I Defy You Gravity

(Partridge)

Andy Partridge: #\#i#/#Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 5#\#/i#/# front cover

Andy Partridge: Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 5 front cover

Recordings
Art
Lyrics
Chords and Tablature
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Recordings

  1. Demo version.
    Released in September 2004 on Fuzzy Warbles Volume Five in the U.K.

    Andy: “James Brown meets Can meets Old Mother Hubbard. A lighter than air funkery rhyme.”
    Andy: “Written for disco chanteuse, Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She didn't like it. Best line, ‘Isaac Newton's annoyed with me’. Played it to Dave Gregory who dug the ‘bungee’ guitar in the ‘flying’ sections. Think I achieved escape velocity by the end harmonies. ‘My Von Braun Guitar’.”

Art

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Lyrics

How many rooftops can I see now I'm defying gravity. Your big love put wings on me now I'm defying gravity. One little kiss from him to she now I'm defying gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. And it's just like flying. I'm flying when I tumble in the arms of the angel that fell for me, lucky me. Earthly ties are all snipped free now I'm defying gravity. And my new neighbours are bird and bee now I'm defying gravity. Isaac Newton's annoyed with me now I'm defying gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. And it's just like flying. I'm flying when I tumble in the arms of the angel that fell for me. I defy you gravity.


Chords and Tablature

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 10:20:59 -0400
From: "Philip M Adamek" <terrette (at) gmail dot com>
Subject: chords for "I Defy You Gravity"
Message-ID: <7f98cc020609200720p3d7aeb94l8dfd959d2beaeb09 (at) mail dot gmail dot com>

I Defy You Gravity, by Andy Partridge

E7 [x767xx]                             B7 [767xxx]
How many rooftops can I see now I'm defying gravity.
E7                                      B7
Your big love put wings on me now I'm defying gravity.
E7                                      B7
One little kiss from him to she now I'm defying gravity.
E7                              B7
I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity.
E7                              B7
I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity.
A7 [5x565x]              E7 [0767xxx]
And it's just like flying.
A7                           D7 [x545xx]   Db7             C7            B7        E7
I'm flying when I tumble in the arms of the angel that fell for me, lucky me.

Earthly ties are all snipped free now I'm defying gravity.
And my new neighbours are bird and bee now I'm defying gravity.
Isaac Newton's annoyed with me now I'm defying gravity.
I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity.
I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity.
And it's just like flying.
I'm flying when I tumble in the arms of the angel that fell for me.
I defy you gravity.

Notes by Philip Adamek (http://kyushuserenity.googlepages.com/home):

This is a workable interpretation of the rhythm guitar part. The second half of the song is more or less a repetition of the first. Listen to the song for the breaks and timing. The E7 and B7 in particular are slid into from a position one half measure below each, respectively, in quasi-funk style. The guitar isn't played melodically, so the precise voicing of Partridge's chords matters less to building the song's character than, say, the many-part vocals or the vigorous bass line.

If you play the A7 as [x056xx] and the B7 always as [x212xxx], the whole piece can be played on strings A-D-G, but I think the fat-sounding A7 and B7 as I have figured them above are preferable.


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