1. The Gypsy Cried (2:09) - The intro is slow; the rest of the song is moderately fast. Among the instruments is a tambourine, an instrument commonly played by Gypsies. Lou's writing partner in this song (and most of the others on this disc), Twyla Herbert, was Gypsy; that's probably what inspired him to write this song. The narrator, wondering if and when his girlfriend will marry him, consults a Gypsy fortuneteller; she cries because her prediction is one of doom for the narrator's relationship.
2. Two Faces Have I (2:44) - This too has a slow intro and then speeds up, but to a speed slightly slower than in the previous song. The narrator is sad because his girlfriend has broken up with him; his sadness is the real face. In front of other people, he wears a false face of happiness. And two voices had Lou--a baritone and a falsetto. This song and the previous one both feature plenty of "yi yi yi" falsetto wailing.
3. Summer Snow * (2:43) - This song has a super-brief intro with organ and piano. As far chords and tempo go, this song is similar to the previous one. Snow in the summer is what the narrator gets in his heart when he watches his girlfriend leave him for another man.
4. Mr. Tenor Man (2:23) - Instruments in this fast song include a piano and a sax. The narrator is the tenor, and his high voice is the hit of the land. He and his fans don't care much for the bass man's voice, but ironically, he asks the guy with the low voice to sing one more time. My favorite parts of the song are Amy's backup vocals of "Listen to the tenor man."
5. Self Expression (The Kids On The Street Will Never Give In) (2:23) - The tempo is fast. The kids won't give in until they've wrested control of their lives (and the world) from their parents.
6. Outside The Gates Of Heaven (2:26) - This song starts off slow, then becomes fast. According to the narrator, heaven is the heart of the girl to whom he's singing. By dumping him, she threw him out of heaven and left him waiting outside its gates.
7. How Many Teardrops (2:04) - The narrator of this fast song (with a slow intro) has been dumped without warning. Now he wonders how many tears he must cry (and dry) before he can win the girl back. Instruments include a piano.
8. Shy Boy (2:59) - The tempo is slow and in 12/8 time. The narrator wants to persuade the girl to be his girlfriend, but he can't find the courage or the words. "You'll turn me down, you're gonna make me a clown," he fears.
9. Trapeze (2:25) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator compares his relationship with the girl to swinging on a trapeze. When she saw another man, she fell off the trapeze. Now she's "on the ground and crying," but the narrator won't take her back; he's "flying high," moving on without her. I like the sound of Amy's backup vocals on the chorus; it's hard to tell whether Lou (in his falsetto voice) is singing too.
10. Lightnin' Strikes (3:00) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Instruments include a piano, horns, and bells; I like the low-pitched guitar licks in the instrumental. The narrator is not yet ready to settle down, but when he is, he wants to marry the girl to whom he is singing. This song was Lou's biggest, earning him the nickname Lightnin' Lou. This is also his only song that radio stations play much nowadays, which would lead some to think he was a one-hit wonder.
11. Cryin' In The Streets (2:43) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, features a tambourine. I don't care much for the hacking sounds in the backup vocals during the chorus, but I do like the "see it in their ey yi yi yies" part. The people who cry in the streets do so because they've been dumped by lovers.
12. Rhapsody In The Rain (2:46) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments include a piano, bells, chimes, and horns. As the narrator and his girlfriend share a passionate moment in his car during a rainstorm, the windshield wipers' rhythm seems to say the word "together," as if that's what the couple were meant to be. Because of lyrics such as "makin' out in the rain" & "our love went much too far," this song was denied airplay. But these lyrics are mild compared to the explicit lyrics that fill some of today's music!
13. Du Ronda (3:04) - This moderately fast song features horns and a piano. Ronda wears the narrator's ring, but she still is nowhere near settling down. He warns her to beware of other guys whose love is fake; only the narrator's love for her is real.
14. Watch Your Heart After Dark * (3:31) - The narrator of this soft, slow, 12/8 song cautions his girlfriend to beware of the dangers that threaten their relationship when they're apart, especially at night. She warns her not to do anything to make other guys fall for her.
15. If My Car Could Only Talk (3:19) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator let his girlfriend Sarah Jane use his car during his stint in the Army. Now he has returned home to find that Sarah Jane has found a new man. Too bad his car can't talk; otherwise it could tell him a lot about the new guy.
16. Shake Hands And Walk Away Crying (2:58) - This fast song features a piano; during the middle instrumental I hear violins and chimes. The narrator has heard rumors (and possibly seen other signs) that his girlfriend no longer loves him. So he resolves to break their relationship off with a handshake. At about the 2-minute mark, the key goes up a step. After Lou's voice bounced off an echo chamber, I thought at first that the song was over. But the "next" song was actually the old one resuming.
17. Back To The Days Of The Romans (3:07) - Here's another slow, 12/8 song. The narrator and his girlfriend can't go back in time literally, but they will celebrate their romance in the same ways ancient Roman couples used to--for example, carving their initials on trees.
18. I'm Gonna Make You Mine (2:41) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. The narrator is so determined to win the girl's heart that he'll "try every trick in the book" and keep trying until she says yes. I might have heard this song on the radio a time or two before, but not until hearing it on this disc did I realize it was Lou! Now it's my favorite Lou Christie song; its key of E and falsetto chorus made ME his--fan, that is.