Blur's Charmless Man...

[---]

does the blur song "charmless man" have anything to do with the smiths or morrissey? i noticed a few references (or what i thought were references)... charmless man = this charming man, "i think he'd like to have been ronnie kray" = tlotfi playboys, "he gets nosebleeds" = the nosebleeds... anyone know?

 

[SimplyThrilledHoney]

This Charmless Man

There was something about this in Select or Vox back in '95 or '96 as I recall. I may have it somewhere ..... basically they used to take a current chart song, and do a double paged-spread on it, with pitcures and notes of all there references.

The Morrissey references were noted (although I don't think they got The Nosebleeds bit)

In an interview with Alex James on Nov 21st, 1995 he was asked "what is the song charmless man about? I heard rumors that it was about morrissey, and some of the lyrics, like the ones about being ronnie kray, seemed to point in that direction."

He replied

"no, it's not about him at all. it's about people who bother you and won't leave you alone. i think it's damon singing about getting pestered by people, but we all get it. girls get it, definately."

Looking at the lyrics, it would be too much of a coincidence if the Morrissey references weren't deliberate though ......

----------
I met him in a crowded room
Where people go to drink away their gloom
He sat me down and so began
The story of a charmless man

Educated the expensive way
He knows his claret from his beaujolais
I think he'd like to have been Ronnie Kray
But then nature didn't make him that way

He went....

He thinks his educated airs
Those family shares
Will protect him
That we'll respect him
He moves in circles of friends
Who just pretend
That they like him
He does the same to them
And when you put it all together
There's the model of a charmless man

He knows the swingers and their cavalry
Says he can get in anywhere for free
I began to go a little cross-eyed
And from this charmless man I just had to hide

He talks at speed
He gets nose bleeds
He doesn't see
His days are tumbling
Down upon him
And yet he tries so hard to please
He's just so keen
For you to listen
But no-one's listening
And when you put it all together
There's the model of a charmless man

He thinks his educated airs
Those family shares
Will protect him
That you'll respect him
And yet he tries so hard to please
He's just so keen
For you to listen
But no-one's listening
And when you put it all together
There's the model of a charmless man
----------

... although the whole overeducated/public school thing is the complete opposite of Morrissey's upbringing.

Hope that helps ....

STH

 

[Vinbce Overeager]

Top of the Pops apperance

For Certain, In the UK Blur did a big spread in Select magazine just before the broke through and the stated their aim was to "be the best British band since The Smiths". However a large amount of intense and ill-willed rivalary broke out between the London based Blur and Manchesters Oasis. At this point Morrissey and Marr both indicated that Oasis were the more obvious successors to The Smiths - Indeed Marr plays guitar and produced tracks for Oasis new albulm.
Blur obviously regretted talking up The Smiths so much and took revenge on their most well known track and lead singer both at the same time by releasing Charmless Man, and made sure the fans knew by waving daffodils in the style of Morrissey when they appeared singing Charmless Man on Top of the Pops.

> does the blur song "charmless man" have anything to do with the
> smiths or morrissey? i noticed a few references (or what i thought were
> references)... charmless man = this charming man, "i think he'd like
> to have been ronnie kray" = tlotfi playboys, "he gets
> nosebleeds" = the nosebleeds... anyone know?

 

[Lauren]

Re: Top of the Pops apperance

I've actually always wondered that myself, so thanks

Marr plays on/produces new Oasis album???!

 

[Wolves will tear us apart]

Oh johnny, whatever happend to you?

> For Certain, In the UK Blur did a big spread in Select magazine just
> before the broke through and the stated their aim was to "be the best
> British band since The Smiths". However a large amount of intense and
> ill-willed rivalary broke out between the London based Blur and
> Manchesters Oasis. At this point Morrissey and Marr both indicated that
> Oasis were the more obvious successors to The Smiths - Indeed Marr plays
> guitar and produced tracks for Oasis new albulm.
> Blur obviously regretted talking up The Smiths so much and took revenge on
> their most well known track and lead singer both at the same time by
> releasing Charmless Man, and made sure the fans knew by waving daffodils
> in the style of Morrissey when they appeared singing Charmless Man on Top
> of the Pops.

Now why in the blazes would he lay down any tracks for those beer bloated pigs?
I thought he was stupid for breaking with the smiths and starting with that "electronic" farce. Now i really think he's bottom feeding when he chooses to link up with the unibrow brothers and help them out with whatever hapless album they happen to create while reading the news paper on the toilet. Yes, yes, yes.....Oasis does spank, dont bother writing anything positive about them...we all know they are the tards of the brit music world.

 

[Marr and Oasis and The Healers and Moz]

Re: Top of the Pops apperance

I don't know if he will be credited on the sleeve but his frendship with Noel is very much like his frendship with Morrissey and he has even written, produced and recorded an entire albulm full of songs with Liam, of which a handful oftracks were used in Heathen Chemistry. The folowing is an excerpt from NME.com

"Their fifth album will be called, heroically, 'Heathen Chemistry'. The sessions started a year and a half ago when Liam, Gem, Andy, Alan and Johnny Marr (they share managers) booked a studio for ten days and, in a Noel-free zone, came up with a bunch of demos which according to Andy Bell, 'sounded like "The White Album"'.

P.S. The Healers recorded a song about Morrissey called "The Last Ride" "This is about "a relationship with a soulmate... nothing to do with romanticism," says Marr. "Someone who you meet once or twice in your life and they know how to push your buttons."

Hope this clears up why I mentioned the whole Oasis Marr relationship

> I've actually always wondered that myself, so thanks

> Marr plays on/produces new Oasis album???!