The Moz/Smiths Top 100, Part 101: LATE NIGHT, MAUDLIN STREET

How do you rate Late Night, Maudlin Street?


  • Total voters
    192

Houdini

Junior Member
Song for Today: LATE NIGHT, MAUDLIN STREET

The Top 100 so far:
1) Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, rating: 9,52
2) I Know It's Over, rating: 9,48
3) Everyday Is Like Sunday, rating: 9,47
4) Bigmouth Strikes Again, rating: 9,37
5) How Soon Is Now?, rating: 9,31
6) Hand In Glove,rating: 9,30
7) Jack The Ripper, rating: 9,29
8) Cemetry Gates, rating: 9,23
9) Half A Person,rating: 9,20
10) I Want The One I Can't Have, rating: 9,16
11) Hairdresser On Fire,rating: 9,02
12) Asleep, rating: 9,01
13) A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours, rating: 9,01
14) First Of The Gang To Die, rating: 9,01
15) I've Changed My Plea To Guilty, rating: 9,00
16) Irish Blood, English Heart, rating: 8,97
17) I Won't Share You, rating: 8,94
18) Girlfriend In A Coma, rating: 8,94
19) Handsome Devil,rating: 8,93
20) Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, rating: 8,90
21) Disappointed, rating: 8,83
22) Girl Afraid, rating: 8,67
23) Frankly, Mr Shankly, rating: 8,61
24) I Started Something I Couldn't Finish, rating: 8,60
25) Is It Really So Strange?, rating: 8,59
26) Ask, rating: 8,57
27) I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday, rating: 8,56
28) Back To The Old House, rating: 8,50
29) I Have Forgiven Jesus, rating: 8,49
30) I Am Hated For Loving, rating: 8,45
31) Interesting Drug, rating: 8,43
32) Hold On To Your Friends, rating: 8,43
33) Come Back To Camden, rating: 8,42
34) Alsatian Cousin, rating: 8,40
35) Friday Mourning, rating: 8,37
36) Barbarism Begins At Home, rating: 8,34
37) Jeane, rating: 8,33
38) I Know Very Well How I Got My Name, rating: 8,33
39) I'd Love To, rating: 8,32
40) Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together, rating: 8,28
41) I Can Have Both, rating: 8,23
42) Boxers, rating: 8,18
43) Ganglord, rating: 8,15
44) I Don't Owe You Anything, rating: 8,13
45) I Don't Mind If You Forget Me, rating: 8,11
46) Glamorous Glue,rating: 8,04
47) Death Of A Disco Dancer, rating: 7,92
48) I Like You, rating: 7,91
49) It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small, rating: 7,88
50) Alma Matters, rating: 7,80
51) Girl Least Likely To, rating: 7,80
52) Driving Your Girlfriend Home, rating: 7,77
53) A Swallow On My Neck, rating: 7,74
54) (I'm) The End Of The Family Line, rating: 7,73
55) Certain People I Know, rating: 7,71
56) Dear God Please Help Me, rating: 7,68
57) I'm Not Sorry, rating: 7,67
58) If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me, rating: 7,64
59) In The Future When All's Well, rating: 7,64
60) Billy Budd, rating: 7,61
61) I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now, rating: 7,61
62) Break Up The Family, rating: 7,58
63) Have-A-Go Merchant,rating: 7,56
64) Interlude, rating: 7,55
65) I Will See You In Far Off Places, rating: 7,53
66) He Knows I'd Love To See Him,rating: 7,47
67) Accept Yourself, rating: 7,47
68) I Knew I Was Next, rating: 7,42
69) Good Looking Man About Town,rating: 7,33
70) Do Your Best And Don't Worry, rating: 7,27
71) Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice, rating: 7,24
72) Bengali In Platforms, rating: 7,24
73) How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?, rating: 7,23
74) I Just Want To See The Boy Happy, rating: 7,23
75) A Song From Under The Floorboards, rating: 7,22
76) I Keep Mine Hidden, rating: 7,17
77) I Am Two People, rating: 7,14
78) Dial-A-Cliche, rating: 7,11
79) Human Being, rating: 7,10
80) King Leer, rating: 7,08
81) Heir Apparent, rating: 7,00
82) Christian Dior, rating: 6,87
83) Dagenham Dave, rating: 6,78
84) At Amber, rating: 6,76
85) At Last I Am Born, rating: 6,72
86) Ammunition, rating: 6,67
87) Best Friend On The Payroll, rating: 6,52
88) Cosmic Dancer, rating: 6,51
89) Asian Rut, rating: 6,51
90) East West, rating: 6,46
91) Death At One's Elbow, rating: 6,44
92) Black-Eyed Susan, rating: 6,41
93) America Is Not The World, rating: 6,40
94) He Cried, rating: 6,33
95) Ambitious Outsiders, rating: 6,33
96) All The Lazy Dykes, rating: 6,12
97) Get Off The Stage, rating: 6,10
98) Found Found Found, rating: 5,93
99) Golden Lights, rating: 4,97
100) Journalists Who Lie, rating: 4,77
 
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Brilliant....

I honestly don't know if he could have done this while with The Smiths...this song made me really appreciate his solo career....and back in 1988 it proved to me that he would be able to soldier forth along..

Unlike many of his contemparies...

Limahl, for one
 
No more obvious 10 exists. Possibly his best song ever.

