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Scie d’argento con impalpabili riflessi d’oro, certe canzoni fanno un’incredibile luce.
E a dispetto della malinconia, e sovente della disperazione, rischiarano luoghi e momenti. Farfalline avvistate a occhi semichiusi in un prato, le aiuta il fatto di essere fatte di niente.
Che anche noi (finalmente!!!), a un certo punto degli ottanta, ci concedemmo il lusso e il piacere di essere pop. A suggerirci di farlo fu un tizio a metà tra il signor Rossi e Oscar Wilde. Che poi “suggerirci” forse non rende l’idea... è più esatto dire che ce lo ordinò proprio.
Chi sa che si prova nel vedere le proprie paturnie uscir dalla stanza su un tappeto volante di mille arpeggi di chitarra? Non so, ma quel che posso dire è: beato chi ha aperto quella finestra. Beato sia quindi Stephen Morissey. Ma anche colui che a quelle parole (e a quella voce) consentiva il volo, ovvero il signor Johnny Marr, mago della chitarra. Che senza quell’aggrovigliarsi di fili, senza quella ragnatela inondata di sole, il novello Oscar Wilde se ne starebbe ancora nella cameretta.
Allora i guru parlavano di recupero del suono Byrds, di jingle jangle, di anni sessanta. Il tutto unito a una attitudine infantile ed egocentrica presa pari dal glam rock. Esibizionismo e mancanza. Sogni di gloria e senso di perdita. Certo si possono fare un milione di riferimenti e rimandi, ma il senso della loro musica è meglio spiegato (che so?) dai giacinti disseminati sul palco, dall’estetismo delle copertine, da una voce monocorde che riesce chissà come a restare in aria.
C’è un brano che, pur non essendo il loro migliore, secondo me li descrive perfettamente. E’ “Heaven knows I’m miserable now”. Parte con quel meraviglioso suono tutto intarsi e groviglio, fate conto una pioggerellina di scintille, per poi approdare nel giro di un attimo a una specie di malinconia definitiva. Con la pioggerellina che torna (e ritorna) a comporre un dolcissimo notturno con brio.
Io però è proprio il brio che mi piace…Tipo l’attacco in media res di “William, it was really nothing”, voce e suono un tutt’uno sin dall’inizio e poi due minuti di scampanii (rifrangenti) caldi come la coperta di san Martino. Della stessa pasta anche la successiva “What difference does it make?” per un uno due che stende con la potenza del singolo perfetto, ovvero la scheggia di luce per cui sempre benediremo il buon Marconi. Incredibile lo ying e yang tra musica e parole, come se malinconia e disperazione facessero un giro in ottovolante.
E il resto non è men che favoloso, si accellera...si decellera... si va di ballad ...e di pop cristallino, con momenti preziosi di quasi rock. E comunque è inutile segnalare altri brani, che questo è un disco di soli capolavori.
Ma se proprio devo scelgo “How soon is now” che mi ascoltavo il sabato sera prima di uscire (vorrà dir qualcosa, no?) e che onestamente non riesco a descrivere e “Reel around the fountain” e pure qui mi mancano le parole. Facciamo un lento crescere senza crescere con riverberi di chitarra che arrivano da tutte le parti la prima e ballata spaccacuore la seconda.
Poi i momenti più incalzanti tipo “Handsome devil” e ”Hand iin glove”. E, sua delicatezza, sua intensià, “Please, please, please let me get what i want”, l’ultimo soffio di pallida, pallidissima energia a invocare.
“Quindi per una volta nella mia vita fa che io abbia ciò che desidero, il signore sa che sarebbe la prima volta”
Gli Smiths han segnato un’epoca, ma è stato tanto tempo fa. Sappiamo benissimo che ogni tanto si riverniciano le stanze, Non è questo quindi quello che conta.
Conta solo la bellezza delle canzoni, E qui di belle canzoni ce ne son tante. Son scie d’argento con impalpabili riflessi d’oro, farfalline avvistate a occhi semichiusi in un prato...
Trallallà…
ps Questo album raccoglie i primi singoli con relative b side e sessions radiofoniche. Per me è il loro disco migliore.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 William, It Was Really Nothing (02:11)
The rain falls hard on a humdrum town
This town has dragged you down
And everybody's got to live their life
And God knows I've got to live mine
God knows I've got to live mine
William, it was really nothing
William, it was really nothing
It was your life
How can you stay with a fat girl who'll say:
"Would you like to marry me
And if you like you can buy the ring"
She doesn't care about anything
"Would you like to marry me
And if you like you can buy the ring"
I don't dream about anyone
Except myself
William, it was really nothing
William, William
02 What Difference Does It Make? (03:11)
All men have secrets and here is mine
So let it be known
For we have been through hell and high tide
I think I can rely on you...
