"Re-evaluate the songs..."

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Smiths albums / lyrics / The Smiths (debut LP) / Hatful Of Hollow / Meat Is Murder / The Queen Is Dead / Louder Than Bombs / Rank / Singles / Hatful Of Hollow vs. The World Won't Listen • Morrissey's future?

This is my least favourite Smiths album, but that doesn't mean in any way that I don't like it.

My vote goes to Death of a Disco Dancer. Although the morose lyrics border a bit on self-parody (most probably with full intention) it has a very catchy melody and interesting instrumentation.

Paint A Vulgar Picture for me.

Amazingly scathing.

I'm sure Death At One's Elbow will run away with this poll. It seems to be everyone's favourite Smiths song.

My least fav at the time, but now probably my second fav after Queen is Dead. Although the last four songs are a bit weak, but the first six are equal to any of the first six on any of the others. I even love Girlfriend in a Coma.

Album's more subtle than previous works but has grown on me over the years. "Stop me If You Heard This One Before" was apt at the time of the release as it summed up the crumbling relationship I had with a long gone girtlfriend! :(

Which is what I voted for
do people dislike this?

i actually i didnt vote for girlfriend in a coma actually i voted for a rush and a push and the land is ours, its a great song

I honestly thought 'Last night I dreamed....' would unaminously cop all the votes and was way 'too obvious' so went for 2nd swoonsome favourite 'I won't share you'. Only to discover 'Last night I dreamed' has no votes so far whatsoever....maybe other people voted the way I did. I started something...is bog standard Smiths.

last night i dreamt, another good song

Strangeways just keeps getting better and better with each listen. I am partial to "Rush and a Push", "Paint a Vulgar Picture" and "Stop Me". I love the whole album though. I revisit it often and it puts me in a good mood. Morrissey and Marr are just so great together, even if this final album is considered "weaker" than their previous work. In fact, anything that Morrissey does is brilliant to me. I just think his style and sense of humor are perfect.

This album is better than the sum of its songs. Only "Girlfriend In A Coma" really stands on its own as a single (no, that is not what I voted for), but, taken together and in order, the songs make a great album, one of The Smiths best -- the best of '88 except for the Pixies. I pretty much think of Strangeways as one long song.

"A Rush and a Push..." - just for that line about "people weaker than you and I."

i like the line, theres too much caffenine in your blood stream and a lack of real spice in your life

Yes, the whole lyrics are great. Was also thinking about a vote for "I Started Something..."

It was released in September 1987.

Although the Pixies also had a release that year too.

this is a very sexy song

At the time I would have gone for Death of a Disco Dancer... I think Unhappy Birthday stands up very well, but will go for I Started Something, not really sure why, but have always liked this one. I consider this the last proper Smiths single, because the subsequent release of Last Night I Dreamt seemed to me to be a opportunist record company cash-in which broke the indie rule of not releasing more than 2 singles from an album! I think that occasional stomping glam beat / fuzz guitar style of the later Smiths worked well.

I suppose it's good to go out at the top but I can't help thinking that it's a real shame they split up during Strageways as clearly this was a band on top form, certainly musically, although perhaps Morrisseys lyrics were less inspired here than on previous albums. I too like the 'beefy' sound of late Smiths, quite an awesome sound without selling out to stadium rock.

that IS the best line on the album

the real shame is that Harvey Keitel wouldnt let them use the still of him that they originally wanted for the front cover - so they went with the lame end result

simon

i have to agree with you on this one

Amazed to see Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before doing so well – this seems one of the weaker tracks to me. The melody is rather threadbare, no?

In order of greatness, I would rank* the songs like this:

1. "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"
2. "Paint a Vulgar Picture"
3. "Death of a Disco Dancer"
4. "I Won't Share You"
5. "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"
6. "Girlfriend in a Coma"
7. "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours"
8. "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"
9. "Death at One's Elbow"
10. "Unhappy Birthday"


* no pun intended. And no poll for that album yet (hint, hint...)

For me

1 Paint A Vulgar Picture
2 Death Of A Disco Dancer
3 Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
4 Girlfriend In A Coma
5 Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
6 I Won't Share You
7 A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours
8 I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
9 Unhappy Birthday
10 Death At One's Elbow

last night i dreamt somebody loved me is a beautiful song

Relatively easy this one, I think. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before . . .

"He broke my spleen and broke my knee/And then he really laid into me" :o

Although Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loves Me is quite special, 'cos a good few years ago Mozzer grabbed my hand at a gig while he was singing it. :D

you can sing unhappy birthday to any exs.

Bit patchy in places but where it's good it's fantastic.

Went for Paint A Vulgar Picture, closely followed by I Won't Share You & I Started Something...

Not so keen on Death At One's Elbow, Death Of A Disco Dancer or Girlfriend In A Coma.

i wont share you is ok but not the best

"The Death of a Disco Dancer, well it happens a lot round here.
And if you think peace is a common goal it goes to show how little you know"

Great album this, on par with "The Queen..." and second only to thier debut.

...but very poignant if you believe the theory that it's about Johnny Marr.

true

i go for last night...

I won't share you for me.


It starts out suggesting a threat, posession, dependance and the consequnces of them leaving (sucide? homicide?) but then the truth is revealed...

I won't share you, no
I won't share you
With the drive
And ambition
The zeal I feel
This is my time


is a divorce ever more clearly spelled out?

I won't share you, no
I won't share you
I'll see you somewhere
I'll see you sometime
Darling ...

...yet he can't quite bring himself to the fact that this is really the end.

I reckon the studio must have been pretty tense when this track was recorded (although the album has the feel of the Beatles White Album, where they worked separately and were then cut & pated together).

I Started something I couldn't finish.....love the heavy intro.

The title could relate to my life as well as I near my 40th b'day in a little under 7 weeks.

Also love the video with all the Morrissey lookalikes riding around Salford....why didn't he invite some southerners to join him?!

all the southerners were too busy hanging with Mark on a London roof while filming the Touch Sensitive video

the only smiths video i ever saw was how soon is now

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that this album is now 20 years old?

I Know, scary.

Its the ones that are 30 years old that I really stop and think.

Your kidding!

For example, 30 years ago in 10 days time The Stranglers released their SECOND LP No More Heroes.

:o

I'm still listening to them fairly regularly!

Yawn, i cant stand the smiths. I would not cross the road to listen to that whining, whingeing sixth form mock goth voice lyrics.

Oh look at me, my lifes shit, no one cares, no one understands me, boo hoo!!! with a background of twangy e chords from the fifth best guitarist from Manchester. Oh and the other two who no one can remember.

The Smiths just encourged people to behave like goths without the dressing up and flour.

I guess it goes back to my child hood, we were watching top of the pops and on came Morrisey, i think it was ' Heaven knows' and my old man turned around and said ' these lyrics are brilliant, you should listen to what he singing, makes a lot of sense' :blink:

There you go, Morrisey, not Paul Weller is the true champion of ' dad rock'

Good to see that sweeping, generic statements about The Smiths' miserableness in general haven't changed.

It must be in the genes.