The Moz/Smiths Top 100, Part 42: FIRST OF THE GANG TO DIE

[absolute terror]

It is one of my least favorites. It's not a bad song. It is average.
I love Morrissey, but that does not mean I have to like every one of his songs. I can not connect with the song.

 

[DAnn Coulter]

BigMouth Strikes Again, Everyday is like sunday, and Asleep so far have been 10's for me....... This one's really good and I can ralate to it but it doesn't come close, so........

**8**

 

[Well I Wonder]

It is a good tune but after many listens it gets a bit dull. Still one of the best live songs in the set though. I gave it a good solid 8. Long live Hector! Oh..... wait a minute............​

 

[lovemorrissey]

You have never been in love, Until you have seen the stars, reflect in the reservoirs
And you have never been in love, Until you have seen the dawn rise, behind the home for the blind

We are the pretty, petty thieves, And you're standing on our streets
Where Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand
And the first to do time, the first of the gang to die, Oh my
Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand
And the first to do time, the first of the gang to die, Oh my

You have never been in love, Until you've seen the sunlight thrown, Over smashed human bone

We are the pretty, petty thieves, And you're standing on our streets
Where Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand
And the first to do time, the first of the gang to die, Such a silly boy
Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand
And the bullet in his gullet and the first lost lad to go under the sod

And he stole from the rich and the poor and not very rich and the very poor
And he stole our hearts away
He stole our hearts away, He stole our hearts away
He stole our hearts away, He stole our hearts away

 

[konstantinl]

A good song but not a bona fida classic Moz track.

Gave it 8.

I've not been following this. Does everything get 10 except 'Golden Lights'?

 

[nugz]

A good song but not a bona fida classic Moz track.

Gave it 8.

I've not been following this. Does everything get 10 except 'Golden Lights'?

how much you wanna bet there'll be at least a handfull of people who'll give that song a 10 as well. it'll be coming up soon...

 

[Trill]

It's dull. I gave it 5.

 

[lovemorrissey]

It's dull. I gave it 5.

Dull? Oh my goodness!

 

[Chartres]

i know, let's all be bellends and give every song either a 9 or 10

Well, this IS a fan site you know. Some of us even think they're better then The Beatles so...

 

[lovemorrissey]

i know, let's all be bellends and give every song either a 9 or 10

Just because you think a song is worthy of a 10 it doesnt make you a bell end.

Out of 42 songs its only the third one that ive gave a 10.

 

[Still Tired]

I gave it a 9, it’s a great catchy song but it was never my favourite off the album.

 

[Houdini]

A good song but not a bona fida classic Moz track.
Gave it 8.
I've not been following this. Does everything get 10 except 'Golden Lights'?

There won't be many 10's when today's song comes up...

So far only 4 songs have an average rating of more than 9 (and FOTGTD is not one of them), so I think most people rate fairly.

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=73130

 

[Maurice E]

There won't be many 10's when today's song comes up...

So far only 4 songs have an average rating of more than 9 (and FOTGTD is not one of them), so I think most people rate fairly.

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=73130

Ooh, what a tease!
What can it be?
Really enjoying this song by sing thing. Well done to Mr Houdini!

 

[Hellie]

Stonking!!10/10.

 

[Maurice E]

Ooh, what a tease!
What can it be?
Really enjoying this song by sing thing. Well done to Mr Houdini!

Hmm, reckon it might be 'Found Found Found' in which case it's in for a drubbing!

 

[bored]

Wow, I"m surprised to see there are people who didn't vote 10!

I didn't really care for this song back in 2002 when it was being played live and circulating via mp3.

I once asked what a lot of the lyrics to the verses even mean...

"You have never been in love,
Until you've seen the stars,
reflect in the resevoirs

And you have never been in love,
Until you've seen the dawn rise,
behind the home for the blind"

Uh... what?

 

[Houdini]

Hmm, reckon it might be 'Found Found Found' in which case it's in for a drubbing!

Good guessing.

 

[Helios]

i know, let's all be bellends and give every song either a 9 or 10

It's unbelievable, isn't it? One guy voted a song 10 the other day despite claiming he didn't actually like it that much.

 

[Comtesse]

I find songs like this rather silly. It's Morrissey in homoerotic fantasy-mode. Only in Morrissey's feverish imagination would there be a gang in Los Angeles called "The Pretty Petty Thieves" that is led by a guy named Hector. Still, the song is very catchy and it's better than most of the uninspiring You Are The Quarry. I give it a 7.

 

[Roma De Moz]

I didn't really care for this song back in 2002 when it was being played live and circulating via mp3.

I once asked what a lot of the lyrics to the verses even mean...

"You have never been in love,
Until you've seen the stars,
reflect in the resevoirs

And you have never been in love,
Until you've seen the dawn rise,
behind the home for the blind"

Uh... what?

I'm suprised you said this bored, because to me these are the lyrics which really make the song in the end. What do they mean? Firstly, they're each a clever set up: "You have never been in love, until you've seen the stars..." is in such typical usage in many many romantic songs, that we anticapte (or fear) a typical follow up. But than we get "reseviors". We're hurled into an urbane world. Same with the follow up, "Until you've seen the dawn rise..." followed by the wholly unromantic, unglamourous "home for the blind" ("see", in this case, takes on ironic connotations aswell).

What Morrissey is saying is that romance can be found in atypically unromantic places, and he implies this by romanticsing such places in these opening lines. Given that this song is about crime and gangsters, this use of romanticism is Morrissey admitting a certain romance intrinsic to the dangers of urbane life, whether in the slum districts of Los Angeles, or the council estates of Manchester.

Aside from that, I really like this song. It's great in my opinion, and I'm not really put of with the romanticising of crime factor to it at all, I think there is a great degree of truth to what he is singing, and he does in such quintessential Moz pop fashion. An 8.