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Not too happy about that...
I seem to remember when SATT came out, and Underdogs played through this site, people not being too happy with being referred to as 'freaks' in the song. At least I think that's right, sorry if I've misremembered it.
So are there any other parts of Manics' songs that you don't feel particularly happy about, i.e. offensive or making you feel awkward? For me, it's the line 'pointless jobs lead to pointless lives', in an otherwise great song. It just seems a little unfair, that they are three talented and loved musicians, who don't have to work 'pointless jobs' like th erest of us with 'pointless lives'. It just seems a little out of touch to my mind. |
#2
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The end of Cardiff Afterlife, it sounds like a badly cut mp3
The production on Motorcycle Emptiness
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#3
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I don't mind the underdogs line, because I am sure it was very well intended and that Nicky no doubt includes himself as a 'freak'. But yeah the 'pointless jobs' line is a bit much! Again I understand the sentiment but it is a little heavy handed! |
#4
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AWMIE Is a good song, it's just that line I don't like. |
#5
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The absurd impotence of SYMM.
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Margate 22-09-98 Wembley 16-12-98 Cardiff 31-12-99 Brixton Academy 30-03-01 Wembley 07-12-02 Brixton 08-12-02 Wembley 09-12-04 Hammersmith 18-04-05 Hammersmith 19-04-05 Kentish Town 29-05-07 Astoria 30-05-07 Shepherds Bush 31-05-07 Brighton 06-06-07 Cardiff 06-12-07 Brixton11-12-07 Brixton 12-12-07 Brighton 14-12-07 O2 Arena 28-02-08 Royal Festival Hall 12-09-08 Camden 28-05-09 Camden 29-05-09 Camden 30-05-09 Brighton 02-06-09 Kentish Town 08-06-09 Southend 20-10-10 Bournemouth 22-10-10 Brixton 15-12-10 Brixton 21-01-11 Brixton 22-01-11 Hard Rock Cafe 02-02-11 Wolverhampton 19-05-11 O2 Arena 17-12-11 Shepherd's Bush 24-09-13 Cardiff 29-03-14 Wolverhampton 06-04-14 Brighton 09-04-14 Brixton 11-04-14 Brixton 12-04-14 Rough Trade East 08-07-14 London Olympia 14-09-14
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I may have told you this before, I could have been the King of Wales |
#7
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hmm
I took it to mean nearly ALL jobs, because it say's 'breaking up our bones and breaking up our minds' It doesn't ruin the song - but it's a bad line!! |
#8
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#9
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#10
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Margate 22-09-98 Wembley 16-12-98 Cardiff 31-12-99 Brixton Academy 30-03-01 Wembley 07-12-02 Brixton 08-12-02 Wembley 09-12-04 Hammersmith 18-04-05 Hammersmith 19-04-05 Kentish Town 29-05-07 Astoria 30-05-07 Shepherds Bush 31-05-07 Brighton 06-06-07 Cardiff 06-12-07 Brixton11-12-07 Brixton 12-12-07 Brighton 14-12-07 O2 Arena 28-02-08 Royal Festival Hall 12-09-08 Camden 28-05-09 Camden 29-05-09 Camden 30-05-09 Brighton 02-06-09 Kentish Town 08-06-09 Southend 20-10-10 Bournemouth 22-10-10 Brixton 15-12-10 Brixton 21-01-11 Brixton 22-01-11 Hard Rock Cafe 02-02-11 Wolverhampton 19-05-11 O2 Arena 17-12-11 Shepherd's Bush 24-09-13 Cardiff 29-03-14 Wolverhampton 06-04-14 Brighton 09-04-14 Brixton 11-04-14 Brixton 12-04-14 Rough Trade East 08-07-14 London Olympia 14-09-14
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#11
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Apologist arguments first.
I never really saw the insult in the Underdogs' 'freaks' at all - If you don't take it as a friendly term, and/or don't consider yourself a 'freak' then the song is not "one for" you. If you consider it a badge of honour to be a freak (which you can, if you like, take the negative connotations away from, and regard the term as just 'unusual' or any of the things they actually sing - beaten down and crushed, shy and withdrawn, lost, weak, BEAUTIFUL then they wrote a song for you. What's the problem?! If they described the song as being for the 'losers' but then spent the rest of the song explaining that by losers they mean people who have lost things and they are sympathising for and leaving it to you to decide if you are who they mean I fail to see why anyone would be offended by that either. It's about the context of the song, and the meaning / interpretation of the work 'freak' in relation to the other lyrics I think. Quote:
----- /rant/ In contrast to those things I find the anti-technology sentiment in A Billion Balconies hard to stomach. It's not just that in my view it's lazy and ignorant and narrow-minded, it's hypocritical and comes across (to me at least) as quite elitist and patronising. And just wrong. The contrast between the arrogance of a line like 'A billion lies becoming the truth' and naming an album something as wonderfully poetic as the quote 'This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours' is like the difference between a philosopher who has become so enlightened he realises both the humility of his own existence in the universe at the same time as the value of every individual's perception, and a grumpy old man who has just wet himself and blames it on the new-fangled internet. AS HE TWEETS!! IMHO, that isn't a right to contradict yourself, it's a way to look like a luddite numpty. And it annoys me that James has to sing the line, when he just seems to hold his hands up and say 'you know, it's not my thing, computers and all that' whereas Nicky is more like 'well... I know nothing about it... but I have a degree in politics, and therefore must be intelligent enough to spew forth venom on any subject I know nothing about'. It's made worse by the fact that I love the track musically. /rant/
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'Those Manics are great mun ent'it!' | Miyazaki-San, Arigato | POPCORN! | PorcoTunes: SC=fdporco YT=PorcoForever | | I know our time has come and gone / At least we blazed a trail and shone | Last edited by Porco; 22-01-2011 at 11:53. |
#12
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And on the subject of Underdogs, I doubt it's the 'freaks' part that caused most offence. For me it was more about Nicky having nothing better to write about than his own fanbase. It felt like a suck up, and this coming after SATT's title track with its refrain of 'send away the tigers because we're lonely and we're desperate'.
It was like one long 'we love you, please buy this album because we're having sleepless nights over Lifeblood'. And then there was Autumsong's 'remember the best times are yet to come'. Wrong! |
#13
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But it's all down to interpretation, I know, and that could be a valid riposte to my problem with A Billion Balconies, which does annoy me more because I've read Nicky making comments about what the song is about to him... so I should probably find a way to interpret the lyrics differently for myself if I want to listen to it much.
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'Those Manics are great mun ent'it!' | Miyazaki-San, Arigato | POPCORN! | PorcoTunes: SC=fdporco YT=PorcoForever | | I know our time has come and gone / At least we blazed a trail and shone | Last edited by Porco; 22-01-2011 at 12:03. |
#14
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WITH GRACE WE WILL SUFFER WITH GRACE WE SHALL RECOVER |
#15
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Some good posts and points here.
I think the AWMIE line was misconstrued by myself due to the 'breaking up our bones' part of the line. Maybe I took it too literally as it seems a dig at more 'manual' jobs. However taking the song in it's full context it makes more sense! |
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