The 'lost lyrics' of Blake's 7

[vilakins]

By popular request from a Blake's 7 mailing list, here are the 'lost lyrics' to the B7 theme.

To quote the Marvel Winter Special:

Early during the production of Season D*, incoming producer Vere Lorimer decided to arrange a recorded version of the Blake's 7 theme. He personally wrote some accompanying lyrics to complement Dudley Simpson's original score and made plans to have Steven Pacey sing them. Unfortunately**, his plans did not see fruition. Here, printed in its entirety, is Distant Star, the Blake's 7 theme that never was...

Distant Star

There's a distant star
in a distant sky
past the edge of time
way past Gemini.
Peace is there,
only beauty meets the eye.
Oh my love,
that's where we must fly,
and let the world go by,
Just you and I.

Come, hit the Stardust Trail,
we'll throw our cap at Mars;
we'll catch a comet's tail,
and we'll sail
to the stars!

Though the years go by
like a silver stream,
if our love is true,
we will find our dream.
Travellin' on,
suddenly that's where we are;
That distant star,
that distant star,
that shining distant star!

* Season 4
** Unfortunately? We should, as my mother would say, thank our lucky stars.

Comments

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

OMGTHEPAIN. *still can't look at it without wincing*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Bwahahaha! You'll have to ask Steven about it at Star One.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

OMGTHEPAIN#2! Poor thing...

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Demand he sings it.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

OMGTHEPAIN#3.

You made him sing it, didn't you? Sounds scary... Have to get the lyrics to Star One somehow and persuade Steven to sing that at the cabaret dinner.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Star One?

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

The after-dinner stuff is supposed to be a cabaret, so I think I could print out the lyrics to Tufty or something... I'd LOVE to hear him sing, he's got such a beautiful singing voice.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Duh, I read that as you having to get the lyrics to [a song called] Star One, and thought there was another, probably equally ghastly, set floating around somewhere. Sorry, my brain furred up.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

And this would have to be filmed, yes.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Well, they've banned video cameras at the con, probably because either Tenth Planet or the Avon club always seem to make official tapes of the events. *sniff* Not that I doubt for a second that someone could smuggle a dictaphone in or something...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Oh no, we're such a law-abiding fandom, like our heroes. ;-)

A good report would satisfy me.

BTW watched part 1 of Casanova last night. Despite all the un-Italian names (like Henriette) and historical inaccuracy, I loved it. It's a romp! I don't know why young Casanova has a lower-class accent than the old one (the divine Peter O'Toole!) but maybe that gets explained; perhaps he picks it up with a title. He really is a lovable rogue, and I liked the explanation for his success: listening to women and treating them like people. :-) And that fat bald guy is wonderful!

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Casanova ROCKS. SO much. And Tennant is lovely. I do love the fact that RTD wanted to include some vulgar language in there that you don't necessarily hear in BBC costume dramas. Like "Bollocks!" when he fails to fall right on top of his horse!:D Hee!

Fat bald guy being Matt Lucas of Little Britain, also a massive Who fan and gay himself, hee:)

The costume designers really have taken liberties with the period, even more so in the second part, but it's all in good fun and innovative. And the real Casanova really *did* listen to women, so, yay. And I love Rocco! Hee! When I was watching it I was thinking how DT would be SUCH a fantastic Doctor, no wonder RTD cast him as the Doc eventually!:)

I love the music, too. I adore it. Unabashedly Romantic. The waltzes just KILL ME with the loveliness.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Fat bald guy being Matt Lucas of Little Britain

Of course it is! I knew he was familiar under all that makeup.

I know you said it was meant to be 3 parts, but I thought part 1 ended at a good place: old Casanova hearing that Henriette was alive. Can't wait to see part 2.

BTW I just saw that the modern Canterbury Tales starts this week. That should be good too.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

And it's now in the essays section (http://www.farsight.net.nz/essays/index.htm) of my site, should anyone ever require this in future. :-P

[jomacmouse.livejournal.com]

As snowgrouse said...

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

Personally I'm thanking my lucky stars...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

But not distant ones? ;-)

[megpie71.livejournal.com]

*wince*

How the heck is that lot supposed to synch to the B7 theme? No, on second thoughts, I really don't want to know.

Comes to that, how the screaming heck is it supposed to even match in with the general theme of the show? I mean, yes, okay, that might be workable with something like "Star Trek", where the general ambiance is relatively positive. But Blake's 7?

Next question: what the hell was he on, where can I get some, and how much does it cost by the kilo?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'll have to try to sing along to the theme next time I play a DVD. :-P

Yeah, not exactly in the bleak, depressing spirit of season 4, is it?

Shadow; the Terra Nostra at Space City; 100,000 credits.

[megpie71.livejournal.com]

Damn. And here was me hoping it was something vaguely affordable.

[shimere277.livejournal.com]

"Travellin' on?" Sounds like a country song.

Hmm...maybe it would be better to have Avon sing it in a depressed, ironic voice - like Johnny Cash?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Sarcastically, in memory of Anna, yes, that could work. And Paul Darrow always did have a things for westerns. He'd love it.

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

have Avon sing it in a depressed, ironic voice - like Johnny Cash

OMG that's perfect. The thought will keep me entertained all day.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Much vomiting....

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Short and to the point! (Well, I hope it was short.)

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

It's even worse than I remembered. Which was pretty bad.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

One wonders if he'd seen any B7 at that point.

This Must Be What Going Mad Feels Like

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Vilakins, thank you for the timely assistance! This works in perfectly with the evil plot bunny I got today in ballet class.

Hint:
Jenna sprang up from the hard bench. "Blake!" she said. "I would never...not with Avon!"

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

This works in perfectly with the evil plot bunny I got today

Blimey!

Hint...

You're doing a M&B? :-O

[executrix.livejournal.com]

vilakins: M&B = Mills & Boon? Nope.

HINT: "I very nearly corrupted the entire Federation Banking System. And what did I get? A hamster. He drops a box of money and he gets a whole town."

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yay, Jayneness!

[alinewrites.livejournal.com]

ROTFL!!!

I can imagine Avon singing it. Mwahahah!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Dressed as Elvis!

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Definitely!

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

"The Stardust Trail..." the Great Federation Novel that Vila is planning to write in his retirement.

Actually, I'm trying desperately to work out which - err - Wromantick Pairing he was thinking of when he wrote it. Avon/Sleer???

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

He wanted Steven Pacey to sing it; Tarrant and Dayna? Maybe he thought it would tie in with Dayna's song.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

That's really cheesy and scary. Um, did the writer actually *watch* any of the episodes before writing those words?

If there was to be a theme song with lyrics for B7 it should have been something similar to the rebellious-sounding theme to 'Firefly' - off the top of my head I think some of the lyrics are, 'Burn the land, boil the sea... you can't take the sky from me.'

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Um, did the writer actually *watch* any of the episodes before writing those words?

He was the producer of season 4, so I'd say not, probably at any point.

Yeah, the Firefly theme was heaps better and actually related to the show. This stuff makes B7 sound like a love story.