origin of love Origin of Love - Song and Lyrics Discussion

[sienna]

uploaded by mikasoundsofficial

 

[YOUTUBE]NMy3L0QJJwc[/YOUTUBE]

 

Beautiful!

 

I love the song TOOL as much as Mika does!

 

Thank you for posting it!

[basicamenteyo]

Haven´t watched the Relax song yet....

 

 

 

 

 

Max..... :aah:

[suzie]

 

Max..... :aah:

 

Can you translate this, please?

[robertina]

I've listened to Jo Whiley's version a lot today and I can eventually say that the 'Latin' part is not Latin at all (and this was already said) but mainly Italian.

That is:

 

padre nostro deus machismo

padre deus deus machismo

dio è madre deus machismo

deus sesso santo spirito

 

the bold part refers to Pope John Paul II's revolutionary statement about God not being only 'Father' but 'Mother' too.

 

Discuss!

 

p.s. sorry if this was said already. Haven't read back.

[willywonka]

I've listened to Jo Whiley's version a lot today and I can eventually say that the 'Latin' part is not Latin at all (and this was already said) but mainly Italian.

That is:

 

padre nostro deus machismo

padre deus deus machismo

dio è madre deus machismo

deus sesso santo spirito

 

the bold part refers to Pope John Paul II's revolutionary statement about God not being only 'Father' but 'Mother' too.

 

Discuss!

 

p.s. sorry if this was said already. Haven't read back.

 

[suzie]

the bold part refers to Pope John Paul II's revolutionary statement about God not being only 'Father' but 'Mother' too.

.

 

That was the interpretation I had right from the beginning, his reference to god being both male and female, as well as the deus machismo phrase all mean that.

I'll re-quote that tomorrow.

I cannot listen to the song now but I believe you, it makes perfect sense. Thanks a lot:thumb_yello:

PS Does machismo exist in Italian as well?

Edited August 21, 2012 by suzie

[robertina]

Obviously this part is a mixed up one, and one has to consider it has to match with the music etc...but I can go further in my subtle analisys

 

- padre nostro = our father. Mika said this part mocks the prayers he was obliged to say when a child, and this is the incipit of the most common one.

 

- deus is latin anyway.

 

- dio è madre = god is mother. When the pope mentioned that god is mother and not only father, he clearly did not want to assume that god is bisexual but that god is capable of the same tenderness a woman is. Probably he also wanted to raise the feminine to a higher level....

Mika is using this statement for his own personal goal

 

- machismo. This word is not Italian but is commonly used in Italy as well with its original meaning.

 

- dio, sesso, santo spirito = god, sex, holy spirit. The holy spirit in the Catholic trinity is the entity which keeps Father (god) and Son (Christ) bonded in love and the one who got the Virgin pregnant. Matching it with sex is another Mika's clever sentence.

 

I don't know if all this is behind Mika's choice of words, but I think it's something more than a simple mix-up.

[Elizabeth.C]

Obviously this part is a mixed up one, and one has to consider it has to match with the music etc...but I can go further in my subtle analisys

 

- padre nostro = our father. Mika said this part mocks the prayers he was obliged to say when a child, and this is the incipit of the most common one.

 

- deus is latin anyway.

 

- dio è madre = god is mother. When the pope mentioned that god is mother and not only father, he clearly did not want to assume that god is bisexual but that god is capable of the same tenderness a woman is. Probably he also wanted to raise the feminine to a higher level....

Mika is using this statement for his own personal goal

 

- machismo. This word is not Italian but is commonly used in Italy as well with its original meaning.

 

- dio, sesso, santo spirito = god, sex, holy spirit. The holy spirit in the Catholic trinity is the entity which keeps Father (god) and Son (Christ) bonded in love and the one who got the Virgin pregnant. Matching it with sex is another Mika's clever sentence.

I don't know if all this is behind Mika's choice of words, but I think it's something more than a simple mix-up.

 

i never saw it in that way before! you're right ! clever Mika

[Kaito]

Thanks you for the translations from Italian ! )

Really, I really loved it at first but the more I listen to this song, the more I LOVE it... *.*

[basicamenteyo]

And then people still gives priority to his 'come out' instead of freaking out with his cleverness...

 

Seriously I really hope some intelligent journalist runs into him and asks the right questions so that The ****ing Whole World knows who Mika is.

