leslie david reed • john barry mason
In the late sixties, a lot of very different music grew popular and became bestsellers. Rock, blues, pop, jazz, whatever they called it, came down with the rain on the audience. As a succulent plant, my musical leaves absorbed it, and every now and then I suffer from flashbacks.
I hid away a few of my albums these days. They wouldn't brought me much credit in the crowd of "friends" digging Uriah Heep and you may name it. Well; I'd been attracted to powerful voices ever since I was a small child. In my secret collecton of albums, there were misfits like Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves and Engelbert Humperdink. I've always been a thoroughbred opponent against hypes, but also trying to stay alive.
In 1968, a British musical short film was made. Directed by Douglas Hickox and starring Judy Huxtable and Anthony May, this experimental and avantgarde 29 minutes production met most negative receptions, and has never faced any better critics ever since. But the title song was written by Les Reed and Barry Mason. Humperdinck had already recorded several Reed/Mason songs with success, and this one was picked out by manager Gordon Mills in 1968 to follow. It was also included with the album "Engelbert" in 1969. This was one of my secret albums. Holy creeps. My damned Gerrard SP25 mkIII ... often called "the vinyle killer" ... used only a year to wear it out, but it wasn't able to to wipe it off my brain.
Johnny Worth, aka songwriter "Les Vandyke", sang in the film, and it was released by Polydor (Polydor 583 728) as a one-sider, the other side supporting Roy Boulting's 1968 horror film "Twisted Nerve" and rapidly forgotten. Thanks heaven; the producer - whoever it was - must have been on another trip than biking.
This song is whoopiecrap. Like most of Reed/Mason songs, it's written for money. But why not, when the result is pleasing? And it gave both Humperdinck and Mireille Mathieu a bestseller late the same year of '68; Engelbert first in September. No wonder why. The melody is charming.
turning and turning the world goes on
we can't change it my friend
let us go riding now through the days
together to the end : to the end
les bicyclettes de Belsize carry us side by side
and hand in hand we will ride over Belsize
turn your your magical eyes round and around
looking at all we found
carry us through the skies
les bicyclettes de Belsize
spinning and spinning the dreams I know
rolling on through my head
let us enjoy them before they go
come the dawn they all are dead : yes they're dead
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
Em Am turning and turning the world goes on F#dim7 B7 Em we can't change it my friend Em G Cadd9 Am7 let us go riding now through the days Am Am6 B B7 E ...E7 together to the end to the end ... A F#m B B7 E G#m C#m les bicyclettes de Belsize carry us side by side E7 A F#m B B7 E and hand in hand we will ride over Belsize Eaug G#m E7 A F#m B turn your your magical eyes round and around B7 E G#m C#m looking at all we found E7 F#m B carry us through the skies B11 Asus2 Esus4 E les bicyclettes de Belsize
