Elbow - Starlings

[RobtimusPrime09]

Long story, but I ended up on my own by an industrial estate yesterday (NYE), and I sang this to myself as midnight struck :) perfect start to 2012, I think :D

[asplanned26]

i got a rendition of this this morning with a full orchestra and choir. it was beautiful.

[amronlin]

Darling is this love?

[OnlyVideoGuyOnEarth]

AAhhh the best bit is at 0:56 and it's so quiet! You've got to listen really carefully around that time. Amazing.

[olliet101]

guy garvey for poet laureate

[Domydoor]

@olliet101 God Yes.

[MrAbstractfragment]

I love this song. But if it's your first time listening to it, just be careful around 0:56

[MisterChunder]

This song is the shit. Elbow are the best band of the 21st century, and this is the best song they've ever recorded.

[jokacho21]

PLAY IT LOUD!! this is the missing track of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[pennypos1234]

thought this was good go see them live absolutely amazing.

[zimmy81]

I am the person that added the dislike, WHY ? ! I love the song and the way its sung, cant fault it, they were great on jools programme and id luv to see em live, so why the thumbs down? ive never thumbs down a song in my YT life,if I dont like I a song Id rather say nowt,so why do it ? all the clues are there, can you guess why I thumbed down such a belting song, CORRECT ! if you thought im insane ,im waiting for the nice men in the white coats to take me away straightjacketed, hee hee hee

[aaronthewolf]

"you are the only thing in any room you're ever in"...thumbs up if you've ever felt like that about someone

[WJF26]

i must have hear this song a hundred times, but it still gives me chills. "you blew apart my theory with a weary and disinterested sigh...". just gorgeous! absolutely gorgeous.

[KLee0777]

I was walking to work the other day, listening to this song, with my headphones on the highest volume and when the loud horns went off I think my eardrums burst lol love this song, Guy has a beautiful voice, I can listen to him for hours 8)

[rufflesc]

0 dislikes, now that's what I like to see on a music video with over 50,000 views

[Celestial209]

I stayed at a friends who had this as their alarm clock song. I woke up to the gentle begining bit and then nearly had a heart attack when the trumpets came in =P

[craig794]

Never play this song loudly when you're half asleep.

[wannabeescatman]

im so happy thatfinally someone is doing someone music with some feeling instead of cheating to cleaness like most artist do, and they all think u can`t hear it...... but damn i love elbow, great songs...

[Graceclaudia]

I love this song. It's haunting, as all of this album is, but I can think of no song which describes love better. It doesn't glorify it, it doesn't make it gritty, it is a mix of haunting cautiousness which makes you smile and lifts you while dropping you down. It is comfortable, but keeps you on the edge of your seat. Darling is this love? Yes, yes it is.

[azzz555]

oh, great song!

[PokemonTrainerCaseyR]

Lol, when I first heard this I turned up the volume because it was a little quieter in the beginning. But at around 0:56 I almost shit bricks.

[FerroMancer]

I listened to this song for the first time today, and I have been utterly blown away. This is how the song "Red Letter Year" by Ani DiFranco SHOULD have been, instead of the bipolar set of half-songs it really is.

This is now one of my favorite songs. I'm speechless (good thing I'm typing).

[MrDerfinator]

i'm a doves fan so this is right down my alley-

[Principalies]

@ElbowTV such as sad song. He's old and needs someone to love him. He feels he's worthless but all he can offer is unconditional love "find a man who needs you more than I".

[kimj0123]

the ending is sooo amazing!!! elbow are by far a realy original group

[ElbowTV]

Notice my comment asking the meaning of the line "back a horse that's good for glue" has been getting quite a few replies recently now that YouTube puts the comments by the uploader at the top, that was left 10 months ago and I know what it means now, thanks to everyone who explained. ;)

[Boggerly]

@ElbowTV "backing a horse" is to put money on it coming first in a race. A horse thats good for glue means that its only good for making glue, ie no good for anything else. So by backing it you are making a very bad bad (losing) bet.

[clio228]

powerful..

[a1anp1gott]

@ElbowTV They used to make glue from boiling down the carcase of old dead horses alright !!

[thenewhandle]

darling is this loveBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU­UUUUM

[thenewhandle]

@ElbowTV means ride a rubbish horse [unfit horses get turned into glue] Bit raunchy.

[OBLIVIOUSavior]

in this song he says so much by saying so little. really knows how to maximize the meaning in his lyrics.

man crush.

[DebbieHarryxxx]

Good song, but when i first heard it i almost fell over around 0:56 lol

[terryk404]

I found out about Elbow about seven years ago. One of few that surprise every album.

"You are the only thing in any room your ever in; I'm stubborn, selfish, and too old."

Briliant

[Fhuaran]

Acting like I haven't dreamed of you and I,

And marriage in an orange grove...

