Best song on Without Music the World Dies so far

Best song on Without Music the World Dies so far?


  • Total voters
    71
I thought they were all weak... Notre Dame's lyrics are embarrassing... Maybe the worst thing he ever wrote. Sad.
 
I thought they were all weak... Notre Dame's lyrics are embarrassing... Maybe the worst thing he ever wrote. Sad.
Lyrically, definitely, yes. The recording of WMTWD seemed rushed and maybe that's why these lyrics are so bad (or he's gone bonkers with conspiracy shit). As one other poster on another thread already said, he should maybe take a step back from recording and reassess where he wants to take his music. His heartfelt lyrics were always his strong point (and the only one he has musically because he doesn't compose/plays an instrument) and that's why he was/is so respected and loved. He really isn't forced to put new stuff out there, unless he wants that, of course. He could be touring with his back catalogue and all would be fine. Of course I don't know him, but from the outside he seems stuck and uninspired right now.
 
Each of the 3 songs has a much more interesting and entertaining instrumental than the lyrics or vocal melody. All in, all 3 songs a poor and largely because of what Morrissey chose to do with them. Notre Dame is far and away the worst though. I'm an avid fan and have been for a long time, I can forgive a lot but the quality of these songs is pretty unforgivable from someone with a rich catalogue like Morrissey's.

To say the least, I'm truly disappointed.
 
Has anyone transcribed the lyrics of Notre Dame? The melody is promising, but on a quick listen the lyrics really are awful.
 
Has anyone transcribed the lyrics of Notre Dame? The melody is promising, but on a quick listen the lyrics really are awful.

Someone posted the lyrics on the concert thread. This controversial song might need a catch-all thread of its own. Apparently some unsavory characters are praising the lyrics as “based.” I hope I’m wrong, but I predict a Paul Joseph Watson video and a subsequent sharing of it on Morrissey Central. In the meantime, Carmen Vandenberg channels David Gilmour very nicely.
 
Someone posted the lyrics on the concert thread. This controversial song might need a catch-all thread of its own. Apparently some unsavory characters are praising the lyrics as “based.” I hope I’m wrong, but I predict a Paul Joseph Watson video and a subsequent sharing of it on Morrissey Central. In the meantime, Carmen Vandenberg channels David Gilmour very nicely.
This
 
I like the disco 70s swagger on both pop and norte dame, the lyrics on norte dame are intresting. Maybe because of how I interpretated them, but then I might have a overly sympathetic ear... I listen to The Fall and I like the repeatition in the songs. I wasn't that keen on Rebels without appluase, I thought it sounded auto tuned....

I am not sure Norte dame is a controversial song, it is political, but I think he's using buildings being subject of attack, dominance and also symbols for terrorists. Also it is a landmark, he's telling norte dame that a cold hand (this could be a reference to many things) has touched him and the building remains silent or hostile waiting to be photographed by tourists, and its history is starting to become irreverent. I get the feeling from the BT tower in london and from a few buildings in the city centre you feel they have a presence all over the city. Maybe he's cursing and attacking buildings because he feels like hes talking 'to a brick wall', and he sees them as a fault or oppression because he can't blame or get at anybody else because he knows they will react adversely and he has done too much damage already. Also I can't think of Norte dame without thinking of the hunch back of norte dame.

See architecture section on Norte dame cathedral -

'who put the cold, white panes in place of those windows'

Screenshot 2023-07-04 at 15.16.04.png


It seems quite obvious why this could resonate with Moz and his opinion on the music (art) industry and press, theme similar to 'The night pop dropped'.
Also, as seen in the riots recently in Paris, people like to attack buildings and monuments when fighting aganist their goverement or system.
 
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I like the disco 70s swagger on both pop and norte dame, the lyrics on norte dame are intresting. Maybe because of how I interpretated them, but then I might have a overly sympathetic ear... I listen to The Fall and I like the repeatition in the songs. I wasn't that keen on Rebels without appluase, I thought it sounded auto tuned....