[Christine]

And then people still gives priority to his 'come out' instead of freaking out with his cleverness...

 

Seriously I really hope some intelligent journalist runs into him and asks the right questions so that The ****ing Whole World knows who Mika is.

 

This song is about gay love and defying the church (and presumably anyone else who has a problem with it) so I think his coming out is not exactly irrelevant. In fact he had to come out if he was going to discuss this album with any kind of honesty/integrity.

[Marilyn Mastin]

And then people still gives priority to his 'come out' instead of freaking out with his cleverness...

 

Seriously I really hope some intelligent journalist runs into him and asks the right questions so that The ****ing Whole World knows who Mika is.

Some of the interviews posted on here, don't have any reference to his coming out. Some are just discussing his music. I've noticed that if the interviewer doesn't mention the gay topic, he doesn't mention it either and sticks to answering their questions.

But I don't think, asking him about it, is a bad thing, if it's done with respect and without sensationalism.

If I run into a friend who has met someone romantically, of course I'm curious. I wonder who it is and how did they meet? I ask my friend this, because I'm curious and happy for her or him. It's natural to want the gossip when someone falls in love, and I don't mind admiting, I'd love to know the identity of Mika's boyfriend, just so that I could put a face and a name to the person who has won Mika's heart.

So If journalists ask him in a polite way, and don't print the kind of headlines that basically say "HEY, MIKA'S GAY, AND BTW, AS WELL AS HIMSELF HE ALSO HAS AN ALBUM COMING OUT TOO." If they, instead, print headlines that just mention the album, I'd say that's it's okay to ask him a bit about the love of his life. He'll only answer what he wants to anyway.

But soon, all this will be old news. It hasn't really caused much of a splash in the media anyway, as far as I can tell. Because basically, most people already knew.

[suzie]

I don't know if all this is behind Mika's choice of words, but I think it's something more than a simple mix-up.

 

Yes, that's why I kept pushing for figuring out these words. It is not a random chouce of words put together for sure.

 

I have changed the lyrics as follows:

 

padre nostrum deus machismo

padre deus deus machismo

dio è madre deus machismo

deus esso santo spirito or: dio sessus santo sprito

 

acoustic version (live performance at the Olympics):

 

padre deus, deus machismo

madre deus, deus machismo

dio è madre deus machismo

deus sesso santo spirito

 

 

we can finetune it when the album is out

 

This song is about gay love and defying the church (and presumably anyone else who has a problem with it) so I think his coming out is not exactly irrelevant. In fact he had to come out if he was going to discuss this album with any kind of honesty/integrity.

 

Edited August 22, 2012 by suzie

[basicamenteyo]

This song is about gay love and defying the church (and presumably anyone else who has a problem with it) so I think his coming out is not exactly irrelevant. In fact he had to come out if he was going to discuss this album with any kind of honesty/integrity.

 

Some of the interviews posted on here, don't have any reference to his coming out. Some are just discussing his music. I've noticed that if the interviewer doesn't mention the gay topic, he doesn't mention it either and sticks to answering their questions.

But I don't think, asking him about it, is a bad thing, if it's done with respect and without sensationalism.

If I run into a friend who has met someone romantically, of course I'm curious. I wonder who it is and how did they meet? I ask my friend this, because I'm curious and happy for her or him. It's natural to want the gossip when someone falls in love, and I don't mind admiting, I'd love to know the identity of Mika's boyfriend, just so that I could put a face and a name to the person who has won Mika's heart.

So If journalists ask him in a polite way, and don't print the kind of headlines that basically say "HEY, MIKA'S GAY, AND BTW, AS WELL AS HIMSELF HE ALSO HAS AN ALBUM COMING OUT TOO." If they, instead, print headlines that just mention the album, I'd say that's it's okay to ask him a bit about the love of his life. He'll only answer what he wants to anyway.

But soon, all this will be old news. It hasn't really caused much of a splash in the media anyway, as far as I can tell. Because basically, most people already knew.

 

I didn´t mean US. We can discuss anything since we follow any of his steps. I meant people who never heard of Mika before. In all his interviews, if you go see all the coments below, the usual replies are:

 

"Never thought he was gay!!"

 

and

 

"Of course he was gay!! he was the only one not knowing it!!"