Winter coming
Winter push on
(push on)
Oh, winter push on

Winter is so long
Winter moves on

The last night on Maudlin Street
Goodbye house, goodbye stairs
I was born here
And I was raised here, and
...I took some stick here

Love at first sight
It may sound trite
But it's true, you know
I could list the detail
Of everything you ever wore or said
Or how you stood the day
As we spent the last night
On Maudlin Street
"Goodbye house, forever!"
I never stole a happy hour
Around here

Where the world's ugliest boy
Became what you see
Here I am - the ugliest man
Oh, the last night on Maudlin Street
Truly I do love you
Oh, truly I do love you

When I sleep
With that picture of you framed beside my bed
Oh, it's childish and it's silly
But I think it's you in my room, by the bed
(...yes, I told you it was silly...)

And I know
I took strange pills
But I never meant to hurt you
Oh, truly I love you
Came home late one night
Everyone had gone to bed
But, you know
No-one stays up for you
I had sixteen stitches
All around my head

Oh, the last bus I missed to Maudlin Street
So he drove me home in the Van
Complaining, "Women only like me for my mind..."
Don't leave your torch behind
A powercut ahead; 1972, you know

And so we crept through the park
No, I cannot steal a pair of jeans off a clothesline
For you
But you ... without clothes
Oh, I could not keep a straight face
Me - without clothes ?
Well, a nation turns its back and gags...
I'm packed

I am moving house
A half-life disappears today
With "every hag waves me on"
(secretly wishing me gone)
Well, I will be soon
Ooh, I will be soon
I will be soon
I will be soon
Will be soon, I will be soon
Mmm ... I will be soon, I will be soon

There were bad times on Maudlin Street
They took you away in a police car
Inspector - don't you know ?
Don't you care ?
Don't you know - about Love ?

Your gran died
And your mother died
On Maudlin Street
In pain, and ashamed
With never time to say
those special things ... oh
I took the key from Maudlin Street
Well, it's only bricks and mortar !
Oh, oh, truly I love you
Oh, wherever you are
Wherever you are
Wherever you are
I hope you're singing now
Oh, I do hope
I hope you're singing now
Oh ...
 
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I don't understand... part 101 from the Top 100 ?? :eek:

Yes, we do all 230 or so officially released Moz/Smiths-songs, and we compile our own Top 100 from those, which means that from now on songs will drop from the list above.
In fact, Journalists Who Lie has left us today :(
 
Yes, we do all 230 or so officially released Moz/Smiths-songs, and we compile our own Top 100 from those, which means that from now on songs will drop from the list above.
In fact, Journalists Who Lie has left us today :(

Well All The Lazy Dykes should have been the one to drop....I don't think Lifeguard Asleep will even make it....
 
This is one of those songs that leave me conflicted. The rational side of my brain sees some real flaws with it: it's overlong, the music is pleasant but bland, there's no real structure to the melody, and the stream-of-consciousness lyrics (which Moz admitted to ad-libbing on the spot instead of carefully composing) have some clunky lines. (Most clunky: "Don't leave your torch behind/A power cut ahead/1972/You Know/And So We Crept Through The Park...")

However, the emotional impact of the lyrics almost completely make up for any shortcomings. This song sums up so perfectly what makes Morrissey the most important songwriter of his era. The words are by turns sad, romantic, melodramatic, silly, funny, depressing, forlorn, and hopeful - and delivered within an envelope of extreme nostalgia and loss. Really, "emotionally resonant" doesn't even begin to cut it. If these lyrics don't move you, you are already dead.

I almost gave it a 10, but I am reserving those for the songs that are absolutely perfect from start to finish and there are a few flaws here. Still, it's a very solid 9 - and the emotional heart of Viva Hate.
 
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Well All The Lazy Dykes should have been the one to drop....I don't think Lifeguard Asleep will even make it....

You don't like Lifeguard Sleeping? That's an absolutely GORGEOUS song! For shame!!!!!!!!
 
This is one of those songs that leave me conflicted. The rational side of my brain sees some real flaws with it: it's overlong, the music is pleasant but bland, there's no real structure to the melody, and the stream-of-consciousness lyrics (which Moz admitted to ad-libbing on the spot instead of carefully composing) have some clunky lines. (Most clunky: "Don't leave your torch behind/A power cut ahead/1972/You Know/And So We Crept Through The Park...")

However, the emotional impact of the lyrics almost completely make up for any shortcomings. This song sums up so perfectly what makes Morrissey the most important songwriter of his era. The words are by turns sad, romantic, melodramatic, silly, funny, depressing, forlorn, and hopeful - and delivered within an envelope of extreme nostalgia and loss. Really, "emotionally resonant" doesn't even begin to cut it. If these lyrics don't move you, you are already dead.

I almost gave it a 10, but I am reserving those for the songs that are absolutely perfect from start to finish and there are a few flaws here. Still, it's a very solid 9 - and the emotional heart of Viva Hate.

yes, you've read my mind! 9 it is.
 
I adore it.
I remember I once lay in the grass at 1am in some park crying as I listened to this song.

It's a perfect example of what I feel Morrissey does best with songwriting: emotionally honest storytelling.
 
Oooh I like this one. Certainly not a 10, as some of it is rather clumsy, but definitely a 9.

Oh & I actually find it an uplifting song with several amusing lines. :confused:
 
Maybe I shouldn't be surprised...but I am rating so many songs either 9 or 10.
This one is a definate 10 - love the narrative & has some very qoutable lyrics.
 
I really love the spirit of this song, and the lyrics, and the way the vocals progress, but I think its a solid 8. There's definately a tiny bit missing. Perhaps Marr's gentle touch.
 
Heartbreaking song, painful to listen to because of the emotion it evokes I think. A 10
 
A 9 from me. Everything I could have said about this song has been said, so let's just leave it at that.
 
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