies tune by a long shot, but it did what it did with style and authority and honesty, I think, and served as a good soundtrack for this little collection of home movie snippets.

Obligatory link to catchier Zombies song.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:39 AM on December 13, 2007

And my favorite Zombies song.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:41 AM on December 13, 2007

I don't know what I'm doing in this thread, but I felt it summon me.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:46 AM on December 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

It's hard to go wrong with super-8 footage and the Zombies. Very sweet and touching little movie, this.
posted by pxe2000 at 3:20 AM on December 13, 2007

I disagree with the "not the greatest Zombies tune by a long shot" comment. It's one of my favorite Zombies songs. Of course, I think I have about favorite Zombies tunes. The song seems even more more perfect when married to this super 8 footage.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 3:32 AM on December 13, 2007

I disagree with the "not the greatest Zombies tune by a long shot" comment.

Well, your opinion is so obviously wrong.






/joke.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:44 AM on December 13, 2007

But on the subject, then, would you say it is the greatest Zombies song? Or "one of" the greatest? Just curious. And you seem to have left out the crucial number: just how many favorite Zombies songs do you have?

I'm taking a survey, you see.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:48 AM on December 13, 2007

flapjax at midnite : "/joke."

Dude, you can joke about religious views, typos, politics, and cooking tips. But you don't joke about favorite Zombies songs. That's just too important man.

And I left the number 20 out of the "I have about favorite Zombies tunes" phrase. It's not my fave (that would go to "I Love You" or "Time of the Season"), but it's in the top 5. Most of the Zombies box was the first thing I added to my MP3 player when I got it.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 4:11 AM on December 13, 2007

Beechwood Park you heretics
posted by poppo at 4:26 AM on December 13, 2007

"Time of the Season" is an amazing song, so different from the easy-on-the-ears pop stuff I usually think of with the Zombies.

It's neat to look at that footage and reflect back on how everything (my mother's hair, to start with) looked back in the day --- staying up late on a summer night to watch Apollo 11 land, remembering LBJ saying "This is the sixth and last time I light the National Christmas Tree" -- feeling very nostalgic here.
posted by pax digita at 4:30 AM on December 13, 2007

The Zombies/Colin Blunstone were hugely influential in the UK and I will never understand why they aren't afforded the same status in the US. A few years ago I attended a Colin Blunstone show so woefully undersold that I was able to move to the largely unoccupied front of the house despite having bought much cheaper balcony seats. Why? Why? He still sings like a frigging angel. I love that man so damn much. Oh, god.

Listen to One Year right this very minute if you can. Listen to Though You Are Far Away (self-linky, sorry, couldn't find it elsewhere) and if you don't buy the record after that you are made of stone, stone I tell you.

(I would rather announce my favorite aunt at the next family reunion than my favorite Zombies song, what are you people, trying to kill me? Oh yes, and the video is nice.)
posted by melissa may at 4:53 AM on December 13, 2007

To me, Colin Blunstone is the epitome of British sixties artists whose tireless annual contentinal mini-tours, year in, year out, have turned my local tobacco-and-marijuana-smoke filled, sticky-floored haunt into a comatose middle-age cash cow. I left my youth in there, you know.

Although, to his credit, he doesn't perform as "The Zombies". Rather, he's on the posters as:

COLIN BLUNSTONE
THE ZOMBIES

Classic tunes, though. Nothing personal.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:08 AM on December 13, 2007

Wow, sorry about the derail.

This is awesome, thanks for posting.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:14 AM on December 13, 2007

That was an amazing vid. It makes me wish my Mom had some Super 8 footage of her (and the rest of my family) in the 70s. Or maybe rather it makes me wish I had equipment that I could do video editing with because I think my Uncle does have some footage from the 60s and 70s.

As far as The Zombies go, I'm partial to "The Way I Feel Inside" (not for this video mind you, just in general). It's slow, simple, sometimes sad and builds up into something bigger (musically) as the song progresses. *shrug* Just my thoughts.
posted by mrzer0 at 5:15 AM on December 13, 2007

That was really good. Did anyone else notice a big white rabbit in there or was it just me?

