388: Make Believe

Unreleased (1992)
This wee slip of a song is another I’ll Do Anything refugee. A 100 metre dash of full-tilt organ and fret-roaming bass, with lyrics that go meta with a fourth-wall-breaking “it’s only a movie” line. A “funky” remix exists with the musical backing of NPG’s Black M.F. in the House but is far outpaced by the original which crams in ninety seconds of the kind of jazz performance you’d expect to see a 360 spin of a double bass in. Rough around the edges but beautifully arranged, it’s both the dazzle and dilapidation of a film-set combined. It would have been sung by Nick Nolte in the movie (although thankfully I’ve avoided hearing this version) and without the context of the plot I’m unsure whether the lyrics are literal or an echo of the sentiment that we’re all play-acting. I’m going to go and guess the latter. The world’s a stage and like Marilyn Monroe said: “it’s all make believe, isn’t it?”.