Staring at the Sun es un álbum de Level 42, publicado en 1988 por Polydor. El disco incluye 10 canciones, entre ellas «Heaven in My Hands», «I Don't Know Why», «Take a Look» y «Over There».
Sobre el álbum
El álbum Staring at the Sun, de 1988, es un trabajo marcado por la transición y los cambios en la formación de la banda. Tras la marcha de los hermanos Gould, Level 42 reclutó al guitarrista Alan Murphy y al batería Gary Husband, intentando mantener el impulso de su éxito. El disco tiene un sonido que busca un equilibrio entre su pop comercial y un rock más directo.
El sonido del álbum es potente y con un mayor protagonismo de las guitarras eléctricas, cortesía del virtuoso Murphy. Canciones como el single "Heaven in My Hands" tienen un aire más rockero que sus predecesores. La banda intentaba evolucionar y no estancarse en su fórmula de éxito.
Pese a la calidad de los músicos y de contener buenas canciones como "Tracie", el álbum no logró el impacto comercial de "Running in the Family". Mientras tanto, la trágica y prematura muerte de Alan Murphy poco después del lanzamiento del disco supuso un duro golpe para la banda.
"Staring at the Sun" es un disco sólido y un valiente intento de seguir adelante, pero que inevitablemente vive a la sombra de sus monumentales trabajos anteriores. Es el sonido de una banda que se adapta a una nueva realidad.
Listado de Canciones
- Heaven in My Hands4:39
Letra
I'm going nowhere Gotta face up to it Gotta wake up to it I feel so guilty Killing time is a sin A dam burst of dreams flows thru' me They show me where I could be Flash point feelings flow Thru' my mind moving When my friends tell me You just can't connect You ain't got no respect They tell me nothing 'Cos I know about that Yes I know about that I'm not gonna take what people say Don't feel that I belong today Sense of freedom and Sense of pride From the mountains to the sea I'll run across this land Looking out for strength and beauty A diamond in the sand And I will chase the four winds over Trying to understand And I won't stop until I'm holding Heaven in my hands I won't let nobody Turn me off the track Now there's no turning back Won't let no worries Turn my inside down Now there's no room for doubt I'm heading for my destiny And it feels electric to me Flash point feelings flow Thru' my mind I was lonely going nowhere Drowning on dry land I was almost stranded there a Shipwreck on the sand But now I'll chase the whole world over Making my demands And I won't stop until I'm holding Heaven in my hands From the mountains to the sea I'll run across this land Looking out for strength and beauty A diamond in the sand And I will chase the four winds over Trying to understand And I won't stop until I'm holding Heaven in my hands I was lonely going nowhere Drowning on dry land I was almost stranded there a Shipwreck on the sand But now I'll chase the whole world over Making my demands And I won't stop until I'm holding Heaven in my hands [Repeat] - I Don't Know Why4:22
- Take a Look4:41
Letra
I'm a ragged man with a ragged heart but I wear my soul with pride you can see me on the road see my carrying my home and perhaps it seems that I'm all alone but I'm happy here inside you can keep your fancy dress 'cause to me it don't impress when I look in your face that camera smile looks out of place on you by the look in your eyes I can see you realize so lend yourself to me I'll show you what could be well I've come so far down so many roads I've experienced your pain you know that that's a fact I can see the way you act but I learned to see what was wrong with me and I won't go back again I know I've made mistakes but I also made the break you surround yourself with secrets you are afraid to show to the world you convince yourself there's no other way to go don't you see the smile on my face does it look so out of place so lend yourself to me I'll show you what could be (yes I will) so many ways for you to spend the passing days loving and living or losing and using life is forgiving so use it well feeling revealing or wheeling and dealing life's not for stealing and time will tell take a look at your face take a look at your face you must surely know if man made heaven then man made hell so take a look at yourself what's this secret you can't tell me (when I look in your face I see that smile so out of place on you and by the look in your eyes I can see you realize, oh yeah) - Over There3:59
Letra
I'm a soldier of fortune I've come to save the day There's a country that's needs me And an enemy to slay All my friends are in uniform God is on our side But I'm leaving my baby back home As we head for the ocean Our spirits are high "To battle, to glory, what a lovely way to die!" Looking back at the shoreline Ringing in my ears Are the words of my baby back home Where are you going to so far away Your dreams of glory will soon fade away We are so young, so much in love Your country needs you but I need you more So far away Over there Out on the frontline the story has changed For the glory of battle is the myth on printed page As my friends fall around me I wonder when I die Will they carry my body back home What are you searching for so far away Your dreams of glory will soon fade away We are so young, so much in love I'm so afraid I won't see you again Your country needs you but I need you more So far away Over there So far away Over there Where are you going to so far away Your dreams of glory will soon fade away So many lives wasted away So many die again and again Some people say that the knights are all gone Some people say that the dragons are dead But the dragon lives on As the spectre of war And the killing and slaying goes on as before Will it ever end Oh ... will it ever end Will it ever end .... ? - Silence4:56