I am not sure Norte dame is a controversial song, it is political, but I think he's using buildings being subject of attack, dominance and also symbols for terrorists. Also it is a landmark, he's telling norte dame that a cold hand (this could be a reference to many things) has touched him and the building remains silent or hostile waiting to be photographed by tourists, and its history is starting to become irreverent. I get the feeling from the BT tower in london and from a few buildings in the city centre you feel they have a presence all over the city. Maybe he's cursing and attacking buildings because he feels like hes talking 'to a brick wall', and he sees them as a fault or oppression because he can't blame or get at anybody else because he knows they will react adversely and he has done too much damage already. Also I can't think of Norte dame without thinking of the hunch back of norte dame.

See architecture section on Norte dame cathedral -

'who put the cold, white panes in place of those windows'

View attachment 92578

It seems quite obvious why this could resonate with Moz and his opinion on the music (art) industry and press, theme similar to 'The night pop dropped'.
Also, as seen in the riots recently in Paris, people like to attack buildings and monuments when fighting aganist their goverement or system.

That’s an interesting eisegesis. I think you may’ve put more thought into these lyrics than Morrissey did. All I get from them is someone who went down a conspiracy theory rabbit hole and is regurgitating talking points. He could just as well be singing “jet fuel can’t melt steel beams.” There’s no poetry to it. This is like if Meat Is Murder had been called Vegetarianism and the lyrics went “vegetarians | we will not be silenced.”

This being Morrissey, I’m even willing to be open to the conspiracy theory, but he does nothing to convict or compel. As another poster has put it, it’s just finger-wagging. The music is ominous, the vocal lines have a sinister mantra-like quality, and the subject matter is the nexus of Islam, France, and Catholicism. This could have been great, but the poor lyrics really drop the ball. The Morrissey who wrote National Front Disco could’ve given us a timely and morbid satire, skewering both the “nothing to see here” apologists for Islam as well as the Catholic-bro maniacs who rabidly quote Belloc (“Europe is the faith, and the faith is Europe!”), one of whom tried to burn down a mosque in retaliation. Sadly, the wild-eyed singer holding up his crucifix appears to have sincerely taken a side in this idiotic conflict.
 
Voted WMTWD for the energy that the live performance has.
I am not sure that it would still be the best if one day we were to hear the recorded versions.
Night pop and ND have some great musical parts, and more I will not say.
 
I liked all of them from the first listening. Good, even level, voted Pop Dropped . "So sad " part is truly catchy
 
All three are very weak in terms of vocal melody and lyrics... No vote from me...

The Bonfire songs are much catchier...
 
I voted Notre Dame. Musically the best of the three, and while the lyrics are the bad poetry of a conspiracy theorist, that’s actually better than the boring late-Morrissey-by-numbers lyrics of the other two. I guess if Morrissey is really going bonkers and lazy, then let him go all the way with it. Spectacle is better than bland. Point in Notre Dame’s favor: it’ll never be gleefully sung along to by 8000 carnivorous normals at Glastonbury.
Dame for me.
 
Has anyone transcribed the lyrics of Notre Dame? The melody is promising, but on a quick listen the lyrics really are awful.

Notre-Dame
We know who tried to kill you
Notre-Dame
We know who tried to kill you

Notre-Dame
We will not be silenced
Notre-Dame
We will not be silenced

Before investigations, they said: "this is not terrorism!"

Notre-Dame
We will not be silenced
Notre-Dame
We will not be silenced

Before investigations, they said: "there's nothing to see here!"

Notre-Dame
A cold hand just touched me
Notre-Dame
A cold hand just touched me

Notre-Dame
We will not be silenced
Notre-Dame
We will not be silenced

Before any investigations, they said: "this is not terrorism!"

Notre-Dame
A cold hand just touched me
Notre-Dame
A cold hand just touched me (in the rear cleavage)*



*Transcriber's contribution
 
Thank you! Now that's just dreadful. Spreading conspiracies is one thing, but to write something this utterly devoid of wit or poeticism is an even greater crime. I have lost all hope of Without Music the World Dies being any good at all.
 
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