And yet you start to recoil
Heavy words are so lightly thrown
But still I'd leap in front of a flying bullet for you
So, what difference does it make?
So, what difference does it make?
It makes none
But now you have gone
And you must be looking very old tonight
The devil will find work for idle hands to do
I stole and I lied, and why?
Because you asked me to!
But now you make me feel so ashamed
Because I've only got two hands
Well, I'm still fond of you, oh-ho-oh
So, what difference does it make?
Oh, what difference does it make?
Oh, it makes none
But now you have gone
And your prejudice won't keep you warm tonight
Oh, the devil will find work for idle hands to do
I stole, and then I lied
Just because you asked me to
But now you know the truth about me
You won't see me anymore
Well, I'm still fond of you, oh-ho-oh
But no more apologies
No more, no more apologies
Oh, I'm too tired
I'm so sick and tired
And I'm feeling very sick and ill today
But I'm still fond of you, oh-ho-oh
Oh, my sacred one...
Oh...
03 These Things Take Time (02:33)
Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the sacred wunder-kind
You took me behind a dis-used railway line
And said: "I know a place where we can go
Where we are not known"
And you gave me something that I won't forget too soon
But I can't believe you'd ever care
And this is why you will never care
These things take time
I know that I'm
The most inept
That ever stepped
I'm spellbound but a woman divides
And the hills are alive with celibate cries
But you know where you came from
You know where you're going
And you know where you belong
You said I was ill and you were not wrong
But I can't believe you'd ever care
And this is why you will never care
These things take time
I know that I'm
The most inept
That ever stepped
Oh the alcoholic afternoons
When we sat in your room
They meant more to me
Than any, than any living thing on earth
They had more worth
Than any living thing on earth
Vivid and in your prime
You will leave me behind
You will leave me behind
04 This Charming Man (02:43)
Punctured bicycle
On a hillside desolate
Will nature make a man of me yet?
When in this charming car
This charming man
Why pamper life's complexities
When the leather runs smooth
On the passenger seat?
I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said "it's gruesome
That someone so handsome should care"
A jumped-up pantry boy
Who never knew his place
He said "return the rings"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said "it's gruesome
That someone so handsome should care"
Oh, this charming man
Oh, this charming man
A jumped-up pantry boy
Who never knew his place
He said "return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
05 How Soon Is Now? (06:44)
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I'm son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You, shut your mouth!
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am Human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
There's a club if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home and you cry
And you want to die
When you say it's gonna happen now
Well, when exactly do you mean
See, I've already waited too long
And all my hope is gone
You, shut your mouth!
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
06 Handsome Devil (02:45)
All the streets are crammed with things
Eager to be held
I know what hands are for
And I'd like to help myself
You ask me the time
But I sense something more
And I would like to give you
What I think you're asking for
You, handsome devil
Oh you, handsome devil
Let me get my hands
On your mammary glands
And let me get your head
On the conjugal bed
I say, I say, I say
I crack the whip
And you skip
But you deserve it
You deserve it
A boy in the bush is worth two in the hand
I think I can help you get through your exams
Oh you, handsome devil
Oh let me get my hands
On your mammary glands
And let me get your head
On the conjugal bed
I say, I say, I say
I crack the whip
And you skip
But you deserve it
You deserve it
And when you're in your scholary room
Who will swallow whom
You, handsome devil
Let me get my hands
On your mammary glands
And let me get your head
On the conjugal bed
I say, I say, I say
There's more to life than books, you know
But not much more
There's more to life than books, you know
But not much more
Not much more
Oh you, handsome devil
07 Hand in Glove (03:15)
Hand in glove
The sun shines out of our behinds
No, it's not like any other love
This one is different because it's us
Hand in glove
We can go wherever we please
And everything depends upon
How near you stand to me
And if the people stare
Then the people stare
Oh I really don't know and I really don't care
It's not a shame, no..
Hand in glove
The Good People laugh
Yes, we may be hidden by rags
But we've something they'll never have
Hand in glove
The sun shines out of our behinds
Yes, we may be hidden by rags
But we've something they'll never have
And if the people stare
Then the people stare
Oh I really don't know and I really don't care
It's not a shame, no..
So hand in glove, I stake my claim
I'll fight to the last breath
If they dare touch a hair on your head
I'll fight to the last breath
For the Good Life is out there somewhere
So stay on my arms, you little charmer
But I know my luck too well
Yes I know my luck too well
And I'll probably never see you again
I'll probably never see you again
I'll probably never see you again
08 Still Ill (03:35)
I decree today that life
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine and it owes me a living
Ask me why and I'll spit in your eye
Ask me why and I'll spit in your eye
But we cannot cling to the old dreams anymore
No, we cannot cling to those dreams
Does the body rule the mind
Or does the mind rule the body?
