Album cover for Elly Kellner's Dutch album Mijn Gammele Cassette. A drawing of a cassettetape that says the title of the album. Some of the tape has come out at the bottom and spells 'Elly Kellner'. The illustration was made by Elly Kellner.

Successfool

TRACKLISTING

  1. I Ain't No Witch
  2. Hoeveel Draad
  3. I Am Eating All The Ice Cream
  4. Play
  5. The King
  6. What The Tok
  7. Boosaardig
  8. Successfool
  9. Charmer Boy
  10. It Is True

THE STORY

Released December 7, 2012

 

On Elly’s album Successfool her humorous side is shown just as much as her shadow parts. Songs about a wicked father figure and an eating disorder are balanced out with annoyed chickens clucking at a cheating rooster and an ode to staying playful. In the song Successfool Elly questions whether she has to act like a fool in order to become successful.

 

The album came about in a period when Elly had started to experiment with writing in her mother tongue Dutch (Netherlands), so it includes two songs in Dutch.

 

Successfool comes as a special CD with ten songs in an origami style cover that opens up like an envelope. With magical art by Mandy van Goeije, hand folded by Elly.

CREDITS

Successfool was written, recorded and arranged by Elly Kellner

 

Produced by Elly Kellner
All instruments arranged and performed by Elly Kellner
Ann Beckers, Tasja Rooze and real chickens on What the Tok (6)

Elly Kellner – Mix
Hay Zeelen Mastering – Master

Cover design and art by Mandy van Goeije

 

LYRICS

I Ain't No Witch

Hit him with a broomstick
But I ain’t no witch

Some would begg to differ
Was she a bitch

 

Oh but only if I needed to be
And with us it was needed

 

Hit him with the broomstick
Brush it all away
I wouldn’t go back there
Even if you begged me today

 

There is screams in your eternal silence
And your dreams seem so far to hold dear
And I was like a statue, holding my breath
Waiting for you to come near

 

Pigeons sat on my head
Pood on my face
I stood still for ages
We were a disgrace

 

Oh but only when the statue cracked
And the mask fell off, I could see
Even in my wildest dreams
You and I could never, never ever be

Hoeveel Draad

Neem me niet kwalijk
Die ogen van mij zien zoveel
Ik zou ze graag sluiten
En dromen in zacht fluweel
Oooh…Bescherm jezelf
Hier is het mes
Daar is mijn rug

 

Ik had honger
En jij leek een superstore
Maar jij bent van suiker
Daar doe ik het echt niet voor
Oooh…Begrijp jezelf
Hier is het begin
Het begin na het einde

 

Je draden gespind
En je zijde gesponnen
Onbemind weer opnieuw begonnen
Hoeveel draad is er nodig
Je draden gespind
En je zijde gesponnen
Onbemind weer opnieuw begonnen
Hoeveel draad heb jij nodig

 

Ik zie die glimlach
En die dode ogen zo dichtbij
Ik wil niet ruilen
Jouw masker hoort niet bij mij
Oooh…Geloof jezelf
Hier is het woord
Daar is jouw leegte

 

Je draden gespind
En je zijde gesponnen
Onbemind weer opnieuw begonnen
Hoeveel draad is er nodig
Je draden gespind
En je zijde gesponnen
Onbemind weer opnieuw begonnen
Hoeveel draad heb jij nodig

I Am Eating All The Ice Cream

I’m messed up
Missing you dear
You are not here
Long time – no hello
Where do you go

 

What mountains do you see
Who smiles at you
Who do you converse with
Like we used to
My friend
My friend

 

I am eating all the icecream
But it makes me sick
I can’t seem to make it stop
I am down, I’m hardly up


Help me out
I am drowning
But I don’t know it
Help me out
I’m in slow-motion now

 

If you break me – OK
If you abuse me – OK
If you put me down – OK
I am used to it

If you leave me – OK
If you lie to me – OK
If you brainwash me – OK
I’m used to it

 

I am only a child
I’d love for you to be mild
But I can’t have it all
Now can I

 

You are grown-up and strong
And you tell me I’m wrong
Now what else do I do
But believe it

 

Help me out
I am drowning
But no-one knows it
Help me out

Play

You are born and then you die, it’s oh so simple
And there are many many things stuck in between
But if you ask me on my deathbed what’s the secret
Of life…I’d say you just have to be keen
My advice each day is to play play play

 

If you play then you might win, it’s oh so simple
If you lose then you’ve lost nothing at all
And if you fall you can just get up continue
In life…I’d say you just have to call out each day
I’m gonna play play play!
Each day: I’m gonna play play play!

