Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
The lead single from Let's Get Out of This Country, an answer to Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?"
Camera Obscura, from Let's Get Out of This Country (2006)
- Written by
- Tracyanne Campbell
- Released
- 2006
- Length
- 3:49
- Album
- Let's Get Out of This Country
Campbell wrote it, and it opens the album at 3:49. The lead single came out in May 2006 (the band page gives May 15) and reached number 124 in the UK, with "Roman Holiday" on the B-side. It answers Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' 1984 "Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?", the closing song of Rattlesnakes; Campbell had been listening to the album and wanted to respond out of pure and utter love for the song. She told The Skinny that the song comes from one nerdy and self-conscious act to another.
It opens on a lone organ and turns Motown-influenced, with a sudden stop, strings, a guitar solo and swelling brass; God Is in the TV calls Carey Lander's playing fundamental. It came 38th in the 2006 Pazz and Jop poll, 118th on Pitchfork's best songs of the 2000s and 46th in Mojo's best UK indie records. In the video a couple dance through Tokyo and a department store, past boxes branded Lloyd and modeled on Warhol's Brillo Boxes, while Campbell, who did not want to dance, stands still and sullen; a second video was directed by Victoria Bergsman of the Concretes.
Where to go next
Reference
- Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken on Wikipedia Charts, lists and the video.
Writing and criticism
- God Is in the TV: Pop Classics 52 On the arrangement.
Sources
- Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken, Wikipedia
- Pop Classics 52: Camera Obscura, God Is in the TV (2020-04-03)
- Camera Obscura: ready to be heartbroken, The Skinny (2006-06-15)