Borrowed lyrics

[Tingle3]

How Soon is Now? lyric

Following on from my posting yesterday regarding the content of Malcolm Bradbury's novel "Eating People is Wrong", I'd like to ask the cognoscenti who lurk hereabouts whether it is likely that Morrissey used some of the words and worked them into the lyric for "How Soon is Now?". Do you know if Morrissey has mentioned Bradbury in an interview? I refer specifically to:

"Look, I'm a human being, you know," said Louis. "I need love like everyone else......"

I'm not sure what to think. The words are similar but not the same and I guess that similar phrases can be found in umpteen novels, plays and screenplays. I wonder whether Morrissey read the book and identified with the character Louis Bates who is a misfit who repulses some, but regarded as a genius by others who writes poetry.


And yes, I do have a big nose.

 

[Kewpie]

Re: How Soon is Now? lyric

Possibly Morrissey also read Bradbury's book.

According to another site It May All Ends Tomorrow, Morrissey borrowed a phrase from George Eliot's Middlemarch:

To be born the son of a Middlemarch manufacturer, and inevitable heir to nothing in particular,.."

http://www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~moz/

 

[j funk]

A lot of Morrissey's lyrics can be found in older works of literature, but how many song lyrics have been borrowed?

I was thinking of "Throw your homework onto the fire" from 'Sheila Take A Bow' and David Bowie's 'Kooks' which contains the line "If your homework gets you down, we'll throw it on the fire and take the car Downtown."

Opinions on this, and any others?

 

[CandyCanegirl]

from Satan Rejected My Soul;

He knows heaven doesnt seem
To be my home

From Wuthering Heights
'I was only going to say that heaven did not seem to be my home; and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights; where I woke sobbing for joy.

 

[Sharron Needles]

A lot of Morrissey's lyrics can be found in older works of literature, but how many song lyrics have been borrowed?

I was thinking of "Throw your homework onto the fire" from 'Sheila Take A Bow' and David Bowie's 'Kooks' which contains the line "If your homework gets you down, we'll throw it on the fire and take the car Downtown."

Opinions on this, and any others?

Well, yes. there's obviously a lot of influences, not just from literature. If you haven't seen this page on passions, I suggest you check it out as it's pretty thorough, and quite interesting... The Bowie lyric and Wuthering Heights in mentioned there as well.
http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/influence.htm

 

[Virgil Tracy]

Re: How Soon is Now? lyric

Who fancies making a definitive list of Morrissey book references similar to the ones above??

I would but I can't erm.........

 

[Kewpie]

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is often discussed in here:

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=74807

Uncleskinny also asked you've reading books to finding references:
http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=88027

 

[Stephane]

Re: How Soon is Now? lyric

Who fancies making a definitive list of Morrissey book references similar to the ones above?

Well between the "Under The Influence" section of "Passions Just Like Mine" and the "Pretty Petty Thieves" website, the work is pretty much already done.

Stephane

 

[j funk]

Re: How Soon is Now? lyric

I'm not interested in what he's borrowed from literature, I'm very well read and can spot 100% of them.

I wanted my own thread just about lyrics he'd borrowed from other songs. Has mine been merged or did I not actually start one, accidentally posting in here instead?

http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/influence-music.htm is very good though.

Thx.

 

[London By Night]

I mentioned this in a post I made yesterday, but it seems to be more relevant here.

I'm pretty sure Morrissey used the Hungarian suicide song Gloomy Sunday as a source in the song Asleep when he sang, "Deep in the cell of my heart I will feel so glad to go..."

In Gloomy Sunday the lyric is "Let them not weep, let them know that I'm glad to go..."

Gloomy Sunday is generally associated with Billie Holiday but it's been covered by an eclectic variety of artists like Bjork, The Associates, Marianne Faithfull, Ricky Nelson, Heather Nova, Elvis Costello, Marc Almond and numerous others.

It's probably the saddest song ever written. The composer ended his own life.

 

[Kewpie]

Re: How Soon is Now? lyric

Also Codreanu posted very interesting thread about the related subject:

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=65633

 

[sistasheila]

I mentioned this in a post I made yesterday, but it seems to be more relevant here.

I'm pretty sure Morrissey used the Hungarian suicide song Gloomy Sunday as a source in the song Asleep when he sang, "Deep in the cell of my heart I will feel so glad to go..."

In Gloomy Sunday the lyric is "Let them not weep, let them know that I'm glad to go..."

Gloomy Sunday is generally associated with Billie Holiday but it's been covered by an eclectic variety of artists like Bjork, The Associates, Marianne Faithfull, Ricky Nelson, Heather Nova, Elvis Costello, Marc Almond and numerous others.

It's probably the saddest song ever written. The composer ended his own life.

there is also a film called gloomy sunday about the life of the composer of this song...

 

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

I mentioned this in a post I made yesterday, but it seems to be more relevant here.

I'm pretty sure Morrissey used the Hungarian suicide song Gloomy Sunday as a source in the song Asleep when he sang, "Deep in the cell of my heart I will feel so glad to go..."

In Gloomy Sunday the lyric is "Let them not weep, let them know that I'm glad to go..."

Gloomy Sunday is generally associated with Billie Holiday but it's been covered by an eclectic variety of artists like Bjork, The Associates, Marianne Faithfull, Ricky Nelson, Heather Nova, Elvis Costello, Marc Almond and numerous others.

It's probably the saddest song ever written. The composer ended his own life.

I love both songs but never made the connection. Thank you for pointing it out, it might have taken me another lifetime to put it together myself.

Marc Almond covered it too? Any good?