 

(but nothing about the album)

 

And yes, in all the interviews they talk about his new record, but it´s not what stays in people´s memory... sadly.

 

Anyway, I really hope he will do great. I don´t really care if they talk about sexuality (it´s not my sexuality but Mika´s, so the one worried should be him) as long as they, as you both said, use that to make some promo.

 

And again, the lyrics of this song are amazing. I love it.

[Christine]

In all his interviews, if you go see all the coments below, the usual replies are:

 

"Never thought he was gay!!"

 

and

 

"Of course he was gay!! he was the only one not knowing it!!"

 

(but nothing about the album)

 

The people who read/watch these interviews have never heard his album so what are they going to say about it? If you came across some pics with Lady Gaga walking around London with a teacup in her hand I'm sure 90% of the comments would be about how whacky she is and not about her music.

 

People are interested in gossip and they have been talking about Mika being gay since 2006 so nothing has changed and there is no way to make people interested in his music when they aren't. Even the comments on his videos that contain nothing but his music, there have always been comments about him being gay.

 

Trying to avoid the gay label in his early career was a futile exercise because everyone just referred to him as "the flamboyant singer" or "the camp singer" instead of "the gay singer". Any native English speaker knows that "flamboyant" and "camp" are just a very thinly veiled code words for "gay".

 

Not only are they thinly veiled but they are pretty much mocking. I've always thought that Mika would get less flak from the press and the public if he just owned it because there is a political correctness at play (at least in countries like the US, Canada and the UK) that protects minorities to a certain degree. If you avoid it then people feel free to make all kinds of mocking and harsh comments that are really just gay bashing, even when outright gay bashing is unacceptable.

[robertina]

Yes, that's why I kept pushing for figuring out these words. It is not a random chouce of words put together for sure.

 

I have changed the lyrics as follows:

 

padre nostrum deus machismo

padre deus deus machismo

dio è madre deus machismo

deus esso santo spirito or: dio sessus santo sprito

 

acoustic version (live performance at the Olympics):

 

padre deus, deus machismo

madre deus, deus machismo

dio è madre deus machismo

deus sesso santo spirito

 

 

we can finetune it when the album is out

 

 

'esso' really has no meaning. The translation of Italian 'esso' is 'it'.

we have to consider that Mika or the chorus singers are not Italian speakers and they distort the pronounciation when they sing live.

[basicamenteyo]

The people who read/watch these interviews have never heard his album so what are they going to say about it? If you came across some pics with Lady Gaga walking around London with a teacup in her hand I'm sure 90% of the comments would be about how whacky she is and not about her music.

 

People are interested in gossip and they have been talking about Mika being gay since 2006 so nothing has changed and there is no way to make people interested in his music when they aren't. Even the comments on his videos that contain nothing but his music, there have always been comments about him being gay.

 

Trying to avoid the gay label in his early career was a futile exercise because everyone just referred to him as "the flamboyant singer" or "the camp singer" instead of "the gay singer". Any native English speaker knows that "flamboyant" and "camp" are just a very thinly veiled code words for "gay".

 

Not only are they thinly veiled but they are pretty much mocking. I've always thought that Mika would get less flak from the press and the public if he just owned it because there is a political correctness at play (at least in countries like the US, Canada and the UK) that protects minorities to a certain degree. If you avoid it then people feel free to make all kinds of mocking and harsh comments that are really just gay bashing, even when outright gay bashing is unacceptable.

 

 

Either your English has improved a lot lately,or mine is getting worse and worse every day

 

Sorry Im from phone and cant use dictio at the same time I read/reply.

 

So about the first part I agree,people are just interested in gossip,thats why I complained at first and wanted journalist to ask him about his lyrics,which I think are wonderful in this song. And maybe someone looking for gossip reads it and realises that Mika is something else than gay.

 

About the second part...Im not sure I got it..(too many words I dont understand). You mean people mocked him? Journalists did?? Or readers? For me its hard to get the irony in English and never thought that "flamboyant" was a mocking word. In fact I always liked that word

 

Well,theres people who love him and people who hate him. I still hate when people who dont like him bother to go comment **** in his vids or interviews. I hate LMFAO's singer thats why I never go watch his vids or read his interviews. Even less Im going to comment about them...I find it stupid...

