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Four albums were enough to make the Smiths the most important band of the '80s on the British scene. But, considering what has been presented to us in recent decades, it is not an exaggeration to say that we are facing the greatest band of the last 30 years. Even today, Morrissey and Marr (especially the former) remain influential figures in the UK, not only in the musical realm but also politically and socially. Evidence of this is the recent clash in the House of Lords between the opposition and the prime minister, precisely about the Smiths' songs. Although David Cameron declares himself a fan, neither Morrissey nor Marr reciprocate that affection (Marr even ordered Cameron "I forbid you to like the Smiths").
"Strangeways Here We Come" is the swan song of the Manchester Band (although followed by various appendices in the form of compilations). Talking about this album is somewhat placing oneself in the perspective of what if, that is, what would have become of the Smiths if they had not broken up. The path traced by the ten tracks seems to be one of greater exploration in sound, with the introduction of elements that at the time were considered alien to the band’s punk-derived DNA: the harpsichord in "Rush and push and the land is ours", the absence of Marr's guitar in some tracks, the strings, and even the notorious drum machine. In terms of lyrics, we do not deviate from previous works: here too, they are mostly excellent, with Morrissey always teetering between melancholy and macabre humor. While the first part of the album seems to promise a lot (especially "Death of a Disco Dancer" - inexplicably excluded from various best ofs-, "Girlfriend in a Coma" and "Last night I dreamt that somebody loved me"), from the seventh track onwards, things take a downturn: we transition from the tedium of the interminable "Paint a Vulgar Picture", to the negligible "Unhappy Birthday" and "Death at One's Elbow". It's difficult to say whether this is due to the exhaustion of a relationship, that of the two Leaders of the band, now worn out. Certainly, the accounts of the recording weeks give us the picture of three musicians burning the midnight oil and the eccentric singer in bed by ten p.m.
Although their career lasted a handful of years, as I see it, regret should give way to relief: if they had continued any longer, probably the Smiths would have ended up overshadowing their own myth. Better to die young in the end; even if they should have died a moment earlier to ascend to the rank of divinity. Still, they didn't come very far..
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 I Started Something I Couldn't Finish (03:47)
The lanes were silent:
there was nothing, no one, nothing around for miles
I doused our friendly venture
with a hard-faced,
three-word gesture
I started something, I forced you to a zone and you were clearly
never meant to go
Hair brushed and parted
Typical me, typical me, typical me, I started something
...and now I'm not too sure
I grabbed you by the guilded beams
Uh, that's what tradition means!
And I doused another venture
with a gesture that was absolutely vile
I started something, I forced you to a zone and you were clearly
never meant to go
Hair brushed and parted
Typical me, typical me, typical me, I started something
...and now I'm not too sure
I grabbed you by the guilded beams
Uh, that's what tradition means!
And now eighteen months' hard labour seems...
... fair enough
I started something and I forced you to a zone and you were clearly
Never meant to go
Hair brushed and parted
Typical me, typical me, typical me, I started something
and now I'm not too sure
I started something
I started something
Typical me, typical me, typical me, typical me
typical me, typical me, typical me
I started something and now I'm not too sure!
04 Girlfriend in a Coma (02:02)
Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's serious
Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's really serious
There were times when I could have 'murdered' her
(But you know, I would hate anything
To happen to her)
NO, I DON'T WANT TO SEE HER!
Do you really think
She'll pull through?
Do you really think
She'll pull through?
Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's serious
(Bye, bye, ... baby, goodbye)
There were times when I could have 'strangled' her
(But you know I would hate anything
To happen to her)
WOULD YOU PLEASE LET ME SEE HER?
Do you really think
She'll pull through?
Do you really think
She'll pull through?
Let me whisper my last goodbyes
I know - IT'S SERIOUS
07 Unhappy Birthday (02:45)
I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
Because you're evil
And you lie
And if you should die
I may feel slightly sad
(But I won't cry!)
Loved and lost
and some may say:
"When usually it's Nothing
Surely you're happy
It should be this way?"
I say. "No, I'm gonna kill my dog
May the lines sag, the lines sag heavy
And deep tonight"
I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
Because you're evil
And you lie
And if you should die
I may feel slightly sad
(But I won't cry!)
Loved and lost
and some may say:
"When usually it's Nothing
Surely you're happy
It should be this way?"
I say. "No"
And then I shoot myself
So drink, drink, drink
And be ill tonight
From the one you left behind
From the one you left behind
From the one you left behind
From the one you left behind
Behind, behind..
Oh unhappy birthday!
10 I Won't Share You (02:48)
I won't share you
I won't share you
With the drive and ambition
The zeal I feel
This is my time
The note I wrote
As she read, she said:
"Oh has the Perrier gone
Straight to my head?
Or is life sick and cruel, instead?"
"Yes"
No-no-no-no-no-no
I won't share you
I won't share you
With the drive
And the dreams inside
This is my time
Life tends to come and go
Well, that's okay
As long as you know
I won't share you
I won't share you
With the drive
And the dreams inside
This is my time
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Other reviews
By The Punisher
They lost that anger, that defiance, and that out-of-the-box essence that had characterized the band in previous years.
With the transition to the Major, their delicate strands unraveled, and the Smiths project, already fragile, fell into a thousand pieces.
