I'm Ok By Myself

[Stefan Krix]

No - to me, it sounds pretty much like the beginning of Death Cult's Ghost Dance.

Peter

Well, that's ok by myself!

 

[Suedebread]

I agree. Skull is the belter on the album. I do hope it's the second single.

Peter

Seconded. On both counts.

 

[retroussé nose]

Did you also have that Mark Knopfler / Dire Straits feeling on the first moments of Black Cloud? ;-)

YES! That was my very first thought when I heard Black Cloud. Very Dire Straits.

 

[still ill life]

Jesse's music reminds me simultaneously of Sweet and Tender Hooligan - it is very Smithsesque... QUOTE]

Yes, I agree. As I wrote in my reply to the news about the leak:

It's quite cool how the bass line during the first chord in "I'm OK by myself" is exactly the same as the bass line during the first chord in "Sweet and tender hooligan". The only difference is the key the songs are in.

 

[Corrissey]

Hmmm... are you really, Morrissey?

I see this thread title as a direct question.

 

[Jamie]

You have just committed the ultimate Morrissey Solo forum crime. Praising a song written by Jesse Tobias. You'd better hope Jamie doesn't find out!

Ha!

Let's put it this way: my favorite part of that song is the keyboard. And my thoughts on Morrissey having a keyboardist are well-documented.

Speaking of cribbed guitar bits, the intro to I'm OK By Myself reminds me a bit of Have You Ever Been This Low? or Sadie by Suede.

Which, I guess, makes Jesse Richard Oakes and Alain Whyte Bernard Butler then...



Cheers,
Jamie

 

[Currer Bell]

You know what? Moz is not OK by himself.

His biggest career growth was back during his Jake years. Now, he's become one of those creatures of habit that growls at people.

 

[Sister Rose]

Ah...but is he Ok By himself?? Is that not what people say sometimes, when they are sheilding themselves, protecting themelves. They tell people "Oh I'm fine, I'm ok by myself.

Cos if you look at his lyrics in say.."I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" he says "In the absence of your love, and in the absence of human touch..." its pretty clear he desires love and affection...as do we all but very few admit such! So people say I'm Ok By Myself but do they mean it?.....

and me...I'll have to throw my arms around Lancashire cos nobody wants my love..... LOL! we all want love! we all want to be with someone! I know I do!

 

[Theo]

Ah...but is he Ok By himself?? Is that not what people say sometimes, when they are sheilding themselves, protecting themelves. They tell people "Oh I'm fine, I'm ok by myself.

Cos if you look at his lyrics in say.."I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" he says "In the absence of your love, and in the absence of human touch..." its pretty clear he desires love and affection...as do we all but very few admit such! So people say I'm Ok By Myself but do they mean it?.....

and me...I'll have to throw my arms around Lancashire cos nobody wants my love..... LOL! we all want love! we all want to be with someone! I know I do!

I'm throwing my arms around...around Cleveland because....only filth and factories accept my love..............

 

[Sister Rose]

I'm throwing my arms around...around Cleveland because....only filth and factories accept my love..............

oh I don't know Theo...I'm sure there are plenty would except your love!

 

[Orson Swells]

Which, I guess, makes Jesse Richard Oakes and Alain Whyte Bernard Butler then...



Cheers,
Jamie

Actually, Richards Oakes wrote some good songs!

Including, of course, "Trash" which Alain transmogrified into "First of the Gang To Die"...

 

[still ill life]

Actually, Richards Oakes wrote some good songs!

Including, of course, "Trash" which Alain transmogrified into "First of the Gang To Die"...

I definitely prefer Bernard, although Richard (co-)wrote maybe my all time favorite by Suede: "Saturday night". It's such a beautful song.

 

[Jamie]

I definitely prefer Bernard, although Richard (co-)wrote maybe my all time favorite by Suede: "Saturday night". It's such a beautful song.

In retrospect, that joke was one too far because Oakes is (was?) a much more creditable songwriter than Jesse has proven to be thus far. Even when Suede was in decline, I would take Obsessions over I Just Want to See The Boy Happy any year. In fact, you could say that Richard helped resuscitate Suede at a critical juncture the same way Alain did for Morrissey in 1992.

By the way, if you think FOTGTD sounds like Trash, you should take a listen to Stay With Me by Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, the band Alain moonlit with in the late Nineties - right down to the keyboards in the outro.

Cheers,
Jamie

 

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

*rofl*

NOW I am awake.