[basicamenteyo]

'esso' really has no meaning. The translation of Italian 'esso' is 'it'.

we have to consider that Mika or the chorus singers are not Italian speakers and they distort the pronounciation when they sing live.

 

You think Mikas Italian knowledge allowed him to write that part,or do we know if he was helped by any italian lyricist?

 

God,Im in love with these lyrics....

[robertina]

You think Mikas Italian knowledge allowed him to write that part,or do we know if he was helped by any italian lyricist?

 

God,Im in love with these lyrics....

 

Mika's knowledge is more than enough IMO

[Marilyn Mastin]

The people who read/watch these interviews have never heard his album so what are they going to say about it? If you came across some pics with Lady Gaga walking around London with a teacup in her hand I'm sure 90% of the comments would be about how whacky she is and not about her music.

 

People are interested in gossip and they have been talking about Mika being gay since 2006 so nothing has changed and there is no way to make people interested in his music when they aren't. Even the comments on his videos that contain nothing but his music, there have always been comments about him being gay.

 

Trying to avoid the gay label in his early career was a futile exercise because everyone just referred to him as "the flamboyant singer" or "the camp singer" instead of "the gay singer". Any native English speaker knows that "flamboyant" and "camp" are just a very thinly veiled code words for "gay".

 

Not only are they thinly veiled but they are pretty much mocking. I've always thought that Mika would get less flak from the press and the public if he just owned it because there is a political correctness at play (at least in countries like the US, Canada and the UK) that protects minorities to a certain degree. If you avoid it then people feel free to make all kinds of mocking and harsh comments that are really just gay bashing, even when outright gay bashing is unacceptable.

Exactly. I must say I've read some positive comments and articles about him recently. Some guy on Twitter, Tony something. He's a DJ I think, has got Celebrate as his record of the week and tweets that it's about time America paid him some attention.

In fact, a lot of the more positive comments are on American sites and I'm so glad about it, because if he can crack America, the UK will wake up to him again. They always make more fuss of singers who are big in the USA. I don't know why, but they do.

I take no notice of the comments about his sexuality, because they'll get fed up with that subject soon, and either, ignore him, or go and buy his cd.

[dcdeb]

In fact, a lot of the more positive comments are on American sites and I'm so glad about it, because if he can crack America, the UK will wake up to him again. They always make more fuss of singers who are big in the USA. I don't know why, but they do.

I take no notice of the comments about his sexuality, because they'll get fed up with that subject soon, and either, ignore him, or go and buy his cd.

 

The thing is, he has CRACKED the US -- he needs to EXPLODE in it.

 

Seriously, Mika can come to decent-sized venues in the big cities and

sell out in a day. He has a pretty loyal following here. But he doesn't have a

mainstream following, and, I hate to sound chauvinistic, but if a performer

doesn't break big in the US it really limits their career. Look at Robbie

Williams. He was huge just about everywhere but in the US. Most people here

have never heard of him. I'm not saying Robbie Williams is struggling or

depressed that he never "made it" in the US, but he certainly is not of the

same stature as Katy Perry or Rihanna or Justin Bieber who are known in

just about every corner of the world.

 

Regardless, that's a little off-topic to this thread. I love this song and I

can imagine hearing it on the Top 40 radio here in the States -- IF the

DJs here give it a chance. I think the lyrics are just ambiguous enough that

most people will take them at face value -- on the face of it, it's a song

about forbidden love (not necessarily gay love, but loving someone you're not

supposed to love, whether it's someone of a different race, religion, age,

social or even marital status) and basically saying F YOU to those who would

try to keep you apart from your lover, whether it's the Church, your family,

or just random judgmental strangers. The tune is as catchy as hell,

and it's just romantic enough that I think people would accept it

without over-analyzing the lyrics or message behind it. WE know

(or think we do) what the song is really saying, because we know Mika

(or think we do ). But really, ANY guy could sing to his girl (or vice

versa), "I want your love, don't try and stop me... only thing I know, you're

the origin of love... thank god that you found me..."

 

I just hope the rest of Middle America sees it the way I see it. I'm ever

hopeful, but also realistic, so I'm definitely holding my breath to see what

happens.

[Kaito]

The thing is, he has CRACKED the US -- he needs to EXPLODE in it.

