Vini (Unchained Monologue)
Written by Sarah Blackwood, Steve Hillier & Chris Wilkie
Date written March 1987, January 1994, Refined March 1997
Place written Welling, South London & Jesmond, Newcastle
Released June 1997
Originally sung by Sarah Blackwood
Features Roland S-760, Roland JV-1080
“I’ve been hurt again” ‘Unchained Monologue’ was initially entitled ‘Vini’ and inspired by the Durutti Column and Imperfect List by Big Hard Excellent Fish. Twenty two years later my wife would perform Imperfect List at a Feminist Swearing Night in a pub in Brighton for the Finnish Institute. Life eh?
There are two main accompanying parts in this tune, one written on piano by me when I was at school played on the JV-1080, another from Chris. It’s the original piano composition which predated ‘Unchained Monologue’ that you can hear on this new recording. It had knocked around as a demo for The Joans for years but I could never quite get a vocal melody for it. Maybe there were too many notes going on already? So I decided not to write a melody. I took inspiration from Imperfect List and wrote a monologue translating what people say and what they mean. There was a section of the song where I’d not written anything, I’d run of things to say so Sarah filled in with ‘that noise in the background is only the TV’ and a few other lines. There’s a sampled drum fill on this track that rears its disgusting head again on ‘Rise To The Top’, a song on Make It Better. I have no idea what it’s from, I found it on Jungle tape I’d bought in Camden Market while waiting for Goodbye to be mixed at RAK. Sounds terrific.
I have mixed feelings about ‘Unchained Monologue’ now. As a writer in his early twenties, doing a dream pop version of Smiley Culture’s Cockney Translator seemed like a great idea. Now it feels alittle trite. Every word was true though, I meant it at the time and that’s what ultimately matters. And your tastes change. It’s handy to be reminded that trying to recreate the person you were when you were young-and-foolish is something only the old-and-foolish should attempt.
INSIDE OUTLINES, the first collection of solo piano pieces by Stephen Hillier is out now: