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Sarah McLachlan — Drawn to the Rhythm (Live)
Album: Rarities, B-Sides, And Other Stuff
Avg rating:
6.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 577









Released: 1996
Length: 5:10
Plays (last 30 days): 0
When we wore a heart of stone we wandered to the sea
Hoping to find some comfort there yearning to feel free
And we were mesmerized by the lull of the night and the smells that filled the air
And we layed us down on sandy ground it was cold but we didn't care

[CHORUS]

And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea

We fell asleep and began to dream when something broke the night
Memories stirred inside of us the struggle and the fight
And we could feel the heat of a thousand voices telling us which way to go
And we cried out is there no escape from the words that plague us so

[CHORUS]

In the still and silent dawn another day is born
Washed up by the tireless waves the body bent and torn
When you wake in the face of the blinding sun and you search only to find
That heaven is a stranger place than what you've left behind

[CHORUS]
Comments (80)add comment
so exhausting listening to this one...
I remember at the time thinking that her record was "too" alternative to give to my mom for Christmas. That strikes me as funny now. 
This woman took alternative out of the back alleys in the 90's and singlehandedly made it mainstream.
 
 losthiker wrote:
Loved Fumbling....  in the nineties but now her voice makes me want to kill a puppy for some eason.

 
Oh poor puppies! Do what I do, give that puppy a stroke and a cuddle, and press PSD ASAP! Their tender ears need protecting too! 


And those fucking dreadful over-gated 80's Phil Collins tom fill drums. 
What a hideous self indulgent dirge. 
 losthiker wrote:
Loved Fumbling....  in the nineties but now her voice makes me want to kill a puppy for some eason.

 
My gawd, man! What did you DO in the 90s?!!!
Loved Fumbling....  in the nineties but now her voice makes me want to kill a puppy for some eason.

 bokey wrote:
Sounds mighty good to me. 

I think the complaints about her voice on this are a tribute to her excellence.
  
 nigelr wrote:

Agreed. Superb band also.
  
Agreed. She sorts me out every time..

Love her voice.  The first time I heard her music was in the Harvest Moon cafe in Victoria on the way to Whistler in 1993.  She had already broken big in Canada and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was coming out.  A magical evening, all around!

 
This reminds me too much of the sort of stuff my ex listened to. It's making my ears bleed.
Since we are going live, how about "Sympathy for the Devil" from Get Yer Ya-ya's Out?
Shrill. {#Headache}
...ah, back when sarah mclachlan was something truly special - very nice to hear...
 df1489 wrote:

You had to see her live then...
late 80's...deep ellum live, dallas tx ....wow
 
Late 80's agree.  Unfortunately this is 2010; she's kind'a soured since then for me.

 michaelgmitchell wrote:
Poor Sarah. Interesting when she was a bit of an unknown. Now, her 'style' is old, in my opinion. Can't put my finger on it. Others have come close in previous comments. The high-pitched tone, yes. Maybe it's the predictability in later material. I've actually deleted all but two tracks from my library. Might have to make it a clean sweep after hearing this.
 

I'm sure she appreciates your sympathy.
horrible
the devil turned me on to her
Drawn to the rhythm....weird, that's exactly what happened to me with the previous song.
Poor Sarah. Interesting when she was a bit of an unknown. Now, her 'style' is old, in my opinion. Can't put my finger on it. Others have come close in previous comments. The high-pitched tone, yes. Maybe it's the predictability in later material. I've actually deleted all but two tracks from my library. Might have to make it a clean sweep after hearing this.
...very nice...
 bizon wrote:


Shrill is probably the best possible word to describe her voice in this song and unfortunately it goes on and on and on...
 
Yeah.  Joni Mitchel shrill!  The vocal equivalent of sharp nails on a chalkboard. Me no likey.

 defkitty wrote:
The studio version is much better.
 