 

Seriously, Mika can come to decent-sized venues in the big cities and

sell out in a day. He has a pretty loyal following here. But he doesn't have a

mainstream following, and, I hate to sound chauvinistic, but if a performer

doesn't break big in the US it really limits their career. Look at Robbie

Williams. He was huge just about everywhere but in the US. Most people here

have never heard of him. I'm not saying Robbie Williams is struggling or

depressed that he never "made it" in the US, but he certainly is not of the

same stature as Katy Perry or Rihanna or Justin Bieber who are known in

just about every corner of the world.

 

Regardless, that's a little off-topic to this thread. I love this song and I

can imagine hearing it on the Top 40 radio here in the States -- IF the

DJs here give it a chance. I think the lyrics are just ambiguous enough that

most people will take them at face value -- on the face of it, it's a song

about forbidden love (not necessarily gay love, but loving someone you're not

supposed to love, whether it's someone of a different race, religion, age,

social or even marital status) and basically saying F YOU to those who would

try to keep you apart from your lover, whether it's the Church, your family,

or just random judgmental strangers. The tune is as catchy as hell,

and it's just romantic enough that I think people would accept it

without over-analyzing the lyrics or message behind it. WE know

(or think we do) what the song is really saying, because we know Mika

(or think we do ). But really, ANY guy could sing to his girl (or vice

versa), "I want your love, don't try and stop me... only thing I know, you're

the origin of love... thank god that you found me..."

 

I just hope the rest of Middle America sees it the way I see it. I'm ever

hopeful, but also realistic, so I'm definitely holding my breath to see what

happens.

 

I'm not sure I know the topic well enough to talk well about it as I don't know well the American music market... I tend to avoid US mainstream groups/singers 'cause I feel like they haven't got that "authenticity" that I can more easily find in Eupean groups/singers. It is of course very subjective. The fact is also that European singers tend to perform in smaller music halls while American stars always come in stadium-like halls.. In stadiums, the concert is more about performing and less about emotion, I think...

I'm promoting the artists I love, of course, but at the same time, I don't know if I wish them to perform in stadiums... I feel like human-sized halle are the best and that's why I don't think being mainstream in the US is that good, at least, from my point of view.

 

However, I can understand that US fans want more gigs, I guess Mika mainly come to big cities and everyone doesn't get to travel up North or South of the State for a gig...

 

I'm maybe a bit off-topic, sorry :') And I don't mean to offend any US fan, here. It's just that US's vision is too big for me... And maybe ... I'm afraid that great Eupean artists go to the US and never come back to Europe... Yep, I guess I feel like it too xD

[Marilyn Mastin]

The thing is, he has CRACKED the US -- he needs to EXPLODE in it.

 

Seriously, Mika can come to decent-sized venues in the big cities and

sell out in a day. He has a pretty loyal following here. But he doesn't have a

mainstream following, and, I hate to sound chauvinistic, but if a performer

doesn't break big in the US it really limits their career. Look at Robbie

Williams. He was huge just about everywhere but in the US. Most people here

have never heard of him. I'm not saying Robbie Williams is struggling or

depressed that he never "made it" in the US, but he certainly is not of the

same stature as Katy Perry or Rihanna or Justin Bieber who are known in

just about every corner of the world.

 

Regardless, that's a little off-topic to this thread. I love this song and I

can imagine hearing it on the Top 40 radio here in the States -- IF the

DJs here give it a chance. I think the lyrics are just ambiguous enough that

most people will take them at face value -- on the face of it, it's a song

about forbidden love (not necessarily gay love, but loving someone you're not

supposed to love, whether it's someone of a different race, religion, age,

social or even marital status) and basically saying F YOU to those who would

try to keep you apart from your lover, whether it's the Church, your family,

or just random judgmental strangers. The tune is as catchy as hell,

and it's just romantic enough that I think people would accept it

without over-analyzing the lyrics or message behind it. WE know

(or think we do) what the song is really saying, because we know Mika

(or think we do ). But really, ANY guy could sing to his girl (or vice

versa), "I want your love, don't try and stop me... only thing I know, you're

the origin of love... thank god that you found me..."

 

I just hope the rest of Middle America sees it the way I see it. I'm ever

hopeful, but also realistic, so I'm definitely holding my breath to see what

happens.

