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American Girl (single​/​video)

by Jean Koning

/
1.
American Girl 04:57
lyrics
Well she was an American girl Raised on promises She couldn't help thinkin' that there Was a little more to life Somewhere else After all it was a great big world With lots of places to run to Yeah, and if she had to die Tryin' she had one little promise She was gonna keep Oh yeah, all right Take it easy baby Make it last all night She was an American girl It was kind of cold that night She stood alone on her balcony She could the cars roll by Out on 441 Like waves crashin' on the beach And for one desperate moment there He crept back in her memory God it's so painful Something that's so close And still so far out of reach Oh yeah, all right Take it easy baby Make it last all night She was an American girl © Universal Music Publishing Group
2.
California Dreaming (recorded live in a church) 02:54
lyrics
All the leaves are brown And the sky is grey I went for a walk On a winter's day I'd be safe and warm If I was in L.A. California dreamin' On such a winter's day I stepped into a church I passed along the way And I got down on my knees I began to pray The preacher likes the cold He knows I'm gonna stay But that California dreamin' On such a winter's day All the leaves are brown And the sky is grey And I went for a walk On a winter's day If I didn't tell her I could leave today Oh, the California dreamin' On such a winter's day California dreamin' On such a winter's day California dreamin' On such a winter's day © Universal Music Publishing Group
3.
Enjoy The Silence (recorded live in a church) 02:17
lyrics
Words like violence Break the silence Come crashing in Into my little world Painful to me Pierce right through me Can't you understand? My little girl All I ever wanted All I ever needed Is here in my arms All I ever wanted All I ever needed Is here in my arms Words are very unnecessary They can only do harm Vows are spoken To be broken Feelings are intense Words are trivial Pleasures remain So does the pain Words are meaningless And forgettable All I ever wanted All I ever needed Is here in my arms All I ever wanted All I ever needed Is here in my arms Words are very unnecessary They can only do harm Can only do harm Can only do harm © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
4.
Footnote To Howl 02:36
lyrics
Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The nose is holy! The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy! Everything is holy! everybody’s holy! everywhere is holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman’s an angel! The bum’s as holy as the seraphim! the madman is holy as you my soul are holy! The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy! Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs holy Cassady holy the unknown buggered and suffering beggars holy the hideous human angels! Holy my mother in the insane asylum! Holy the cocks of the grandfathers of Kansas! Holy the groaning saxophone! Holy the bop apocalypse! Holy the jazzbands holy the marijuana hipsters peace peyote pipes & drums! Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy the cafeterias filled with the millions! Holy the mysterious rivers of tears under the streets! Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the middleclass! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebellion! Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles! Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria & Seattle Holy Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow Holy Istanbul! Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch! Holy the sea holy the desert holy the railroad holy the locomotive holy the visions holy the hallucinations holy the miracles holy the eyeball holy the abyss! Holy forgiveness! mercy! charity! faith! Holy! Ours! bodies! suffering! magnanimity! Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul! (Berkeley 1955) “Footnote to Howl” from Collected Poems 1947-1980. © 1988 by Allen Ginsberg. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

about

**download the E.P. to get two bonus-songs and a video**


From the album LINGO: LIFE, LEGEND, LOST


Covers albums are usually a chance for a singer to let their hair down a little, a creative break while they wait for new ideas to come along.

Trust Jean Koning to do it differently. The concept behind LINGO: LIFE LEGEND LOST is that all the songs were written by musicians who we've lost between January 2016 and December 2017, all the songs were written during some political or social turmoil, all songs are considered classics, however have very little connection with the current teenagers, wandering aimlessly the planet, facing doubt, racism, and a false sense of connection. All these songs are now reinterpreted by one of the most original musicians around.

"I took the lyrics of these songs and tried to interpreted them as very now. What would the song sound like if it were written today? They're basically very simple songs, and yet, very dark ones too. They contain more resistance, anger, empathy and comfort than any of the songs written and released today. This is my reaction to the soulless, detached internet age, which pushes everybody into a one size fits all life. This is me struggling against anonymity and the invisibility of today's everyday life.

In real life, people are never presented with a one size fits all audience or lifestyle. This only happens online. But online is a place where we spend a little too much time. So, it's time to resist. Or at least a mild form of resistance. I don't want to be reduced to being merely a friend or a follower. I don't want to be encouraged to share only that one thing that is the most interesting in other people's eyes. And with eyes, I obviously mean their telephone screens."

credits

released August 3, 2018

Produced by Jean (except where indicated)
Photography by S.T. Vacirca

Mastered by Bob at MDB Mastering Studios

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all rights reserved

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Jean Koning Amsterdam, Netherlands

Jean Koning has been a compelling force in the underground music scene since his unlikely folk&jazz debut transferring the band The Children of a Lesser God into the avant-punk extravaganza !JP in 1988. His star-studded career includes albums such as Notes from Purgatory, Man Enough to be a Woman and Wake Up In L.A.
Throughout his career, Mr. Koning has been honored with numerous awards. ... more

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