A Very Strange Incident

I was sitting in Edwards, a pub in Ealing Broadway, London. It's a place I like to eat in frequently, and I like to relax with a half pint of bitter.

Now they played a certain song on the radio - though it turns out not to be a radio, but a computer sending songs out to the pub. I remember the wonderful indie guitar sound, and beautiful female vocals singing "oh, and i don't care..."

What was this song? It had a really catchy edge to it, and every time I visited Edwards they played it!

I asked a member of staff to find out the song, but that day they failed to play it, and could not find it, even though I tried to sing those few lines I could remember. So I used Google, and tried all manner of ways to word "and I don't care..." or ... "Why should I care...." and all I got was a whole bunch of other songs, similar words, but none even close to that elusive song. It was getting to frustrate me a little. If this song was so good, then what of the rest of the album? Who were they?

Now, here is the strange bit of the tale. I love buying cd's, and have amounted over two thousand of them. Sometimes I see certain cd's and I pass them by - this is what happened with Captain. It was on sale for a tiny £2.99, in a charity shop - the Heart Foundation, to be exact. It was there every time I visited that shop. I looked at the track listing on the back - nothing familiar. No songs called "I don't care" and no titles I was familiar with, and I left the cd with all the others I chose not to buy that day. The cd sat there for ages!!!

Today, Wednesday 12th December 2007, this morning, at 11.30, I went to eat in Edwards. I asked the barman a favour. "Hi, I'm curious about a song that you play here, usually between 11 and 12 am. I really like it."

And I sang those remembered lines, hummed as much as I could of the tune.
But the barman was puzzled. He couldn't place the song.

"If it comes on, give me a shout, and I will get someone to find out for you" was the barman's kind offer. I was thankful, and sat with my half bitter and a meal - a tasty big breakfast.
Robbie Williams was playing, along with other pop stuff. I was losing hope of my song coming through the speakers.

And then it did! I rushed to the bar - "This is it! This is the song!"
I must have seemed a little crazy, as I was so excited. The barman sent for a female staff member. She came to my table, paper in her hand.

"There we go", she said. "Captain - Broke - that is all it says for the song."
With big smiles and much gratitude, I had the band name at last. I could now go and Google the song, and hopefully find the album title. I could check HMV....

And then it hit me. Captain... Captain... I had seen this! I knew that name, had seen that cd! But where? I ran through my mind. Was it Star Sailer? I'd seen them on cd, never bought that one. Sailor... Captain? No No. I had seen Captain!!! I was sure!

I remembered where I had seen it, and that it was a sort of blue covered cd. I could check HMV - and so I did. It is not too far from Edwards, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that very cd sitting in HMV - and the song Broke etched as deep in words as it was in my mind. Could it be... that I could get this cd cheaper... in the Heart Foundation?

It's coming on christmas time - it will be gone, I'm sure. Thoughts raced in my mind. HMV has it, but i need money back for christmas. I raced like a lunatic to the charity shop. And there it was, as it had been for so long. And for a mere £3.00 I had that song in my hands. What an amazing album it really is - and the only one released by the band so far. Now that is magic!