What you said is great to know. But like you, I'd love to hear he's got a show at Maddison Square Gardens (like Gaga and Bieber both had) than some theatre down the road, although that is a very good thing.

The fact that Mika was #1 in France, makes no difference to the UK, but if he was #1 in America, it would. But his new toned-down image has, I think, a better chance of wooing America, than the previous, more colourful image. At least, that's the impression I have of mainstream America. I'm not saying I am right though.

I really love The Origin Of Love and if I'd had anything to say about it, it would have been the 1st single. It's so unusual, and (as you say) not obviously about Gay love. It's more about any kind of romantic love that is very intense. It's the intensity of the words that sets the song apart imho.

But there are a lot of positive comments coming out of America, they seem to like Celebrate, so maybe he will explode there with the new album. Let's hope so!

[suzie]

@dcdeb I think most people take Mika songs at face value only, that's why they think Lolllipop is a children's song and believe Billy Brown is Mika's most controversial song ever. So yes, I see no barrier in Mika 'exploding' the US provided he is given a chance and has the right image.

 

In terms of giving him a chance it probably partly depends on the record company backing him up with money to get him played but having an image that is consistent with his songs is most important.

 

It must have been analysed thousands of times why Robbie Williams never really became famous in the US. In my view, apart from not being American and having a different sense of humour, his 'camp' image may have played a part. At the same time though, if one is openly gay, people tend to accept it more, I guess, so Mika's coming out should be to to his advantage, in my personal opinion.

All in all, since Mika is actually American (no matter where he has lived so far or where his greatparents are from) and he now seems to have a real life image rather than a cartoon-like one, it should work to his advantage over there. I am keeping my fingers crossed for him for sure. Getting noted as a great pop artist in the US would bring him the ultimate freedom in his work.

Edited August 24, 2012 by suzie

[Christine]

But like you, I'd love to hear he's got a show at Maddison Square Gardens (like Gaga and Bieber both had) than some theatre down the road, although that is a very good thing.

 

Whoa, one step at a time. I am still waiting for the Radio City Hall show he said he would do in 2010.

 

It must have been analysed thousands of times why Robbie Williams never really became famous in the US. In my view, apart from not being American and having a different sense of humour, his 'camp' image may have played a part.

 

I think it was just his mediocrity. His career was launched in the rest of the world because of Take That and Americans had no exposure to British boy bands because they had their own huge market of boy bands and didn't need to import any more.

 

I know Robbie Williams has a huge X factor or he could have never been such a massive star anywhere, but it's not an easy thing to communicate to people who otherwise have no interest in him. I mean all they have to go on is his face (cute but not exceptional) and his songs (decent, but not exceptional).

 

It took me years to really understand the appeal of Robbie Williams and I was living in the UK in the late 90s. It wasn't until I saw videos of him playing to hundreds of thousands of people that I began to understand why he actually had an audience that huge.

 

Either your English has improved a lot lately,or mine is getting worse and worse every day

 

Perhaps my English has gotten worse then?

 

About the second part...Im not sure I got it..(too many words I dont understand). You mean people mocked him? Journalists did?? Or readers? For me its hard to get the irony in English and never thought that "flamboyant" was a mocking word. In fact I always liked that word

 

"Gay" is very matter of fact. It's like saying he's a "Lebanese singer" or a "pop singer" or whatever. But flamboyant and camp implies that his music or his performances or his image are really stereotypically gay, gay, gay. Technically that's not what flamboyant means. It just means colourful, bold, etc. But it's a lot less likely that someone would describe Katy Perry as flamboyant than Mika, so you know what I mean?

 

In Canada people will say someone is "flaming" to describe gay men who are really obviously and stereotypically gay and I suppose it has the same basis as "flamboyant" since "flamboyant" comes from the French for "flame". And it's really not a polite thing to say or publish in an article.

 

I still hate when people who dont like him bother to go comment **** in his vids or interviews. I hate LMFAO's singer thats why I never go watch his vids or read his interviews. Even less Im going to comment about them...I find it stupid...

 

Most of the negative comments I get on my YouTube videos are videos where people stumbled across it because they were looking for something else. Like there is one clip with Ricky Gervais so it's Ricky Gervais fans watching it and not just people looking for Mika videos.

 

He gets a lot of criticism for doing a Nina Simone cover on Jools Holland too.