In a Minute

Einstein has a well-known quote (that they tried to pass as LL Cool J dialogue in Deep Blue Sea), in which he compares the relative length of a minute when your hand is on a hot stove versus time spent with a cute girl. That dichotomy, of a minute's simultaneous length and brevity, is the subject of two of the three songs posted today. The first, the opening track from the Silver Jews' Starlite Walker record, is a duet between Steve and David, both imploring us to "come in [their] kitchen" to sit with them and spend some time together. Wistful and laconic, they sing that they "never want this minute to end / And then it ends." The song acknowledges that, yes, time is fleeting, but also dense and compendious.

Conversely, the third song (another by Carla Bruni) focuses more on the "soixante petites secondes pour ma dernière minute" -- the last minute of someone's life. It's more urgent than the slow pace of the Silver Jews, who are clearly in no hurry and have the time to contemplate life, rather than the desperate rush to find meaning, validation -- something! -- as the last moment ticks away.

Sandwiched between those songs is a short ditty from Godard's Pierrot Le Fou. Entitled "Twist Pour Jean-Luc," it's one of many compositions he recorded for Pierrot Le Fou and Le Weekend. It's a fun song, and hey, it's just a minute.

Silver Jews -- Introduction II
Antoine Duhamel -- Twist Pour Jean-Luc
Carla Bruni - La Derniere Minute