In de muziek is het soms net als in de liefde, “op het eerste gezicht”. Dat had ik eind jaren 80 met de Engelse singer/songwriter Julia Fordham en haar prachtige lied Happy Ever After. En toen ik dat koppie zag, was ik helemaal verkocht, want zo helemaal mijn type. Ik heb de plaat dan ook grijs gedraaid en haar in Amsterdam live mogen zien. Het nummer komt van haar debuutalbum Julia Fordham uit 1988. Hier speelt ze het lied in de tv show van David Letterman in hetzelfde jaar.

Happy Ever After
Don’t ask me why
I’m running out of laughter.
There’s tears in these eyes,
not happy ever after.
And I thought it was plain to see,
and I thought the whole world could be.
And I thought we’d be happy ever after.

You could say that
I’m living in a pipe dream.
It’s just looking back,
things are never what they seem.
And I hope I can safely say,
and I hope most things go my way.
And I hope we’ll be happy ever after.

Down in Southern Africa
no happy ever after.
Not now but soon forever.
While they’re sitting comfortably
in that white winter city.
How can we be happy ever after.

Um by yay
est ce le South Africa.

So don’t ask me why
I’m running out of laughter.
There’s tears in these eyes,
not happy ever after.
And I thought it was plain to see,
and I thought that maybe you and me.
And I thought we’d be happy ever after.