Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0015944, Wed, 6 Feb 2008 09:55:38 -0500

Subject
Re: Lyrics By Sting ...
Date
Body
"But it also mentions Vladimir Nabokov "...And, as sung, the name is pronounced incorrectly, and Humbert is referred to as an "old man." A very literate guy, Sting.
----- Original Message -----
From: Sandy P. Klein
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 7:58 AM
Subject: [NABOKV-L] Lyrics By Sting ...





http://wollondilly.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=lifestyle%20news&subclass=relax&story_id=1174666&category=books

05 February 2008 - 1:38PM

Lyrics By Sting


If, like Sting, you had once written a lyric that mostly comprised repetitions of the line "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" you, too, would protest that you had never really wanted to see your lyrics in book form. But, methinks, this is a rather hollow protestation because, with Sting's obvious approval, here we have a hardback with a classy cover, beautiful layout and lots of intimate quotations about the genesis of the lyrics.


Sting has endorsed this book in extremis and therefore he must account for why his lyrics are so banal and why a song such as, say, Don't Stand So Close to Me has the words "Don't stand" repeated no fewer than 21 times.




But it also mentions Vladimir Nabokov, so it must be clever and intelligent then, eh? That's the problem with Sting. On the rather dubious grounds that he once used "Nabokov" in a lyric of breathtaking ordinariness, he has long been considered one of the pop and rock world's more literate and poetic lyricists. This is a book for people who believe in that particular piece of self-indulgence.





Simon & Schuster, 296pp, RRP$45 (hb)





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