The Edges Are No Longer Parallel

F

Fulham Road Lights

Ill-adjusted
Hi all. Long time lurker, first time poster. I'd like to start off by voicing some appreciation for a long-buried gem of a b-side, The Edges Are No Longer Parallel. It is definitely one of my top 5 Morrissey songs. I find it similar to I Know It's Over in its structure, themes of hopelessness and loneliness and its achingly beautiful guitar line. Shame it's been locked away as a b-side, and not even one from an official compilation at that. Still, if it is going to be included on the reissue of Maladjusted, perhaps there is a chance of it getting an airing on the tour! I would die a happy man if I could hear him play it on his birthday. What does everyone else think of the song? :)
 
I love it! Painfully gorgeous! Fantastic lyrics, and really, really beautifully sung. The break in the middle and then 'My only mistake is I'm hoping' makes me swoon every time! I think that the (probably over-criticised) Roy's Keen single is lucky to have two of the very finest Moz b-sides (nay, songs) of his career in TEANLP and Lost! Good shout Fulham Road, welcome to the forums xxxx
 
Love it! Love it! Love it! I always equate this with Lost. Very similar kind of songs, they came out at the same period, obviously both b-sides, and they should've both made the Maladjusted album.
 
Edges and Lost are the best pairing of b-sides ever. And on the back of Roy's Keen! Very amusing.
 
Shameful confession...the first time I heard this song, I really, REALLY hated it. And so I never listened to it for about three or four years, and then one day I accidentally played it and I just fell in love with it, especially the 'No law of averages here...' bit, which just blows me away.
It's strange how time can change your feelings so much.
 
Glad to see I'm not alone in my love for this tune! Honestly, what was Morrissey thinking when he decided to shelve it (and Lost for that matter, although I prefer Heir Apparent) as a b-side? Imagine Maladjusted with He Cried and Papa Jack (the two songs that I feel let the album down) being replaced by Edges and Heir Apparent. It would probably make Maladjusted the best Morrissey album IMHO
 
Fulham Road Lights said:
Glad to see I'm not alone in my love for this tune! Honestly, what was Morrissey thinking when he decided to shelve it (and Lost for that matter, although I prefer Heir Apparent) as a b-side? Imagine Maladjusted with He Cried and Papa Jack (the two songs that I feel let the album down) being replaced by Edges and Heir Apparent. It would probably make Maladjusted the best Morrissey album IMHO
Click to expand...

Whilst I agree with everything else said - I must say 'He Cried' is a top tune :)
 
Not one that I'm 'that familiar' with I'm shocked to say - seems to have slipped off my radar. I bought Roy when it came out and pretty much all I listen to is Morrissey.

I'm not really sure how that has happened. Perhaps being the B-side of Roy is the reason. It ain't my favourite song.

Just listening to it again now - thankfully 'I've got a remedy'.
 
awesome song! would be great to hear live!
 
Silke said:
Why loneliness and hopelessness?
Do you think it is about the perspective of the other person in this song?

What do you think is the meaning of "The edges are no, no longer parallel"?
Click to expand...

OK. This has made me reevaluate my interpretation of the song. To be honest the only lyrics I had paid much attention to before were 'When you're down, you're bound to stay down' and 'My only mistake is I'm hoping'. Two lines that looked at on their own definitely seem to be relative to the themes I mentioned. I really don't know what the title of the song means. But looking at the lyrics to that song that you provided, maybe Edges is about someone who's had casual encounters and suddenly realised that there is more available to them, and that they've been wasting their time searching for a fulfilment that isn't going to arrive unless they change their approach? Hence the lines from 'Rest Stop', "I dont wanna be cold, I dont wanna be cruel, but I gotta find more, than what's happening with you"? Perhaps they relate to "And all the looks you gave, so meaningful, they are all so suddenly meaningless?" As if the realisation has just dawned? Please let me know what you think.
 
It's about the end or death of a relationship.

The conversations and things said now mean nothing as the relationship is over. As far as the narrator is concerned the other party can not remedy the situation - they are down and out - of their life.

The parallel edges are symbolism - the edges of a bed are parallel but the edges of a coffin are not.

The bed is the healthy (physical/sexual) relationship - the coffin what the relationship has developed into - i.e. death.
 
Oh that's good.
 
I absolutely adore this song and have often used "My only mistake is I keep hoping" as a line in my life. With all the Moz songs, I confess I haven't listened to this one in a while. Must go listen!

All of the things you said
So meaningful
They are all so suddenly meaningless


Oh, how this fits a situation in my life right now. :(
 
I am a Ghost said:
It's great.

Alain Whyte has said it's the song he's most proud of.
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He performed it on his own w/ his band Red Lightning, if my memory's correct.

I like the song a lot, too. Gave it 4 stars on my ITunes, and I try and be stingy with star ratings on there even when they're for Morrissey songs.

But tonight I'm obsessed with some older Morrissey b-sides (as I'm playing his early solo stuff): "Lucky Lisp" and "East West"! :)

BTW, songs like "Edges" show just how full of it everyone was when they acted like there was something wrong with Morrissey around that time. Just cuz they were too stupid not to appreciate "Maladjusted" and its b's at the time doesn't mean Morrissey wasn't still putting out top songs. Most of the crap acts being pushed in 1997 never had a song as good as "Edges" in their whole careers. No wonder I forget 99.9% of the garbage people bought and hyped in 1997 over "Maladjusted" and its b's. No one's waiting with baited breath for THEIR reissues 12 years later.....
 
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Theo said:
He performed it on his own w/ his band Red Lightning, if my memory's correct.

I like the song a lot, too. Gave it 4 stars on my ITunes, and I try and be stingy with star ratings on there even when they're for Morrissey songs.

But tonight I'm obsessed with some older Morrissey b-sides (as I'm playing his early solo stuff): "Lucky Lisp" and "East West"! :)

BTW, songs like "Edges" show just how full of it everyone was when they acted like there was something wrong with Morrissey around that time. Just cuz they were too stupid not to appreciate "Maladjusted" and its b's at the time doesn't mean Morrissey wasn't still putting out top songs. Most of the crap acts being pushed in 1997 never had a song as good as "Edges" in their whole careers. No wonder I forget 99.9% of the garbage people bought and hyped in 1997 over "Maladjusted" and its b's. No one's waiting with baited breath for THEIR reissues 12 years later.....
Click to expand...


Real Talk.
 
ringrosso said:
It's about the end or death of a relationship.

The conversations and things said now mean nothing as the relationship is over. As far as the narrator is concerned the other party can not remedy the situation - they are down and out - of their life.

The parallel edges are symbolism - the edges of a bed are parallel but the edges of a coffin are not.

The bed is the healthy (physical/sexual) relationship - the coffin what the relationship has developed into - i.e. death.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that fits in with my original interpretation - akin to I Know It's Over etc

Thank for clearing up the bit about what the edges are though!
 
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