Signed,
Jimmy Stewart
posted by gfrobe at 5:48 AM on December 13, 2007 [5 favorites]

I find it fascinating to contemplate the march of progress and convergence of technologies that have made it possible to repurpose old film and and an old tune into something fresh and new - also to consider the impossibility of anticipating such a set of consequences being imagined when the film and the music were new.

I mean, really, can you imagine taking, say, the mom in those clips to one side and saying "hey, in about thirty years, all these clips will be edited together on a personal computer with some music and captions and viewed all over the world by people sitting at home using their personal computers ..." She'd probably, rightly, have asked if you were "on the wacky weed".
posted by kcds at 6:27 AM on December 13, 2007 [4 favorites]

Absolutely nails the song choice. Frickin' nailed it. By the way, big props for the correctly [mis]spelled Odessey and Oracle tag.
posted by jonp72 at 6:32 AM on December 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Not my favorite by the Zombies, but I give props to "A Rose for Emily" for being the most depressing pop song ever, even moreso than "Eleanor Rigby."
posted by Falconetti at 6:55 AM on December 13, 2007

I love this song, and this video was really sweet. Thanks for posting it!
posted by piratebowling at 7:34 AM on December 13, 2007

I thought this was about zombies at first, but I'm glad I clicked on the link anyway :)
posted by spec80 at 7:53 AM on December 13, 2007

That was great. I teared up watching it.
posted by essexjan at 7:56 AM on December 13, 2007

I am totally stealing that song for the family Christmas slideshow, and hoping that nobody I know reads Metafilter.

I kept waiting for a product placement at the very end. Curse you, mass media, for commodifying my nostalgia.
posted by mecran01 at 8:05 AM on December 13, 2007

Nice little video. It looks like a montage sequence straight out of "Goodfellas".
posted by cazoo at 8:09 AM on December 13, 2007

Am I the only one who thought this was maudlin crap, no different than the other million super 8's sitting on the top shelf of a million closets? FPP wtf?
posted by Xurando at 8:09 AM on December 13, 2007

Man, that was really, really nice. I love that song (and I own most of the Zombies catalog, including bootlegs and other odds and ends, in case you were wondering) and that video fits it wonderfully.
posted by sleepy pete at 8:13 AM on December 13, 2007

The Zombies sucked; Argent rocked.
posted by nicwolff at 8:18 AM on December 13, 2007

It's funny how any Super8 footage of any North American home at Christmas between the mid-'60's to the early '70's looks identical. It could be any family. That could have been my family...I have this exact same scene on a reel somewhere.
It's so universal and so personal at the same time.
The common elements seem to be: the quality and feel of the Super8 film stock itself; the crazy, bright-as-the-sun spotlight that dad's got strapped to the camera, bleaching out the center of the frame, making everyone squint and causing everything else to look dark; the Christmas tree, which is somehow different from the ones we have today...darker, sparser, less sparkly, with dull-coloured ornaments; a lady with a giant dome of hair/a man with black horn-rimmed glasses; a random old person sitting alone. And sometimes there's middle-aged people dancing a jerky, sped-up dance.
posted by chococat at 8:27 AM on December 13, 2007

are we allowed to post our own stuff ? uh oh. So anyway thanks. I loved it- it was touching.


Are Super 8 Family footage and Zombies music only 2 things left in the universe that have not been tainted . ?
posted by celerystick at 8:29 AM on December 13, 2007

No love for "Care of Cell 44?"
posted by Rangeboy at 8:39 AM on December 13, 2007

Ah, I miss the Wonder Years.
posted by Paid In Full at 8:46 AM on December 13, 2007

Adorable FPP. Hit the right spot.

(Kind of made me think of the Sopranos in happier back story times - but only because I STILL mourn the bloody show...not intended as a sensible comment).
posted by Jody Tresidder at 8:55 AM on December 13, 2007

That is so sweet I can't stand it.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:08 AM on December 13, 2007

are we allowed to post our own stuff ? uh oh.