 

It’s not just for children
It’s for grown ups too
Sing and dance, love and fall forever
‘Cause if you never played
Then you would’ve never failed
And you wouldn’t be so clever

 

You may have some time left if you’re lucky
But your time may as well be cut short
If you focus on achievement, pressure and stuff
I would say ‘Abort’

My advice each day is to play play play
My advice each day is to play play play

 

It’s not just for children
It’s for grown ups too
Sing and dance, love and fall forever

 

‘Cause if you never played
Then you would’ve never failed
And you wouldn’t be so clever

The King

The king is walking on his tightrope
And he doesn’t quite know what he’s to do
He’s using his binoculars to look around him
He’s looks at you, looks at you, looks at you

 

The king oh he doesn’t know he’s married
Thinks he oughta go and find himself a wife
Forgot he’s got a ring on his finger
And already a queen in his life

 

Oh queen, why not go up and tell him
You’ve been loving him for so long
That you sat at his table for years and years
And together danced to many song

 

The queen sighs and smiles so gently
Says “I hope that one day you will see
Although he’ll wander off to find his love
I know he’ll find his way back to me

 

Though he isn’t aware that I’ve always been there
I know he’ll find his way back to me
Though he doesn’t realise that I’m his wife
I know he’ll find his way back to me

What The Tok

You went and you broke my egg
And went into the other pen
Now I am here with a pot of glue
I fixed this egg and I’m over you

 

But I know ladies who’d want to know this
I know you broke their eggs too
Well I hope that you’ll feel really sick
Next time you use that little…On another chick

Tok toooook took Tok Tooook Tok!

 

You were on it like a bird
So busy in your chickenrun
And you went to roost with all the chicks
Only thinking of your own fun

 

But I know ladies who’d want to boil you
They’d love to see you in chickenstock
And I know the queen, if she’d hear about this
She would say ‘What the…’

Tok toooook took Tok Tooook Tok!

 

You went and you broke my egg
And went into the other pen
Now I am here with a pot of glue
I fixed this egg and I’m over you

Boosaardig

Mijn hoofd is soms als een spookhuis
Af en toe komt er een geest, die spookt dan rond
De spiegel toont al jouw gezichten
Een stemming slaat om, er is geen licht
En jij deed alsof je het beste met me voorhad

 

Je zei zo vaak dat ik een slecht kind was
Maar dat jij een slechte vader bent dat zie ik nu pas
Papa waarom ben jij zo boosaardig?
Oh ik groeide op maar jij deed je best om mij te remmen
Boosaardig
Al ben ik nu wijs, jij deed je best om mij te breken

 

Mijn hoofd is soms als een spookhuis
Af en toe komt er een geest, die spookt dan rond
Mijn broer zei dat jij nooit had mogen deelnemen aan de evolutie

 

Je zei zo vaak dat ik een slecht kind was
Maar dat jij een slechte vader bent dat zie ik nu pas
Papa waarom ben jij zo boosaardig?
Oh ik groeide op maar jij deed je best om mij te remmen
Boosaardig
Al ben ik nu wijs, jij deed je best om mij te breken

Successfool

I think I love pottering about
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
I think I love singing aloud
La-la-la-la-la-la-la

 

But some come up to me and ask “Are you successfool?”
I don’t know, I just live and I will die
Some ask me “Can you live of this music making deal?”
And I say, why do you wanna know

 

Do you need me to be successfool
Why would I wanna be a fool
Do you need me to succeed
I’d rather watch the seeds grow

La-la-la-la-la-la-la

 

I think I love the silence in my head
I think I love not feeling so sad

I’ve run and saved myself so often
I was only a child you see
Now I’m finding out what it means to breath
Finding out what it means to be free, free

 

And then you ask me “Are you successfool?”
Well, I’m still here, so I must be

La-la-la-la-la-la-la

 

Do you need me to be successfool
Why would I wanna be a fool
Do you need me to succees
I’d rather watch the seeds grow

 

Into flowers, into trees
Into bramble bushes, into babies
Into lettuce (dat is sla)
Into carrots (dat zijn wortels)
Into aduki beans

 

Do you need me to be successfool
Why would I wanna be a fool
Do you need me to succees
I’d rather watch the seeds grow

Charmerboy

Once heaven is done with Sjang Dubois
We’d like him back
We’re in need of his dimples and his cheeky smile
Still waiting for that snog

 

And the little chair that he stood upon
Everytime we shared a kiss
Is still waiting for him in the hall
And forever will be his

 

Your eyes twinkled and you smiled
I said “You are very short”
“I am fifteen, you are thirteen… you are just a child”
Cheeky gestures, hugs behind the bikeshed
Quick, quick hands
And all that I could think was
I like you little man

 

One heaven is done with Sjang Dubois
We’d like him back
Can we tickle and tease him a little more
Just to hear him laugh again

 

I don’t recall the day but I know I cried
When he was with another girl
More shocking was when he died
Messed up our world
They were in despereate need
for a charmer boy

 

Your eyes twinkled and you smiled
I said “You are very short”
“I am fifteen, you are thirteen… you are just a child”
Cheeky gestures, hugs behind the bikeshed
Quick, quick hands
And all that I could think was
I like you little man

 

Yes all that I could think was
I still like you little man

It Is True

My footsteps they’re not in the snow
My footsteps are walking through fall
And the ground is so moist
And I’m bouncing off it like a rocket

 

My footsteps they’re going slow
My footsteps know where to take me
But the sun is going down
And maybe I am mistaken

 

Maybe I am running from home
Maybe I am running from you
But there once was a very wise man
said ‘they must’ve been bad people if you
don’t wanna live with them’

 

And he’s right
He’s right
It is true
I am saving myself

 

There is no such thing as a bad kid
Bad grown-ups they do excist
And there once was a very wise man
said ‘they must’ve been bad people if you
don’t wanna live with them’

 

And he’s right
He’s right
It is true
I am saving myself