The Moz/Smiths Top 100, Part 200: THIS CHARMING MAN

How do you rate This Charming Man?


  • Total voters
    177

Houdini

Junior Member
Let's compile our own Morrissey/Smiths Top 100 by rating all 232 Moz/Smiths-songs.

Song for Today: THIS CHARMING MAN

Voting should be something along these lines:
10: Perfection
9: Near perfect, brilliant
8: Really good Moz/Smiths song
7: Good Moz/Smiths song
6: OK, Nothing special
5: Uninspired
4: Poor
3: Bad
2: Should never have been released
1: He/They should be ashamed

The songs so far (voting is still open, click to vote):

Part 199: These Things Take Time
Part 198: There's A Place In Hell For Me And My Friends
Part 197: There Speaks A True Friend
Part 196: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Part 195: The Youngest Was The Most Loved
Part 194: The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
Part 193: The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils
Part 192: The Queen Is Dead
Part 191: The Public Image
Part 190: The Ordinary Boys
Part 189: The Operation
Part 188: The Never Played Symphonies
Part 187: The National Front Disco
Part 186: The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
Part 185: The Loop
Part 184: The Lazy Sunbathers
Part 183: The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
Part 182: The Headmaster Ritual
Part 181: The Harsh Truth Of The Camera Eye
Part 180: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Part 179: The Father Who Must Be Killed
Part 178: The Edges Are No Longer Parallel
Part 177: The Draize Train
Part 176: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Part 175: The Boy Racer
Part 174: That's Entertainment
Part 173: That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
Part 172: Teenage Dad On His Estate
Part 171: Sweetie Pie
Part 170: Sweet And Tender Hooligan
Part 169: Sunny
Part 168: Suffer Little Children
Part 167: Suedehead
Part 166: Such A Little Thing Makes Such A Big Difference
Part 165: Stretch Out And Wait
Part 164: Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
Part 163: Still Ill
Part 162: Spring-Heeled Jim
Part 161: Speedway
Part 160: Southpaw
Part 159: Sorrow Will Come In The End
Part 158: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Part 157: Slum Mums
Part 156: Skin Storm
Part 155: Sister, I'm A Poet
Part 154: Sing Your Life
Part 153: Shoplifters Of The World Unite
Part 152: Sheila Take A Bow
Part 151: Shakespeare's Sister
Part 150: Seasick Yet Still Docked
Part 149: Satan Rejected My Soul
Part 148: Rusholme Ruffians
Part 147: Rubber Ring
Part 146: Roy's Keen
Part 145: Reel Around The Fountain
Part 144: Redondo Beach
Part 143: Reader Meet Author
Part 142: Pretty Girls Make Graves
Part 141: Pregnant For The Last Time
Part 140: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
Part 139: Piccadilly Palare
Part 138: Pashernate Love
Part 137: Papa Jack
Part 136: Panic
Part 135: Paint A Vulgar Picture
Part 134: Our Frank
Part 133: Ouija Board, Ouija Board
Part 132: Oscillate Wildly
Part 131: On The Streets I Ran
Part 130: Oh Well, I'll Never Learn
Part 129: Nowhere Fast
Part 128: Now My Heart Is Full
Part 127: Now I Am A Was
Part 126: November Spawned A Monster
Part 125: Noise Is The Best Revenge
Part 124: Nobody Loves Us
Part 123: No One Can Hold A Candle To You
Part 122: Never Had No One Ever
Part 121: My Love Life
Part 120: My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye
Part 119: Mute Witness
Part 118: Munich Air Disaster 1958
Part 117: Moonriver
Part 116: Money Changes Everything
Part 115: Miserable Lie
Part 114: Michael's Bones
Part 113: Mexico
Part 112: Meat Is Murder
Part 111: Margaret On The Guillotine
Part 110: Maladjusted
Part 109: Lucky Lisp
Part 108: Lost
Part 107: London
Part 106: Little Man, What Now?
Part 105: Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning
Part 104: Life Is A Pigsty
Part 103: Let the Right One Slip In
Part 102: Let Me Kiss You
Part 101: Late Night, Maudlin Street
Part 100: Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Part 99: King Leer
Part 98: Journalists Who Lie
Part 97: Jeane
Part 96: Jack The Ripper
Part 95: It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small
Part 94: Is It Really So Strange?
Part 93: Irish Blood, English Heart
Part 92: Interlude
Part 91: Interesting Drug
Part 90: In The Future When All's Well
Part 89: If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me
Part 88: I've Changed My Plea To Guilty
Part 87: (I'm) The End Of The Family Line
Part 86: I'm Not Sorry
Part 85: I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
Part 84: I'd Love To
Part 83: I Won't Share You
Part 82: I Will See You In Far Off Places
Part 81: I Want The One I Can't Have
Part 80: I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
Part 79: I Like You
Part 78: I Know Very Well How I Got My Name
Part 77: I Know It's Over
Part 76: I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday
Part 75: I Knew I Was Next
Part 74: I Keep Mine Hidden
Part 73: I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
Part 72: I Have Forgiven Jesus
Part 71: I Don't Owe You Anything
Part 70: I Don't Mind If You Forget Me
Part 69: I Can Have Both
Part 68: I Am Two People
Part 67: I Am Hated For Loving
Part 66: Human Being
Part 65: How Soon Is Now?
Part 64: How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
Part 63: Hold On To Your Friends
Part 62: Heir Apparent
Part 61: Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Part 60: He Knows I'd Love To See Him
Part 59: He Cried
Part 58: Have-A-Go Merchant
Part 57: Handsome Devil
Part 56: Hand In Glove
Part 55: Half A Person
Part 54: Hairdresser On Fire
Part 53: Good Looking Man About Town
Part 52: Golden Lights
Part 51: Glamorous Glue
Part 50: Girlfriend In A Coma
Part 49: Girl Least Likely To
Part 48: Girl Afraid
Part 47: Get Off The Stage
Part 46: Ganglord
Part 45: Friday Mourning
Part 44: Frankly Mr Shankly
Part 43: Found Found Found
Part 42: First Of The Gang To Die
Part 41: Everyday Is Like Sunday (follow this link for first 40 songs).
 
