How did I miss this?!!? It was outside my realm of consciousness...until Thursday. But it's fabulous - both musically and lyrically, and it's been ricocheting non-stop off what few neurons I've left since Thursday eve. I know the song is quite to parochial to Morrissey, but I can't help feel there is a some greater macro relevance within. Perhaps it is the derisory view of dishonesty. Perhaps it's the Faustian bargain. Perhaps it's the suspicion that our Mr Shanklies are writing piss-poor poetry too. Perhaps it's the scathing coda...
methinks that Cassandra is ready for a change of career, or at least a change of employer ...
ReplyDeleteSnappy little tune:-)
ReplyDeletelove those smiths
ReplyDeleteso 80s
hi hi.
ReplyDeletei want to go down in writers history.
Thank you. Nice song.
d.u.
http://www.dianamystery.com/
ReplyDeleteHuh? Can you please explain this conspiracy theory.
Cassandra - amusing lyrics and oh so timely. But not a real toe-tapper (for me at least).
ReplyDeleteBut when I was running a biz in Tokyo a number of years back this was exactly how I felt. So I did leave...and if you feel that way you should too (despite the economic distress that may ensue).
Good luck! De Bende Van...
There is nothing immediately autobiographical in this.
ReplyDeleteI was just surprised that I remained ignorant of such an awesomely clever song for 20 years. But the suspicion that it has yet-to-be-articulated macro relevance is real...
-C-
Funny, the song of my melt down is also an eighties classic:
ReplyDeleteJoy Division
"Day of the Lords"
m
That is odd. I bought the LP when it came out. I have to assume you can still pick up used old Smiths LPs for $2 used (and if you can't, I mourn). It's hard to go wrong buying the ones you don't own.
ReplyDeleteTry "Paint a Vulgar Picture" (youtube) by the same singer.
ReplyDeleteThe song obviously long predates the current financial crisis, and the lyrics have nothing whatsoever to do with that topic. And yet, there are some odd echos if you let your imagination work. Nobody did languid, sad, and slightly sordid like Morrissey.
Some disjointed snippets from the lyrics:
Oh, the sickening greed
Re-issue! Re-package!
Sadly, THIS was your life
But you could have said no if you'd wanted to
You could have walked away... couldn't you?
And when it fails to recoup?
Well, maybe...
You just haven't earned it yet, baby
What makes most people feel happy
Leads us headlong into harm
The best part is that when he does the latter song live in concert all these years later, he switches to first person instead of the second person in a few lines.
ReplyDelete