I Thought I'd Write To Juliet

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I thought I'd write to Juliet, for she would understand
And when someone is already dead they can no longer let you down
Instead I find myself talking to you, as my oldest friend
Tell me how I can advise someone that I don't even know to welcome death?
For I received a letter that is worth reporting
And though it may raise a cynical smile, it leaves a sinking feeling
Like when a soldier in a story says to the sergeant
"Have you seen my pride and joy?..."
You know the rest, and it's no joke
Forgive me please as I quote...

"This is a letter of thanks, as I'm so bored here in I can't say where
So I'm writing to people that I may never meet
And I was thinking of something you said..."

"I'm a female soldier, my name is Constance
I enlisted in the military, needing funds for college
I'm twenty-three years old and if I do get home alive
I imagine I may think again..."

"I'm sleeping with my eyes open for fear of attack
Your words are a comfort, they're the best things that I have
Apart from family pictures and, of course, my gas mask
I don't know why I am writing to you"

I Thought I'd Write To Juliet
Words byDeclan MacManus
Music byDeclan MacManus
Performed byElvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet
Produced byKevin Killen, Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet
MusiciansElvis Costello - voice
Michael Thomas - violin
Ian Belton - violin
Paul Cassidy - viola
Jacqueline Thomas - violoncello
RecordedSeptember 14-October 1, 1992, Church Studios, London
ReleasedJanuary 15, 1993
AlbumsThe Juliet Letters, 1993
Length4:06

First known performance:
July 1, 1992, London, England
Last known performance:
April 29, 2009, Bristol, England
     (26 known performances)


The Juliet LettersTJL album cover large.jpg

Covers

Jon Boden and the Sacconi Quartet performed live, September 2018, CLF Art Cafe, London, England, 2018 brownpapertickets.com Wikipedia
Felipe Cadenasso and Cuarteto Filarmónico performed live, July and August 2012, Santiago, Chile 2012 infoProgrammeFelipe Cadenasso
Fear No Music performed live 12 April 2011 Atlantic Theatre, Portland, Oregon 2011 Fearnomusic.org
Flinders Quartet and Vince Jones Intimate Letters performed live, Canberra, Melbourne & Sydney, March 2012 2012 Programme Notes
Diana Gonnissen and I Musici Brucellensis performed live, January 2011 and March 2011, Brussels and Etterbeek, Belgium 2011 infoDiana GonnissenYouTube
Katarzyna Groniec Listy Julii 2009 KatarzynaGroniec.pl
Tini Kainrath and StringFizz The Juliet Letters 2005 Tini KainrathStringfizz
Kerry-Anne Kutz The Juliet Letters 2006 AllMusicAmazon.com
Vittorio Matteucci and Quartetto Paul Klee Lettere a Giulietta 2018 AmazonAmazon.ukLisolachenoncera.it
Vittorio Matteucci and Quartetto Paul Klee performed live, October 2009, Centro Culturale Altinate - San Gaetano, Padova, Italy 2009 infoVittorio MatteucciQuartetto Paul Klee
Michelle Murray and David Murray The Juliet Letters 2006 AllMusicAmazon.com
The New Costellas performed live, February 2015, Pelícano Músicafé, Cádiz, Spain 2015 YouTubeFacebook page
Tom Norris Tom Norris sings Elvis Costello and Brodsky Quartet's Juliet Letters 2011 wikipediasoundcloud.com
Drew Sarich and The Dead Poet Quartet performed live, April 2010, Vienna and Salzburg, Austria 2010 YouTubewikipedia
Sol String Quartet and Paul Villaluz performed live, 6 December 2008, College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas 2008 YouTubeLas Vegas Sun review

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