Letra
Lonely girl lies awake at night Silence ringing in her ears There's a boy who is on her mind So much promise unfulfilled She had waited so patiently He had nothing more to say Not a sound as she slowly walked away Lonely boy watching from the bridge His reflection in the lake There's a girl who seems out of reach And a choice he has to make Lonely boy what will you become If you let her slip away Tomorrow's pain of regret may come too late Too many people Suffer in silence Because they're afraid Love will never come their way So many walk behind a veil of sorrow So many know they have themselves to blame Good reasons not to wait until tomorrow So don't be afraid Love will always come your way He should say he's a lonely man She may have heard it all before He should say he's a faithful man She can never be too sure If only he would communicate There'd be nothing in their way Only then would she understand his pain Too many people Suffer in silence Because they're afraid Love will never come their way So many walk behind a veil of sorrow So many know they have themselves to blame Too many people Suffer in silence So don't be afraid Love will always come your way - Tracie4:53
Letra
Steppin' out from underneath my shadow Walking home from fridays nine to five Rememberin' the long way round the meadow The one we used to take from time to time I thought about you How you must have changed now baby Far away from me How I used to savour all your kisses Where no one else could see Exchanging knowing glances across the schoolroom Dreamin' of a love down by the sea Changing plans to cover up for one another Working on our secret fantasy But now as I walk down the road to your house baby There's no one there but me How I wish that I could steal your kisses Just as they used to be And I wanna know Tracie, where are you now girl I don't know why this feeling's so strong Tracie, where have you been You know there's no one now to tell us we're wrong Countin' by the street lights to the phone box Where we used to meet before the dawn Smoking on the top floor of the school bus Promising the moon as we rode along But now if I saw you across a crowded dance floor Or somewhere in the town Would you show me what I have been missing And spin me round and round Tracie, where are you now girl I don't know why this feeling's so strong Tracie, where have you been You know there's no one now to tell us we're wrong 'cause deep inside from some other place I turn to find we're there face to face We laugh, we cry, we work and we play As love filled night gives way to the day [repeat chorus] - Staring at the Sun4:39
Letra
No one heard you say your prayers ... for love No one ever seemed to care ... for you Blind as you run Aware You were staring at the sun Always someone's favorite fool ... playing Games that they'd invent for you ... losing Your heart and soul Aware There's no way you can repair yourself Your fragile face reflects Years of neglect Love for so long denied Dies in your eyes And so you kiss and give Your heart away Far from the start You knew There was something out of view Like a burning spear of stars ... falling You dissolve the night in tears ... so tired Blinded you run Aware You were staring at the sun You've given it all away No more prayers today You got a homeless heart That's tearing you apart You couldn't feel more cold Inside your secret soul You never found no one You were staring at the sun (staring at the sun) (staring at the sun) - Two Hearts Collide4:10
Letra
Sold in silence I never thought I could ever fall so deep Now I need to know how you feel And with a kiss I steal the silence from your lips Hearts colliding Making waves that will echo through the years Never thought I would find a love so real And I know this I want the life that love can give Now I know what it means A love so rare In years of wasted promises A love to care Only love can make some sense of it A love affair I know it's only just begun A love to share When two hearts collide and beat as one Now I know you care And I'll provide you With a dream that will never disappear With the words that I know you want to hear Without end I've found a love I will defend Now you know what I mean [Repeat Chorus] - Man7:23
Letra
Hey man where you been You can't run away From the life you made your own Now that it's gone and left you down and out You're not so complete Now what do you say All the answers you propose Nobody chose to hear this time around Hey man you're so vain You rise up again To perform to pressure now No way to treat that precious heart at all Calm down you're too proud Now what do you know You present some facts to face But nobody chose to look this time around Head in the clouds No silver lining What could be wrong Hey man why so blue What's come over you Sentimental apathy Ain't gonna buy no sympathy today Wide world wearing thin Wild words deafening Shout about integrity And then you go and throw your dignity away We're all the same We're all to blame What could be wrong, yeah Hey man you got carried away Carrying on the games that you play Playing is not the way to win 'cos winning can be a way that you lose And losing is not the way you would choose Given the choice you're trying to change Changing again you're carried away Do you remember the day So long ago so far behind That history wrought in the fire That filled your mind with mad desire Chasing the centuries down Long roads you cut through flesh and field Pulling the past as you run And it's dragged you to your knees It's time to pray It's getting harder to pay Too many people For the rent Given a number of ways Is there no way you can change Hey man sing the blues - Gresham Blues