The Moz/Smiths Top 100, Part 238: I'M THROWING MY ARMS AROUND PARIS

[Houdini]

In 2007, and early 2008, we put up polls for all 234 then released Morrissey and The Smiths-songs. More than 25,000 votes were cast and the result was The Morrissey/Smiths Top 100, or indeed, The Morrissey/The Smiths Top 234. This year many people have asked me to continue with the polls as 18 new Morrissey-songs have been released since. With the release of 'Swords' now seems as good a time as any to start them.

Song 238: I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris


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 should be ashamed

Previous polls (voting will remain open):

Part 237: My Dearest Love
Part 236: Drive-In Saturday
Part 235: Children In Pieces
Part 234: That's How People Grow Up
Part 233: All You Need Is Me
Part 232 and previous

 

[Suedebread]

The melody is fantastic and uplifting. The chorus is majestic, the outro emotionally charged...

And of course the bad-ass clarinet bridge.


9

 

[EPbabe]

At first I didn't like it at all but it has grown upon me. It's pure lovelyness.

 

[Maurice E]

it's a pleasant enough song - just not first-single-off-an-album material.
still, considerably better than most of the ROTT and Quarry era songs...

 

[justme]

It's a nice one 8

 

[Max Bialy]

Morrissey still writes great lyrics, but the melodies haven't been very good in the last decade. But this is beautiful.

 

[Barking]

5 max. About as inspiring and inspired as dog poo on a slippery pavement in November, to some people. (I tell it like it is...) Can do without, plenty of that at home.

hopeful edit/ There might be a "plain inside the plain" in that song, as there is a "crashing bore inside the crashing bore." Deliberate matching of form and content to convey the idea of plainness?
No?

Ah.

(It's the "I have deciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiided I'mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" that does it for me : Plain Genius!)

 

[Corrissey]

(It's the "I have deciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiided I'mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" that does it for me : Plain Genius!)

Agreed. I think the song is boring.
I assume the 'OK, Nothing Special' can be construed as 'Boring', but maybe that goes better with a 5. Guess I was feeling generous then.

 

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

It's nice enough, particularly melodically. Great vocals too. 7

 

[JD93]

melodically one of his finest songs of recent years, lyrically very average, my interpretation of it being about Oscar Wilde raises it to an 8 though.

 

[lottie]

At first I didn't like it at all but it has grown upon me. It's pure lovelyness.

Agreed, since seeing it live, its really grown on me.

 

[DeathRockSnowWhite]

It was the first song on the album I liked. The rest of the album took A LOT OF TIME to grow on me. But now I like the first half of the album. Perhaps in another year the second half will grow on me.

 

[Raphael Lambach]

It's almost perfect.

 

[Walkers Crisp]

Great intro, good vocals. 8

 

[somebody loved me]

I can't get enough of that one, a personal favorite...so 10.

 

[MyDoppelganger]

I love this song. I'll give it a 9.

 

[Anaesthesine]

melodically one of his finest songs of recent years, lyrically very average, my interpretation of it being about Oscar Wilde raises it to an 8 though.

I find this song very dull. I gave it a 6.

However, I like your interpretation. If only Moz had thrown in something about wallpaper - instant 9!

 

[celibate]

an 8

long time me fav. track half year ago on my mobile mp3 [Nokia 6700 now,
the other one 2 year old Nokia72.. than, I had to put in more memorycard
to get mp3's, this one i can DL5 whole CD's though the sound is rubbish,
just average, you can't change sound, just volume up/down]

well now it's deleted though it's a good song

sorry for being OT

[great mobile also for taping live gigs, have to check the manualbook]

 

[Qvist]

Six, but very nearly seven. The fact is it's growing on me, mainly because of the lovely chorus. Lyrically he's not at his best here though.

cheers

 

[Bluebirds]

One of his better singles since the comeback. Yes you've made yourself very plain.