who wants to take a bet on how many people say "ugh, this song is SO overplayed..." :rolleyes:

whatever. so what? its a 10 and you know it! :cool:
 
A definite 10. This song maybe is or just seems overplayed, but one that I never, ever skip.

I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said "it's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"

Excellent line
 
10. No explanation necessary. The perfect pop song.
 
I agree with all the above. Anyone who deducts marks because it's overplayed is missing the point; listen to it on its own merits (if that's possible).

There is not a single bit of this song that could be improved. Not the production, not the lyrics, not a single note. It has an awesome Morrissey vocal, an instantly recognisable guitar part (makes you a bit sick that Johnny Marr was 19 when he came up with that riff), the bass is amazing and the drums dead solid.

You could not ask for more from a pop tune. A true 10/10
 
Perfection. One of Johnny's greatest early compositions, Andy's driving Motown bassline, and one of Morrissey's most enigmatic lyrics join together to create THE perfect Smiths single. This is another example of the care that Morrissey used to take in crafting his lyrics. In particular, this verse blows me away every time:

I would go out tonight
but I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said: "It's gruesome
that someone so handsome should care"


It's such a pity that he "outgrew" this song early on. A perfect 10.
 
A definite 10. This song maybe is or just seems overplayed, but one that I never, ever skip.

I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said "it's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"

Excellent line

I agree, Corrissey. "How Soon Is Now?" is overplayed, and I always skip it... but "This Charming Man" always demands a listen. And somehow I suspect it always will.
 
I agree, Corrissey. "How Soon Is Now?" is overplayed, and I always skip it... but "This Charming Man" always demands a listen. And somehow I suspect it always will.

I just played This Charming Man in the car. So awesome. Love the jangly guitars too. I told my daughter "this is today's poll (she knows what that means) and I asked what she'd rate it and she said a 9. The kid gets it.

I love his yelp ~ "Aah! a jumped-up pantry boy..."
 
I remember it well. A bespectacled man wearing a blouse, lots of beads and waving gladioli all over the place. Throw in lyrics that had to be analysed, a truly addictive bass line and brilliant guitars and you have a classic piece of pop music that still stands up today. This was the true arrival of The Smiths and from this moment on nothing could, or did stand in their way. Masterpiece. 10
 
Every time I hear those opening notes, I think I've died and gone to heaven - and I don't even believe in heaven.

A masterpiece that never grows old. 10.

My favourite lines?

Why pamper life's complexity
When the leather runs smooth
On the passenger seat?


Just astonishing.
 
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My favourite Smiths song. 10, obviously. I prefer the version on Hatful of Hollow over the album version.

I do too, but I only recently got that version, so I may just like it because it's new (to me).
 
It's definitely 10. The song that got me into and made me love The Smiths.
Great riff, great bass (yeah, I found out I've been influenced by the bass part in this song), it rocks, it makes me feel good. The perfect bycicle song. I love riding my bike on sunny days listening to this track.

"i would go out tonigh but i haven't got a stitch to wear" SO TRUE.

:)
this cheered me up.
 
an 8


punch a bicycle on a hillside yes ole [or something like that, copyright
Practising Troublemaker]

great song and single from the Smiths, who also hit the singlecharts
and again showing what potential the Smiths had in their early years
I like the music more than Morrissey's singing, his falsetto can become
annoying hearing this song too much in a short time
Morrissey's lyrics are, as in other early Smiths songs, great

again, classic song, and this song also willl stand the the time and is
therefore legendary

my ranking is a bit low, cause there are too many songs who I'll find
better, this poll's becoming difficult too judge a song
 
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This one goes to 11.

--jeniphir
 
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