Babylon 5: Walkabout – What song is that?

I have, as many of you know, a fanatical relationship to Babylon 5. I watch the series over again at least once a year, and I think that until today there has not been anything better made. But enough about that…

 

This post is about a song (or really two) in the episode Walkabout in Season 3. In the episode, a singer in a bar (Cailyn) sings a song for Dr. Franklin, and she sings it amazingly! After some googling I came across this posting which had many of the same questions as me: Who is it, and what is that song? http://u.mcbsd.no/fz

 

As you can read in that posting, the singer is actress/singer Erica Gimpel, and the songtext is written by the Creator/Producer/Principal writer, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) himself. The melody is written by Christopher Franke, who wrote/performed all of the music in the whole Babylon 5 series. He wrote these two songs from something JMS hummed to him. The song she sings in the bar is called “Goodbye”, and the song at the end credits is called “All of Me”.

 

Here is a link to some webpages who have the MP3 for download:
Goodbye: http://u.mcbsd.no/gb
All of Me: http://u.mcbsd.no/gc   (seems to have stopped working)

 

Unfortunately both are of rather poor quality, so if anyone comes across the song for sale or for download in a better quality, I would appreciate a link!

 

Here are some answers from JMS about the songs:
http://u.mcbsd.no/ga
—
# It’s not widely known — I guess mainly because I haven’t ever mentioned it much — but from time to time I’ve written songs. Mainly the lyrics; I know how the music should sound, but I’m incapable of reading music…I think it’s the same mental glitch that hits me when I try to do certain kinds of math. “X is a numerical value.” “No, X is a letter, 7 is a numerical value.” I can’t ever seem to make the one equal the other in my head. Similarly, a black note on a piece of paper isn’t the music…anyway, it’s a glitch.)

 

So when I write songs, and I have a specific melody I’m hearing in my head, I’m invariably placed in the humiliating position (since I can’t play a musical instrument) of humming it, or somehow trying to suggest it to the music-person. Suffice to say it looks really goofy and stupid.

 

Anyway…despite this, I do sometimes write songs, and like to keep my hand in, as they say. I did two songs for an ABC-TV prime-time Real Ghostbusters special, did a few songs that have been recorded by small groups (you’ve never heard of any of them, trust me), another song that, much to my chagrin, is apparently still being used in church songbooks (and that’s all I will ever say about that)…and when I decided to do a show with a singer for B5, I wrote a couple of songs for that one, with Chris Franke providing the music.

 

They’re bluesy, Billie Holliday kinds of songs, updated slightly. I’m actually very pleased with how they came out (Erica Gimpel, one of the cast members from Fame, plays the part and sings the songs). Several folks around here want either or both songs to come out on the next B5 album, but I”m loathe to do so, on the theory that the soundtracks work better in the style we’ve already used, all instrumental. (There’ve even been some inquiries from music people who’ve heard the songs about releasing them commercially, but that would mean adding about 30 seconds to each song to make them airplay compatible, and I’m not sure I want to take on the extra hassle just now.)

 

# Who did the music?
I wrote the lyrics, Chris Franke did the music.
—

 

There are some videos on YouTube from the episode, here are some of them:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhT42wUA3Ic?wmode=transparent]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyF4VQ_WIBc?wmode=transparent]

 

And finally, here are the lyrics:
—
Lyrics: Goodbye, sung by Erica Gimpel in Babylon 5: Walkabout:

 

Do you remember,
when you,
told me you love me?

 

Do you remember,
when you,
told me you cared?

 

Now, I,
Standing on the edge,
Forever.

 

And for the first time,
I confess,
I’m scared.

 

Cause it’s our last night.
Our last kiss.
So turn down the lights, and hold me.

 

Oh lie to me,
Until I believe,
I will be here in your arms, for eternity.

 

I remember,
The first time,
You touched me.

 

I remember,
The first time,
I cried.

 

Oh, I,
remember,
every minute, ever hour
and I remember,
The first time you lied.

 

Cause it’s our last night
Of our last kiss.
So turn down the lights,
And hold me.

 

Oh, lie to me,
Until I believe,
I will be here in your arms,
for eternity.

 

But I know you, baby,
And I hear you.

 

I understand you,
Completely.
It’s over for you.

 

Ohhh ohh oooh,
I love you baby,
But I will say goodbye…

 

Know you baby,
And I hear you,
I understand you, completely,
It’s over for you.

 

I love you baby,
But I will say goodbye.

 

Good-bye….
—

 

Lyrics: All of Me, sung by Erica Gimpel in Babylon 5: Walkabout:

 

I think about the things we lost,
And I think about the things we had,
It’s funny, but as long as I have you,
Then, I guess, it wasn’t so bad.

 

Now, we’re running out of time,
And dancing all the while,
The engine sure went empty,
And I think I’m smelling fire.

 

I gave ya love, ya gave me fire.
I took ya in, ya took me higher.
If I wasn’t what you wanted,
then tell me what it was…

 

I gave you all that I believed.
Now I’m standing here, without a clue.
Can’t ya tell me what it is ya need?

 

I gave ya love, ya gave me fire.
I took ya in, ya took me higher.
But, if I wasn’t what you wanted,
then tell, me what it was….