I don't know..
Under the iron bridge we kissed
And although I ended up with sore lips
It just wasn't like the old dreams anymore
No, it wasn't like those days
Am I still ill?
Am I still ill?
Does the body rule the mind
Or does the mind rule the body?
I don't know..
Ask me why and I'll die
Ask me why and I'll die
And if you must go to work tomorrow
Well, if I were you I wouldn't bother
For there are brighter sides to life
And I should know because I've seen them
But not often
Under the iron bridge we kissed
And although I ended up with sore lips
It just wasn't like the old dreams anymore
No, it wasn't like those days
Am I still ill?
Oh am I still ill?
09 Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (03:34)
I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour
But heaven knows I'm miserable now
I was looking for a job and then I found a job
And heaven knows I'm miserable now
In my life
Why do I give valuable time
To people who don't care if I live or I die?
Two lovers entwined pass me by
And heaven knows I'm miserable now
I was looking for a job and then I found a job
And heaven knows I'm miserable now
In my life
Why do I give valuable time
To people who don't care if I live or I die?
What she asked of me at the end of the day
Caligula would have blushed
"Oh you've been in the house too long", she said
And I naturally fled
In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?
I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour
But heaven knows I'm miserable now
"Oh you've been in the house too long", she said
And I naturally fled
In my life
Why do I give valuable time
To people who don't care if I live or I die?
11 You've Got Everything Now (04:18)
As merry as the days were long
I am right and you are wrong
Back at the old grey school
I would win and you would lose
But you've got everything now
You've got everything now
And what a terrible mess I've made of my life
Oh what a mess I've made of my life
No, I've never had a job
Because I've never wanted one
I've seen you smile
But I never heard you laugh
So who is rich and who is poor
I cannot say
You are your mother's only son
And you're a desperate one
But I don't want a lover
I just want to be seen
In the back of your car
A friendship sadly lost
Well, this is true and yet it's false
But did I ever tell you, by the way
I never did like your face
But you've got everything now
You've got everything now
And what a terrible mess I've made of my life
Oh what a mess I've made of my life
No, I've never had a job
Because I'm too shy
I've seen you smile
But I never really heard you laugh
So who is rich and who is poor
I cannot say
You are your mother's only son
And you're a desperate one
But I don't want a lover
I just want to be tied
To the back of your car
15 Reel Around the Fountain (05:51)
It's time the tale were told
Of how you took a child
And you made him old
It's time the tale were told
Of how you took a child
And you made him old
You made him old
Reel around the fountain
Slap me on the patio
I'll take it now
Oh...
Fifteen minutes with you
Well, I wouldn't say no
Oh, people said that you were virtually dead
And they were so wrong
Fifteen minutes with you
Oh, well, I wouldn't say no
Oh, people said that you were easily led
And they were half-right
Oh, they ... oh, they were half-right, oh
It's time the tale were told
Of how you took a child
And you made him old
It's time that the tale were told
Of how you took a child
And you made him old
You made him old
Oh, reel around the fountain
Slap me on the patio
I'll take it now
Ah ... oh ...
Fifteen minutes with you
Oh, I wouldn't say no
Oh, people see no worth in you
Oh, but I do.
Fifteen minutes with you
Oh, I wouldn't say no
Oh, people see no worth in you
I do.
Oh, I... oh, I do
Oh...
I dreamt about you last night
And I fell out of bed twice
You can pin and mount me like a butterfly
But "take me to the haven of your bed"
Was something that you never said
Two lumps, please
You're the bee's knees
But so am I
Oh, meet me at the fountain
Shove me on the patio
I'll take it slowly
Oh...
Fifteen minutes with you
Oh, I wouldn't say no
Oh, people see no worth in you
Oh, but I do.
Fifteen minutes with you
Oh, no, I wouldn't say no
Oh, people see no worth in you
I do.
Oh, I... I do
Oh, I do
Oh, I do
Oh, I do
16 Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want (01:52)
Good times for a change
See, the luck Ive had
Can make a good man
Turn bad
So please please please
Let me, let me, let me
Let me get what I want
This time
Havent had a dream in a long time
See, the life Ive had
Can make a good man bad
So for once in my life
Let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time
Lord knows, it would be the first time
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Altre recensioni
Di francis
Ogni traccia dà la stessa emozione che si prova con l'inno nazionale prima di una partita.
È solo una gran bella raccolta di pop song evocative, malinconiche, beffarde e a tratti assolutamente struggenti.
