4. The Smiths - This Charming Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8slRasAHTA0 To paraphrase Christopher Marlowe, as with Kate Bushs The man with the child in his eye in the 70s, Is this the song that launched 1,000 careers? The answer is yes. This was the template of the modern guitar band, featuring Morrissey; the cocky, enigmatic wordsmith on vocals, Johnny Marr; the guitar player who was the coolest dude youve ever seen, backed with a white hot rhythm section in Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce. They had one aim and that was to be the ultimate last gang in town who wrote the best songs, had a story to tell and believed that their story was the only one worth listening to. The Smiths had previously introduced themselves with Hand in Glove; their statement of intent released on the independent label Rough Trade to low commercial expectation, here ostensibly was potentially a cult group who would get reasonable traction in the independent charts and allow the label to recoup their outlay. However, in the words of one of Morrisseys idols, Were all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars. The Smiths were aiming far higher than that, and with This Charming Man found themselves in the position of being in the then promised land that was a Top of the Pops appearance. This is when their magic truly took hold, disaffected kids up and down the land found their inspiration whether they wanted to be a modern poet, songwriter, musician or just something not tied to the mainstream. It wasnt just a pretty tune; it set the bar for what an English guitar group should be and spawned a mass of inferior copyists, and against all odds The Smiths became an institution on Top of the Pops - whether the producers liked it or not. But thats not the only reason that this song was a true classic, white boys playing afrobeat over lines such as Why pamper lifes complexities when the leather runs smooth on a passenger seat? Whats not to love?
Ed Nash
Contributor
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash
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Ed