You had to see her live then...
late 80's...deep ellum live, dallas tx ....wow


The studio version is much better.
Have you ever been to a U2 concert??
 
mikemiller34 wrote:
I've never heard of an artist who so throroughly disrespected their back catalog in the live setting.  Even U2 is much better.  I figure my chances of ever hearing this gem live are pretty much nil. 
 


I've never heard of an artist who so throroughly disrespected their back catalog in the live setting.  Even U2 is much better.  I figure my chances of ever hearing this gem live are pretty much nil. 
 rbigelo wrote:
Good, but I'm just too spoiled for her work in Fumbling Towards Ecstasy .
 
Yep...

This is forgettable...

 bokey wrote:
Sounds mighty good to me.

I think the complaints about her voice on this are a tribute to her excellence.
 
Agreed. Superb band also.

steeler wrote:
A little too shrill for me. Right on the line, but . . .
Shrill is probably the best possible word to describe her voice in this song and unfortunately it goes on and on and on...
A little too shrill for me. Right on the line, but . . .
bokey wrote:
Sounds mighty good to me. I think the complaints about her voice on this are a tribute to her excellence.
Right with you on that one, she's a gem!
rbigelo wrote:
Good, but I'm just too spoiled for her work in Fumbling Towards Ecstasy .
Is she the one who sings this? "Hold on....hold on to yourself... This is gonna hurt like hell." Yes !!!... It is HER !! ...sigh...
SmackDaddy wrote:
glad that's over with.
Hear, hear!
shakylegs wrote:
I think lil Sarah was too in love with her vocal abilities when she recorded this song.
She has a decent voice... but nothing I'd qualify with the word love. I like her music, but her voice doesn't rock my world by any means. I'll take Susan Tedeschi any day.
she sounds oddly like carly simon in this song
glad that's over with.
Fine words there, Bokey. I've heard the studio version of this a hundred times, and never tire of it, but I still get into this live too. bokey wrote:
Sounds mighty good to me. I think the complaints about her voice on this are a tribute to her excellence.If it were anyone else it would be "Wow-who is that?" I don't really hear any problems that shouldn't be expected trying to sing her crazy stuff live. She sets a high bar.
Sounds mighty good to me. I think the complaints about her voice on this are a tribute to her excellence.
Good, but I'm just too spoiled for her work in Fumbling Towards Ecstasy .
It's good, but not excellent. Sounds like she's choking on something throughout. To earlier posts, the small venue shows I've caught have far exceeded the large ones. This tune's just pretty good, in my book.
Not my favorite, but still good. She's a great live performer.
I think lil shaky was too in love with his snarky tude when he posted that comment. shakylegs wrote:
I think lil Sarah was too in love with her vocal abilities when she recorded this song.
I think lil Sarah was too in love with her vocal abilities when she recorded this song.
jraum wrote:
Sarah always sings a bit flat, it's just her singing style. She's always good for a listen, though...
NO SHE DOESN'T!!! I'll grant that this particular recording is not a good showcase for her singing style. (It was recorded early in her career, though.)
I get the feeling that, because they've done this song a billion times, they were looking for a different sound. They just missed the mark on an otherwise great song.
Sarah always sings a bit flat, it's just her singing style. She's always good for a listen, though...
StellarSwarm wrote:
I agree! I would not have guessed this was Sarah had I not seen the title.
same for me, love sarah, but this song is just not doing it for me.
jah_blessed wrote:
She's a terrific singer ... Saw her live years ago in Paradiso, Amsterdam doing a solo acoustic set. Just guitar/piano and her beautiful voice. It was life-enhancing.
Totally agree that she is a terrific singer, faultless in my book, as you say jah_blessed life-enhancin' stuff Drawn to the Rhythm ...
Something about her singing on this is hard on my ears. A bit flat? Something weird, anyway. I usually like her singing.
pixidrizzl wrote:
I love almost everything she does. Not this, though. They way she's carrying some of those notes is grating.