[iownagreyhound]

good LORD the brass part nearly blew me sideways i had this turned up so loud

LOVE IT :D

[OGLocK666]

cheaaaa same story

[SariTsamon]

Where can I download THIS exact version? I've had such a hard time finding it..

[Geeeeoheffeff]

Yeah I was going to answer...looks like a few beat me to the punch... haha

[degree7]

Is it just me, or is music finally picking up a bit after nearly a decade of lackluster material?

[MatthewTheServant]

Dont jynx it :D

[degree7]

*knock on wood*

[justthatchapLC]

2003-6 was good. It's getting worse now (apart from elbow) imo.

[geldofpunk]

@degree7 There's been plenty of great albums this decade. You just have to get out of the mainstream to find them.

[degree7]

To be honest, most of the albums this past decade have been ass.

[geldofpunk]

@degree7

Not my fault you haven't heard anything good. You obviously are not looking it the right place.

[degree7]

I never said I haven't heard anything good.

I just haven't heard anything LIFE-CHANGING. (With the exception of Radiohead's Kid A)

It seemed in the 60s, 70s, 80s, fuck man, even the 90s, an amazing album was released every goddamn year. Look at the Stones! They released a string of five flawless records in a row.

[degree7]

(cont.)

Now as the years wear on, we're having to wait between longer and longer periods of time before anything decent is released. What a piece of shit 2009 was. The best record was Grizzley Bear's Veckatimest. And that's not saying much.

[pushthetempo2]

@degree7

check out animal collective - post merriwether pavillion. its an incredible record, its life-changing music.

i kinda agree with you, but you need to dig to find the best stuff tho, its out there.

[degree7]

@pushthetempo2

Listened to it... didn't like it.

[CrocodileRocker]

@degree7 Fingers crossed.

[qbaker20]

@degree7 It is just Elbow, actually.

[CJSpencer77]

@degree7 don't get excited - I've said that a few times over the past 2 years - false alarms each time. We live in hope

[crosslips100]

amazing this was the first song played at the concert at MEN on 18.09.09. Any choir members please check out facebook and enter elbow choir into search bar and join us.

[xxshellyxx90]

love them

[enidscrew]

julian has never heard of music b4

[oneminutetomidknight]

he was talking about the Liam Fray version

[waynetravis]

Saw them support U2 in Sheffield. They were incredible! The lead singer pointed and waved at me, so I waved back and gave him a big thumbs up during this song :)

[TheLloyds2003]

Someone covered this perfect song and changed the lyrics?! Blasphemous!

[TeamExRicochet]

A wonderfully romantic song. I love the lyric and the way it works with the melody...superb

I tip my hat to Elbow for this lovely song

[SUNSHINESBETER]

very very very ...nice

[lolwowstupid]

I am in love with this song.

the lyrics are so poetic

and the climax! I love this!

[milesfr0mh0me]

well to "back a horse" is to bet on a horse and "that's good for glue" means the horse is old and passed its usefulness. they used make glue with the hooves of horses. cheers for posting...

[NerdHelmet]

The violets explode inside me

When I meet your eyes

Then I'm spinning and I'm diving

Like a cloud of starlings

Darling, is this love?

[dravster]

Horses who reached the end of their working life used to be sold to glue manufacturers (they used to make glue from their connective tissue).

[pigmypuff15]

i love this song x

[claire123claire]

Argh I love this song it's SO beautiful <3

[Meadmonster25]

I can answer that. Basically horses in horse racing when they're past it are shot and melted down for glue. Or at least that's the rumour. Horse bone sinew can apparanlty be an ingredient in the glue making process.

So if you were to back a horse (ie put a bet on that horse) that were good for glue, you'd be backing a horse that was old and destined to fail. It's a self depricating metaphor for the idea that this girl is interested in an ageing useless man.

I hope this helps.

[calculatrix]

Brilliant.

[rockafellateatime]

i just listen to this song for the points at 0:57 and 1:16

[BaileysMariner]

I'm going to listen to that again now in a minute.

[89cheapmonday]

liam fray's done a decent cover of this, look it up on youtube

[julianlzb87]

Dreadful lyric changes.... just awful.

[89cheapmonday]

everyone's entitled to their own opinion i suppose...

[julianlzb87]

"too back a horse that's red not blue"

is a particular piece of criminal vandalism.

[zuluponee]

I think its actually 'to back a horse thats good for glue' which would also fit into the rest of the song

[julianlzb87]

Yes, those are the right (Elbow/perfect) lyrics.

Liam Frey's version is banal and meaningless.

[himrawkz]

yeah thats it

[ElbowTV]

In Rainbows was pretty good, apart from that I agree. Travis have gone downhill, so have Keane, so have Coldplay... :/

[Scudsy101]

I respect your opinion,but in fairness...a Beck fan commenting on lyrics is a bit rich,lol!

