Clearly influenced by:
Elizabeth Smart: By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept (1945).
- They obey the glint in the middle of my glazed eye, for it is the fierce last stand of all I have.
- Threateners of life are horrible enough, and she whom I have injured, and whose agony it is my penalty to watch, lies gasping, but still living, on the land.
- My dear, my darling, do you hear me where you sleep?
Never played live by The Smiths or Morrissey.
Although he did do a partial a cappella snippet during the musical pause in Speedway:
"Gasping - dying - but somehow still alive.
This is the fierce last stand of all I am...
Please keep me in mind."
(see above: Davis, CA - Robert Mondavi Center at UC Davis - March 4, 2013) .
From The Smiths FAQ by John D. Luerssen(2015):
"The genesis of “Well I Wonder” dates to a home demo Marr cut in late 1983, which was then reattempted while still an instrumental during the London sessions with Porter at Jam Studios the following July. It became the flip side to the Rough Trade pressing of the “How Soon Is Now?” single, with Marr praising the song to Record Collector in November 1992 by saying, “It’s one of those things that a modern group could try and emulate but never get the spirit of. It’s so simple.”
Johnny began finalizing the instrumental upon moving back to Manchester in the autumn of 1984. The move home was intentional, in order for him to get the proper atmosphere for the tracks. The Smiths anticipated that the song would be popular with their fans, because, as Marr told Uncut in ’08, “It had that real sense of yearning.”"
I've always found this quite haunting.
Opinions?
FWD.
. For singles - aren't you looking at not necessarily what's the best songs - but what would get the most airplay? On the TQID, "I Know It's Over" is one of the best songs... but probably an unlikely choice for a single. Who knows, it might have charted better than TJIFA.
