I took the "though things like this make me sick" line as Martin saying he's not comfortable being so open about such things, which makes sense.
Great song.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 14 April 2018 18:46 (six years ago) link
But he's comfortable singing them in the nude, funny that.
― (Henry) Green container bin with face (Tom D.), Saturday, 14 April 2018 19:37 (six years ago) link
Well, by all accounts the room that he was singing in was well out of the way of the control room, so it's not like people were staring at him while he was tracking the vocal. Secondly, Gore was known for taking his clothes off once he'd had a few (the beginning of the video to 'A Question of Lust' almost capturing once such moment) - it (the alcohol) would develop into a real problem for him.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 14 April 2018 20:06 (six years ago) link
gore did not go to an "expensive school".
― sleepingsignal, Saturday, 14 April 2018 20:16 (six years ago) link
It's just one of those words, I guess. "Detest".
A friend of mine was breaking up with his girlfriend, and after a particularly bad fight, he texted her, "hey, I am really sorry things have gotten so hard between us. I just wanted to text you and tell you that I love you, I care for you, and I hope at some point we will be friends again."
She texted him back, "hey, I am not sorry that things have gotten so hard between us. I want you to know that I hate you, by which I mean: I despise you, I abhor you, I vilify you, I absolutely will DETEST you for the rest of your miserable life, and I look forward to pissing on your grave."
He texted her back, "I'm glad that thesaurus is working out for you."
― nevertheless, he stopped (flamboyant goon tie included), Saturday, 14 April 2018 20:23 (six years ago) link
Detestation has a kind of particular connotation to it, in my lexicon anyway. It suggests a kind of "I am above this thing" airiness. Things that are detestable include: when the country club is closed, poorly paired wine with a meal, the poor, etc.
― nevertheless, he stopped (flamboyant goon tie included), Saturday, 14 April 2018 20:26 (six years ago) link
Ha yeah, he went to a comprehensive in Basildon - the same one as Alison Moyet, iirc.
(xx-post)
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 14 April 2018 20:27 (six years ago) link
And the caveat "I will almost like" takes that airiness even further-- "I will not ever like this thing that I feel is beneath me, but I will accept some level of tolerance for it, for the sake of my beloved Ideal Woman, I will deign to consider a level of tolerance for something I find detestable-- but I will NEVER claim to actually like it"
― nevertheless, he stopped (flamboyant goon tie included), Saturday, 14 April 2018 20:29 (six years ago) link
That would be going too far, you see
my strongest memory of this song is a woman singing along to the whole thing at a DM show with tears in her eyes
― alvin noto (mh), Saturday, 14 April 2018 21:26 (six years ago) link
I always thought this was meant to be creepy? I first heard it on the cassette version of the Singles 81-85 album where it's immediately followed by Shake The Disease which repeats the 'understand me' lyric but in a context where it's more obviously a threat/demand, and a reiteration of the 'I don't want to be tied to anyone's strings' sentiment - I'd actually thought until just now that the two songs were released as a double A side, but I was mistaken and it's Blasphemous Rumours/Somebody that was the double A-side. Shake The Disease is surely an intentional companion song to Somebody though?
― soref, Saturday, 14 April 2018 22:04 (six years ago) link
'detest' feel like a real Morrissey word, though I can't off the top of my head think of any examples of him using it in his lyrics
― soref, Saturday, 14 April 2018 22:17 (six years ago) link
Yeah, a Morrissey word is right
When I first heard this song-- via sheet music!-- it was my first exposure to DM. I guess, now, thinking about other Martin songs, that a "this is meant to be creepy" explanation makes more sense, he's always walked that line?
But like:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81niaViDThL.jpg
You might understand why I felt confused about the man's intentions? And I do feel that a great-many listeners would take these manipulative lyrics at face-value and just think that this is "normal male sensitivity and romanticism"?
― nevertheless, he stopped (flamboyant goon tie included), Saturday, 14 April 2018 23:18 (six years ago) link
I first heard it from the Veruca Salt cover, and assumed it was meant to be creepy
― chilis=lyrics...hypocrits (sic), Sunday, 15 April 2018 00:43 (six years ago) link
normal goth teen sensitivity and romanticism maybe
― had (crüt), Sunday, 15 April 2018 01:37 (six years ago) link