J
Justin Playfair
Guest
This is one of my least favorite Morrissey songs. I always wondered if other fans agreed. I also never got into "Michael's Bones" with both songs I was never sure why
"At Amber" is a tale of two songs for me. I love the sections from :09 sec. to :47 sec., 1:02 to 1:40, and 1:53 to 2:35. The other segments of the song I'm not wild about. I love Morrissey's voice on this song! The way he sings "I'm" at the 1:02-1:04 point is just awesome! "I'm calling you from the foyer, of this Awful hotel." I love the way he sings "awful." This line makes me smile everytime.
Another reason this song grabbed me is Morrissey's reference to the "Sands Hotel," which he mentions twice. We had a Sands Hotel on State Street for years, until it got tore down eight or nine years ago. It was arguably the most run-down hotel in the city limits. The Holiday certainly gave it competition in that department. The Holiday still somehow stands. The High School I attended is only one and a half blocks from where The Sands once stood. There were always a lot of characters hanging out around The Sands. Morning, afternoon, night time, there they were, just hanging around. "Where the slime and the grime, gel." Yeah, that probably accurately described 30% of the people. Most of them were just doing the best they could, which I admire. I love this song because it reminds me of the Sands, and the past, and I love Morrissey's voice in the song.
I like "Michael's Bones." It's a beautiful song but I find it very sad, and frankly depressing. I feel the same way about "Unhappy Birthday" by The Smiths. To me, "Unhappy Birthday" is the best song on "Strangeways....," but I rarely listen to it. I rarely listen to "Michael's Bones" either.
There are only two Moz songs I can't stand. The boring "Journalists Who Lie" and the overhyped, and overrated, "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore." Plus, I like the music of "Ambitious Outsiders" and "....Rejected My Soul," but I very much dislike the lyrics in both songs. To me, the lyrics ruined both songs.