Song of the Day: 9-8-2024 (The Paris Texas Mix)
Tim Hill: "Paris, Texas"
Tim Hill’s “Paris, Texas” adds another chapter to the wide ranging influence of Paris, Texas. The lyrics to the song run parallel with the film, and the video re-enacts the film as a type of homage or tribute. The cover to Hill’s album Payador also seems to be a tribute to the film.
Hill’s conversation with “Paris, Texas” feels a bit like a love-letter to the film. You know the way that some art feels like it’s yours? You know how it feels like it is part of your DNA? Some art just makes you feel better about the world; you hold it close to you and it comes gushing out of you with the people and the things you love the most.
“Paris, Texas”
This is the loneliest in a long, long time
Four years, this month since I last looked in your eyes
And how's our boy?
Has he grown up big and strong?
Does he have his father's eyes?
Does he have his father's eyes?
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there with the blonde hair
Where'd you go, I need to know
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there with a blank stare
Where'd you go, I need to know
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there with skin so bare
Where'd you go I need to know
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there, sat in that chair
Where'd you go, I need to know
I've been walking for a long, long time
Four years from the desert to the city
I nearly lost my mind
You took my boy from me, told him I lied
Doesn't he have his fathers' eyes?
Doesn't he have his father's eyes?
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there with the blonde hair
Where'd you go, I need to know
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there with a blank stare
Where'd you go, I need to know
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there with skin so bare
Where'd you go I need to know
Hey, hey
Hey, you
You there, sat in that chair
Where'd you go, I need to know
About the Song of the Day:
Another form of my favorite form of cycles are song-cycles—song-cycles of great albums, and of course song-cycles of mixes. I have made cycles of mixes for friends for years—Mix-tapes in high-school and college—Mix-cds in grad-school and beyond. Now that cds have lost a bit of their shine in the wake of streaming services, I’ve struggled to find my footing with sharing mixes with friends. My goal here is to share songs that culminate in mixes—one song a day until a mix is completed. I will then post the complete mix and then begin a new cycle.