I didn't make this video, nor was I in The Zombies. I have been known to bust out some Zombies tunes onstage though. I love them so much. Picking a favorite would be hard - pretty much everything on O&O is a gem (although it all sounds better in mono), but I've always dug Care of Cell 44, Rose for Emily, and This Will be Our Year in Particular. But I think I've decided I need to play She's Not There as soon as I find a new bassist.

I think it's funny that this song and all of this footage is from before I was alive, but watching and listening to it gives me such a warm, happy, nostalgic feeling. I'm glad some of you enjoyed it as well.

And while we're all here, check out this awesome live performance by The Turtles. Not only do they sound great, but they look totally kickass.
posted by ludwig_van at 9:11 AM on December 13, 2007

Oh man, I just noticed that flapjax already linked to She's Not There way upthread. Great song anyway.
posted by ludwig_van at 9:13 AM on December 13, 2007

Am I the only one who thought this was maudlin crap, no different than the other million super 8's sitting on the top shelf of a million closets?
Uhm, yea, Xurando.
You're pretty much the only one.
posted by Floydd at 10:24 AM on December 13, 2007

Shit, that was terrific. I love The Zombies.
posted by naoko at 11:14 AM on December 13, 2007

i loved that. thanks.
posted by blendor at 11:18 AM on December 13, 2007

That was incredible.

This will be my favorite song for the next two weeks, I've decided. Thank you.
posted by jeffxl at 11:48 AM on December 13, 2007

Am I the only one that was expecting Rob Zombie? Probably.

I was pleasantly surprised. *sniff* I need a tissue.
posted by deborah at 12:44 PM on December 13, 2007

This was so incredibly sweet! I too am sniffy. And right before I head out to video tape Boy's first school performance. I'm so glad that person put that video up and that ludwig thought to share it here. This is a perfect example of a great MeFi post.
posted by dejah420 at 3:50 PM on December 13, 2007

I've always thought "This Will Be Our Year" would be a good first dance song at a wedding.
posted by splatta at 10:34 PM on December 13, 2007

I've watched this a couple times. And it's amazing how subtly it's edited. It becomes clearer when you watch it with the lyrics of the song printed out.

Piano intro (Two consecutive clips of Dad, followed by two consecutive clips of Mom)

The warmth of your love (Mom jumps into Dad's arms.)
is like the warmth of the sun
and this will be our year (Shortly after the word "sun," we se a baby boy in a tub. Is this a visual pun of the words "sun" and "son"?)
took a long time to come

don't let go of my hand (Dad holds toddler. Mom walks toddler by the hand.)
now darkness has gone
and this will be our year (After "darkness has gone," we see the kid, then the Dad, then the Mom dance.)
took a long time to come

and I won't forget
the way you held me up when I was down (Kid falls off bike when we hear the word "down.")
and I won't forget the way you said,
"Darling I love you"
You gave me faith to go on

Now we're there and we've only just begun
This will be our year
took a long time to come

Piano bridge (When the bridge ends "downward" at a lower note, we see a woman (Mom?) going down a slide.)

The warmth of your smile (Footage of crabby grandmother edited with jump cut to show her cracking a smile.)
smile for me, little one (At "little one," we see another baby in an incubator.)
and this will be our year
took a long time to come

You don't have to worry
all your worried days are gone (As soon as "all your worried days are gone" is finished, a kid looks up and smiles contentedly while eating a bowl of cereal.)
this will be our year
took a long time to come

****

There's less that meshes with the lyrics in the last 30 seconds or so, but there's so many subtle emotional connections established that it might have been overkill by that point.

Then like the beginning but in a different order, the film finishes with two shots of Mom, two shots of Dad, and Mom jumping into Dad's arms.
posted by jonp72 at 5:06 PM on December 14, 2007

I vote for "I Want You Back Again" and "Beachwood Park" as my favorites.

Brilliant stuff.
posted by black8 at 5:28 PM on December 14, 2007

"Indication!" and that was very sweet and subtle, too.
posted by Scram at 11:11 PM on December 14, 2007