My take on the album is that the lyrics altogether seem, as very often, also if you look at singles with their B-sides, contradictory in a way. But then again they don't. They reflect something that Morrissey has said often, it is not a matter of one person loving another one or being loved by another person, it has to be musual, both people have to love each other. And if you ask me, they have to love themselves, too. It is great if you are loved by somebody else, but is it anything but nice if you don't have the same feeling for this other person? I mean if you know you like that person but being in a serious relationship would still make you always think that there is somebody else on this planet and you'd feel terrible if you actually meet this other person but are stuck with this one. It is not even nice, if you don't like the other person and feel nothing but pushed by their presence. And then you think you love somebody else, but this other person likes you and doesn't really love you. So you are rather by yourself and enjoy to do the things you like to instead of running around with another person, whom you like but don't love, doing things you don't really want to... or you stick to your friends and do the things you like to do with them.

That's very astute.

 

[++++++]

It's a great closer; one of his best in recent memory. Much better than You Know I Couldn't Last, and at least as good as At Last I Am Born. Mr. Reynold's characterization of it as defiant is very appropriate.

 

[Orson Swells]

In retrospect, that joke was one too far because Oakes is (was?) a much more creditable songwriter than Jesse has proven to be thus far. Even when Suede was in decline, I would take Obsessions over I Just Want to See The Boy Happy any year. In fact, you could say that Richard helped resuscitate Suede at a critical juncture the same way Alain did for Morrissey in 1992.

By the way, if you think FOTGTD sounds like Trash, you should take a listen to Stay With Me by Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, the band Alain moonlit with in the late Nineties - right down to the keyboards in the outro.

Cheers,
Jamie

I really like Obsessions too actually... yes, I knew First of the Gang was a rewrite of a Johnny Panic number but I've never heard it. I've always wondered if Trash inspired the music because without being a muso of any kiind they sound similar to me. But in a good way. J Marr was the master of the musical rewrite too.

Still, you shouldn't let your Jesse-phobia cloud the fact that I'm Okay By Myself is a great track! I will admit that Birthday is my favourite from the new album though - in fact it may well be Morrissey's best song of the 21st Century...

 

[MozIsGod]

I will admit that Birthday may well be Morrissey's best song of the 21st Century...

Nah, that still belongs to "The Never-Played Symphonies."

 

[vAndreav]

My favorite (new) song on this album !!
and Skull ... is the best I think

Agreed!

Ah...but is he Ok By himself?? Is that not what people say sometimes, when they are sheilding themselves, protecting themelves. They tell people "Oh I'm fine, I'm ok by myself.

Cos if you look at his lyrics in say.."I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" he says "In the absence of your love, and in the absence of human touch..." its pretty clear he desires love and affection...as do we all but very few admit such! So people say I'm Ok By Myself but do they mean it?.....

and me...I'll have to throw my arms around Lancashire cos nobody wants my love..... LOL! we all want love! we all want to be with someone! I know I do!

Exactly. It's a way of just convincing yourself everything's fine instead of dealing with that anxiety that comes with yearning for human touch...*sigh*. I love the contradiction. And I love this album. And this song. I just love how direct all the lyrics are.

And Silke...you're so right...

 

[CrystalGeezer]

*rofl*

NOW I am awake.

My take on the album is that the lyrics altogether seem, as very often, also if you look at singles with their B-sides, contradictory in a way. But then again they don't. They reflect something that Morrissey has said often, it is not a matter of one person loving another one or being loved by another person, it has to be musual, both people have to love each other. And if you ask me, they have to love themselves, too. It is great if you are loved by somebody else, but is it anything but nice if you don't have the same feeling for this other person? I mean if you know you like that person but being in a serious relationship would still make you always think that there is somebody else on this planet and you'd feel terrible if you actually meet this other person but are stuck with this one. It is not even nice, if you don't like the other person and feel nothing but pushed by their presence. And then you think you love somebody else, but this other person likes you and doesn't really love you. So you are rather by yourself and enjoy to do the things you like to instead of running around with another person, whom you like but don't love, doing things you don't really want to... or you stick to your friends and do the things you like to do with them.

This is very insigtful, but I'm not sure the entire album reflects this sentiment. Maybe the song under the thread you wrote it though, a sort of "save the best for the last" nod by having it be track 12.

 

[Manchester Neil]

At first I didn't really think much of this track. It has taken a couple of days of constant listening to YOR and now I genuinely think this track is one of the best he has ever written. Such a great vocal performance, and it really evokes a mischevious trickster quality - 'this might make you throw up in your bed, but I am OK by myself' and then the shamanic tribal 'ya da hoo's

It can be read on so many levels. Is he speaking to a potential lover, a past love, society, authority, journalists, the NME, the audience, the fans, ex-Smiths, Marr...ALL

Its a defiant and dazzling song and one of extreme triumphal power.

I'm in love.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you say about this song. On first listen i wasn't that impressed but i now think this is one of my favourite ever Morrissey tracks. The strength of Morrissey's defiant vocals coupled with the pounding drums makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck by the climax of the song. I really hope its included in the live set.

A great new album, a strong lead single with new b-sides, re-issues of previous albums with additional unreleased tracks and a big tour with loads of radio and TV appearances - its a great time to be a Moz fan!