[julianlzb87]

The Liam Frey version is dreadful, I meant

[DillydALLYLally]

Gotta love this song.

So down to earth, lyrics wise.

[jitarihu84]

This band is brilliant and you know it!!!

[malky2769]

only bought this album in March, took me a week to get past this song...just summed up how I felt about someone really special to me

[slappedcheek]

audiosex.........nuff said........perfect record to go to bed with the 1 u love........and i doubt im alone in thinking that

[shellbell0161]

spooky an sexy xx

[xxshellyxx90]

i love this song x

[claire123claire]

I also saw this live at Wembley. They played this song first, creating an amazing introduction. When the trumpets played the entire stage lit up. Immense animation on the screen behind also. Absolutely EPIC gig xxx

[dondoleone]

met guy last night and told him how much this song and album mean to me...and bought him a drink for his efforts!!

[GuitarnPiano]

you lucky thing

[jtdswhc]

jesus lol the start scared the hell out of me, i had it quite loud because it was abit quiet, then suddenly that loud bit came on and i freaked D:

[draconicmetal]

the most beautiful lyrics ever written

[mmurphy56154]

Darling is this love?

[ElbowTV]

My favourite line of the song!

[joelycolbourne]

I saw them do this live :D it was amazing, it was the first song they did it was just magical - when the big exploding bit came on everything just lighted up, & you could see guy, mark, craig & pete with little trumpets - it was fantastic! me & my sister had goosebumps all the way through!

[squeegybeckenheem]

i saw this live at wemberly..it was magical with animations of starlings in the background and with the whole audience swaying to the music.

[Lemonbees]

Wonderful

[dee01462]

the lyrics are just beautiful.

another wonderful songggg!

love it :D

[fuckscum]

I remember the first time I heard this I just came back from a heavy metal concert and it was so loud I couldnt hear anything the next day plus I had been in moshpits so I had the shit kicked out of me, my mate let me use his mp3 as long as he could choose the song, he put this on and I felt like I had just taken about 10 painkillers...aaaahhhhhhhh brilliant......

[mmurphy56154]

so i guess im asking you to back a horse thats good for glue------------- fantastic, best band and song writer to come out of England since the Beatles, these songs will be looked at in 30 years time as masterpieces .

[pimpmcdaddies]

That's beautiful,another moving performence

[ElbowTV]

Hey everybody. Thanks for all the views. This is the most viewed video I have uploaded to YouTube! Thanks!

[akala1001]

Amazing Song. And yeah 5, 000 views is shocking for a song this good. They are different and seem far away from the other bands out there, and I don't often say this about other males, but I love his voice lol. Great song.

[c0lar]

abseloutely fantastic stuff, first heard this very talented group on "live from abbey road". this is such music that i have never heard before..where the vocals are just as much as important as the music is itself.

first hearing them i thought oh yeah this is pretty good stuff, then i heard "one day like this" and i thought "wow", i was completely amazed by the talent of everyone in this amazing band. fantastic stuff

[lunoblec]

can't believe it only has 4881 views. such a shame.

[dondoleone]

reminds me of a girl i'm mad about...you are the only thing in any room your ever in i'm stubborn, selfish and 2 old...

[ninaduk1]

BBC have been showing Elbow withBBC's orchester on the 'Red Button'. Never appreciated Elbow before this.

This is truley a lovely, dreamy song-well this and 'Bones of you' are so origional.

I think I'll be getting this album next week!

Thanks for posting.

[lunoblec]

watched it about 15 times since they showed it. AMAZING aint it.

[ninaduk1]

SNAP!

Shame they've taken it off now :(

[BirdSShine]

"so I guess I'm asking you to back a horse that's good for glue"

love their lyrics!

[audiodead]

Not as good as 'station approach'.

[vastehma]

great song to dream of "true love"

but infact it returns to

...The truest love that's ever found is for oneself...

[LittleSpLy]

Don't have words to describe it!

"...acting like I haven't dreamt of you and me and marriage in an orange grove"

So beautiful...

[9dunmanus]

A properly romantic song without even the tiniest hint of saccharine. Just beautiful.

[HobbesEnd]

Easily the best song I've heard all year. Can't wait to see a video! Keep up the good work, boys.

[DelovejaKundze]

this is the best thing i've heard in ages

[LenkaBliss]

amazing song. "The truest love that's ever found is for oneself"... how true... the ending is brilliant.

[aml1982]

"You pulled apart my theory with a weary and disinterested sigh".

The whole point of the lyric about loving oneself is that he doesn't believe it, and it isn't true - he says it to the person he loves, who's lack of interest in or acknowledgement of his idea is affecting enough to let him know that he loves them far more than he loves himself.

[plonkerfest]

awe-inspiring.