David Heavenor: Music

The first line is drawn from a Graham Greene autobiography when they were describing his time in London during the blitz. The song sat around for a long time until I read Andrew Greig’s novel That Summer about young Battle of Britain pilots. The characters became so real it reminded me of the lyric languishing in a bottom drawer. The chorus bit was written on Lance & Sally Stone’s piano in Cambridge.

OXFORD STREET IN THE BLACKOUT



In Oxford Street in the blackout you can see the stars
We watched the buzz bombs fizzing like lit cigars
In Oxford Street in the blackout I fell in love with you
The way you turned your collar back and laughed at me in blue


That summer’s lease the blue boy’s blood grew cold in France
Then spinning back to Hornchurch in a whirling dance
There goes a Messerschmitt peeling from the sun
Bang, bang go my Browning guns and Fritz is quite undone


Mary save me

So boy in this darkened room
See how the searchlights dance in the sky
Boy in this darkened town
Your country's fate lies at peace in your eyes
But then a man walked in and said
'What are you doing here?'
Didn't you know there's a war on?'


In Oxford Street in the blackout the girls are caught indoors
Dreaming of their sweethearts through the twilight hours
Their hearts go soft in the big band sound, the wireless crackles on,
Mama's ironing the creases out of Mr Churchill's boys