C
Cili
Guest
I was tidying up this afternoon and I stumbled upon my old February 2001 issue of UNCUT, which is titled "100 Singles That Changed Your Life; How Many Have You Heard?" and The Smiths placed rather well. I'm sure this was reported on this site back then, but I thought that since there is such a dearth of Morrissey related topics on this board, some of you might find this old nugget of info interesting:
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NUMBER 10
The Smiths: "This Charming Man"
Release date: November 1983
Highest UK chart position: 8
The Smiths didn't fall out of the clear blue pop sky - groups like Orange Juice had engaged in similarly fey janglepop. But there was something about Morrissey - cavorting louchely on TOTP in a big, pyjama-like shirt, idly brandishing a bunch of gladioli like a weapon, his vocals deliberately plummy and prominent in the mix. That Thursday evening when Manchester's feyest first appeared on TOTP would be an unexpectedly pivotal cultural event in the lives of a million serious English boys. His very English, camp glumness was a revolt into Sixties kitchen-sink greyness against the gaudiness of the Eighties New Pop World, as exemplified by Culture Club and their ilk. The Smiths' subject matter may have been "squalid" but there was a "purity" of purpose about them that you messed with at your own peril.
* * * * * * * * * *
That last line echoes the sentiments of that essay titled "Not Just a Consumer Monkey" by Ruvi Simmons, about Morrissey's honesty being the attraction of The Smiths and the reason for their longevity in the hearts of their fans. You can read that article here: http://www.tangents.co.uk/tangents/main/2001/june/smiths.html
Just for your information, the other nine singles in the top ten were:
#9 The Stone Roses: "Fools Gold"
#8 My Bloody Valentine: "You Made Me Realise"
#7 Massive Attack: "Unfinished Sympathy"
#6 The Sex Pistols: "God Save the Queen"
#5 Kraftwerk: "Trans Europe Express"
#4 Primal Scream: "Higher Than the Sun"
#3 Joy Division: "Atmosphere"/"She's Lost Control"
#2 Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
And the number one single that's changed your life according to UNCUT…
#1 Public Enemy: "Rebel Without a Pause"
The Smiths beat out:
#95 Iggy Pop: "The Passenger"
#86 Beck: "Loser"
#74 Siouxie & The Banshees: "Hong Kong Garden"
#68 Blur: "Girls and Boys"
#67 Suede: "The Drowners"
#58 Bob Marley & The Wailers: "Jamming"
#57 The Fall: "Totally Wired"
#56 Pulp: "Common People"
#54 Kate Bush: "Running Up That Hill"
#50 Beastie Boys: "(You've Gotta) Fight For Your Right"
#47 The Cocteau Twins: "Sunburst & Snowblind EP"
#38 Oasis: "Some Might Say"
#37 De La Soul: "Me, Myself and I"
#35 R.E.M.: "Radio Free Europe"
#34 Tricky: "Aftermath"
#33 Happy Mondays: "Wrote For Luck/WFL"
#30 The Ramones: "Blitzkrieg Bop"
#27 Orange Juice: "Blue boy"
#26 The Specials: "Ghost Town"
#20 Radiohead: "Paranoid Android"
#19 New Order: "Blue Monday"
#16 David Bowie: "Heroes"
#13 Dinosaur Jr.: "Freak Scene"
#12 The Clash: "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais"
#11 Donna Summer: "I Feel Love"
Hope you found this interesting.
Cili.
* * * * * * * * * *
NUMBER 10
The Smiths: "This Charming Man"
Release date: November 1983
Highest UK chart position: 8
The Smiths didn't fall out of the clear blue pop sky - groups like Orange Juice had engaged in similarly fey janglepop. But there was something about Morrissey - cavorting louchely on TOTP in a big, pyjama-like shirt, idly brandishing a bunch of gladioli like a weapon, his vocals deliberately plummy and prominent in the mix. That Thursday evening when Manchester's feyest first appeared on TOTP would be an unexpectedly pivotal cultural event in the lives of a million serious English boys. His very English, camp glumness was a revolt into Sixties kitchen-sink greyness against the gaudiness of the Eighties New Pop World, as exemplified by Culture Club and their ilk. The Smiths' subject matter may have been "squalid" but there was a "purity" of purpose about them that you messed with at your own peril.
* * * * * * * * * *
That last line echoes the sentiments of that essay titled "Not Just a Consumer Monkey" by Ruvi Simmons, about Morrissey's honesty being the attraction of The Smiths and the reason for their longevity in the hearts of their fans. You can read that article here: http://www.tangents.co.uk/tangents/main/2001/june/smiths.html
Just for your information, the other nine singles in the top ten were:
#9 The Stone Roses: "Fools Gold"
#8 My Bloody Valentine: "You Made Me Realise"
#7 Massive Attack: "Unfinished Sympathy"
#6 The Sex Pistols: "God Save the Queen"
#5 Kraftwerk: "Trans Europe Express"
#4 Primal Scream: "Higher Than the Sun"
#3 Joy Division: "Atmosphere"/"She's Lost Control"
#2 Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
And the number one single that's changed your life according to UNCUT…
#1 Public Enemy: "Rebel Without a Pause"
The Smiths beat out:
#95 Iggy Pop: "The Passenger"
#86 Beck: "Loser"
#74 Siouxie & The Banshees: "Hong Kong Garden"
#68 Blur: "Girls and Boys"
#67 Suede: "The Drowners"
#58 Bob Marley & The Wailers: "Jamming"
#57 The Fall: "Totally Wired"
#56 Pulp: "Common People"
#54 Kate Bush: "Running Up That Hill"
#50 Beastie Boys: "(You've Gotta) Fight For Your Right"
#47 The Cocteau Twins: "Sunburst & Snowblind EP"
#38 Oasis: "Some Might Say"
#37 De La Soul: "Me, Myself and I"
#35 R.E.M.: "Radio Free Europe"
#34 Tricky: "Aftermath"
#33 Happy Mondays: "Wrote For Luck/WFL"
#30 The Ramones: "Blitzkrieg Bop"
#27 Orange Juice: "Blue boy"
#26 The Specials: "Ghost Town"
#20 Radiohead: "Paranoid Android"
#19 New Order: "Blue Monday"
#16 David Bowie: "Heroes"
#13 Dinosaur Jr.: "Freak Scene"
#12 The Clash: "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais"
#11 Donna Summer: "I Feel Love"
Hope you found this interesting.
Cili.