I agree! I would not have guessed this was Sarah had I not seen the title.
luminousjune wrote:
I like the original of this song better myself...and I miss the older Sarah stuff.
Yeah there are missing enfasys's in her voice and the guitar is not so strong... But damn great song still :)
I like the original of this song better myself...and I miss the older Sarah stuff.
The more I hear this song, the more I am enchanted by this obviously very talented lady. If the song is her composition, all the more credit to her and to the magic she creates in this live performance. Solid 9 in my books.
I LOOOOVE Sara Mc. but this song is like nails on a chalkboard!!!
I love almost everything she does. Not this, though. They way she's carrying some of those notes is grating.
THIS LADY IS GREAT!! ITS VERY GOOD FOR A LIVE PERFORMANCE
diane wrote:
I think she sounds like she's struggling in this song. Maybe lowering the key a tad would help?
She's a terrific singer, but this recording does not show it. Granted, this track was recorded early in her career, maybe 12-13 years ago. Saw her live years ago in Paradiso, Amsterdam doing a solo acoustic set. Just guitar/piano and her beautiful voice. It was life-enhancing.
i'd bet that a lot of people don't know this, but what she does is use the exact same words in every song, just jumbled into a different order. check it out... its brilliant!
larz wrote:
God is that ever true. I miss Sarah's smaller venue days.
I've seen her in big and small venues, and enjoyed every minute in both - but yeah, smaller is better in this case. And much as I love Sarah, I don't think this recording is a good example of how great she can be live. Still, even less-than-perfect Sarah is better than none ...
Yes, yes, yes...I know! By even wanting to listen to Sarah (or Sting, for that matter), I have sullied my musical tastes, much the same way that White Zinfadel will destroy the palate for a fine Pinot Noir... But in a way I cannot help it. I know it's like the cheap raspberry danish from the coffee counter. I know it's just sweet on the tongue, but you know, sometimes that's all you're looking for...
Blech.
jmrz wrote:
Break this record or cd, its awful.
Awfully damn smokin good, that is. Yeah, I'd go see her live. Oh yea.
LOVELY!
ruralfree wrote:
Even though now she's palying big arenas and the show isn't near as good as it used to be.
God is that ever true. I miss Sarah's smaller venue days.
I think she sounds like she's struggling in this song. Maybe lowering the key a tad would help?
This is one of my favorite Sarah songs, but I'm still looking for the version of it that they used in a scene from the movie "Uncorked." In the UK it was called "Satchem Farm." Great, great film....and especially the said scene. It's not on the soundtrack.
It started out so good, and then her voice got horrible. I usually love Sarah but this one......ahhh...no. <-(
Good tune, I only thought she was singing 'DOWN TO THE RIVER' my loss. An 8.
ruralfree wrote:
As a HUGE Sarah fan, I must say this version is really bad. But to all those who just want studio recordings - go see her live and you'll hear a great show. Sarah singing "Fear" live is simply jaw dropping. Even though now she's palying big arenas and the show isn't near as good as it used to be.
I agree! I can still remember the chills I felt listening to Fear at a concert in 1994...
Until I bought Solace this was actually the only version of the song I had heard, and I do really like it, maybe even a little bit better.
As a HUGE Sarah fan, I must say this version is really bad. But to all those who just want studio recordings - go see her live and you'll hear a great show. Sarah singing "Fear" live is simply jaw dropping. Even though now she's palying big arenas and the show isn't near as good as it used to be.
Break this record or cd, its awful.
Goddess.
Tough audience. Sarah's voice reaches right inside me. Gives me a smile.
Oh, please stop.
I really like Sarah, but she's at her best with a good producer to cut down on that artsy-fartsy crap. Gimme a studio album from her over a live one anyday!
I agree with the Paula Cole critique... Ugh... a bit derivative for Sarah isn't it?
it puts this U2 song in my head........ :-s
This must be the "other stuff." This is her best Paula Cole impersonation, though.