Tag: The Smiths

Dancing to The Smiths, Morrissey Is the Prophet for the Self-depraved and the Misfits

On By pramoedyasolarisIn Music, Music List (Daftar Musik)Leave a comment
Singer-songwriter Morrissey, of English rock band The Smiths, London, 1984. (Photo by
Chalkie Davies/Getty Images)

Feeling alone, hopeless, and depressed? Need songs that recognize those kind of pain and struggle? Just go to The Smiths. Sing them aloud, cry yourself out. That’s one of the best catharsis that I regularly do to lighten the very burden of existence, being a misfit in the midst of ever evolving modern society, straying too far from the expectations of others that they mindlessly shove up my ass until I reach a point of burnout.

But enough with the whining. Here I’m just going to tell my opinion on why The Smiths is my go to band when I’m feeling low about myself. Well, I just love how Morrissey distinctive baritone voice wallowing in misery blends well with the expressive and often so cheerful guitar play from Johnny Marr. That makes it seem quite contradictory, but not really actually. It’s like you’re dancing your pain away through the self-depraved lyrics and their banger music.

Since I’m no music expert, I would like to talk about the lyrics that Morrissey wrote being so damn relatable. I’m going to list some of my favorite songs from The Smiths:

  1. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

I acknowledge the desperate tone of this song about never having what you want or what you wish to come true. It’s a self-pity song, realizing how terrible and sad your life must look from others point of view, what a bad luck you have.

2. I Know It’s Over

The saddest song from The Smiths in my opinion. It’s like knowing your life is doomed to failure and misery and loneliness. And Morrissey’s vocal definitely capture this sadness and hopelessness. The way I interpret the lyrics is that you just want a normal life like others, but deep down you know that somehow those basic things in life are such luxury that you cannot afford, and yeah love though is natural and real, that is not for you.

3. How Soon Is Now?

My favorite self-depraved song that I would love to sing when doing karaoke. It’s just obvious that the “I” in this song is a very shy person that waits in line to meet someone special, but that someone never arrives. So that person feels lonely and hopeless, because even when that person finally tries to go out and meet people, she just ends up standing in the corner alone and goes home alone. 

There's a club if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home and you cry
And you want to die

Well, I sense some anger in it.

4. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

This song is also sad. At the intro you can hear a noise (screams) that sounds like coming from the depth of hell. The lyrics tells about finally being loved by someone but then you woke up and realized it was just a dream. But somehow you’re not really disappointed, because you expect nothing from the beginning. No hope, no harms, just another false alarm.

5. Back to the Old House

Speaks about the feeling of nostalgia that’s bittersweet. You roam about a place where you used to live in your memory, and remember the bad and the goods. And it also reminds you of a crush you used to have that you’ve never got a chance to confess to. Pretty much sums up my life.

6. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Now, this is what I’ve been feeling lately. I just wanna hang out during the night, wherever it is. So I desperately hope someone will take me out, because life at home is so dull and boring and the people at home are not so welcome. I wanna go out and see people living their lives. I play this song while riding my scooter in the night, and that feels just so perfect, because I can’t find a better word to describe it.

7. Panic

Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music that they constantly play
It says nothing to me about my life
Hang the blessed DJ

It’s just such a banger.

8. Unloveable

Oh...
I know I'm unloveable
You don't have to tell me
I don't have much in my life
But take it - it's yours

Oh, message received
Loud and clear

I wear black on the outside
'Cause black is how I feel on the inside
And if I seem a little strange
Well, that's because I am
But I know that you would like me
If only you could see me
If only you could meet me

I don’t have to explain, the lyrics speaks for itself. Because Morissey’s lyrics are simple and straightforward, and sometimes also whimsical and witty.

9. Never Had No One Ever

For those who never have any romantic relationship with anyone, worry not. Morrissey understands us. In this song, our stories are told, we are not alone, we got The Smiths 🙂

10. Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now

The anti-hero in this particular song complains that he always feels miserable, misunderstood, and disappointed by life. He’s probably asocial and pretend to be nice to people for the sake of politeness, but it’s killing him inside. Yup, that’s our Morrissey, and that’s our anthem, or at least my anthem.

11. Accept Yourself

So much insecurities in this song, it’s when we constantly questioning and doubting ourselves. I’m sure that happens a lot to many of us, especially in this digital era. We can’t resist to not compare our lives with others and then feel low about ourselves.

12. Asleep

The second saddest song of The Smiths in my opinion. It’s like the protagonist here has finally come to terms with life: to surrender. He’s lonely and tired of everything and ready, even gladly, to go.

13. This Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore

It’s easy to disregard what others’ going through and maybe laugh at it. But when we’re finally in their shoes, we realize it was no joke at all. And what we used to consider funny is actually awful. I think it is what this song is about.

Those are my favorite songs from The Smiths because they hit so close to home. Morrissey somehow can describe my struggle and ennui through his whiny lyrics, and I admire him for that. Life is unfair, and we have to accept it. Some people are luckier than us, some are more miserable. Some people get the privilege of living a normal and common life, to be one of the people. But misfits like me, we hide in our shelter, too afraid to step outside because last time we do we got beaten so bad. And we can only crave what it feels like to live the way most people do, and then we feel bad about ourselves and drowning in self-pity. And Morrissey understands us dearly.

30-Day Song Challenge (Part 3)

On By pramoedyasolarisIn Music List (Daftar Musik)Leave a comment

DAY 21: a song you like with a person’s name in the title

Lagu kesukaan yang memakai nama orang di judulnya: Sparklehorse – Maria’s Little Elbow

Kalau saya disuruh menyebutkan lima band terfavorit, sparklehorse adalah salah satunya. Band ini menurut saya cukup underrated. Coba periksa di reddit, tidak banyak thread tentang band ini di sana. Sang vokalis, Mark linkous adalah seorang underappreciated genius with a tortured mind. 

Yang saya suka dari lagu Maria’s Little Elbow adalah liriknya yang sangat relatable dengan kehidupan saya. Ditambah penggunaan nama “Maria” di situ. Saya cukup mengidolakan sosok Mother Mary, sehingga nama Maria sendiri memberikan jejak yang membekas secara personal pada saya. Lirik dari lagu ini menggambarkan tentang seorang bernama Maria yang kesepian dan harus menanggung beban hidup yang berat di pundaknya, sendirian.

DAY 22: a song that moves you forward

Lagu yang mendorong saya untuk bergerak maju : Jimmy Eat World – The Middle

Lagi, yang membuat saya suka lagu ini adalah liriknya. Selain musiknya yang asik untuk joget lompat-lompat, liriknya sangat cocok untuk orang pendiam yang pernah socially anxious seperti saya. Untunglah, semakin dewasa saya semakin less anxious. Lagu ini sudah menjadi jam yang manjur untuk menyemangati diri saya sendiri.

DAY 23: a song you think everybody should listen to

Lagu yang menurut saya semua orang perlu mendengarnya: Ryuichi Sakamoto – Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

Saya paling speechless kalau disuruh mengungkapkan pendapat saya tentang this particular piece of music. Indah, benar-benar indah. Menawan, sungguh-sungguh menawan. Musikalitas Sakamoto tidak perlu dipertanyakan lagi. Tapi karyanya yang satu ini, bisa membuat yang mendengarnya dibanjiri rasa bahagia sekaligus haru. Apalagi kalau dipadukan dengan keindahan alam, benar-benar terasa surreal.

DAY 24: a song by a band you wish still together

Lagu dari band yang kamu harap masih bersama: Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd memang memiliki sejarah yang cukup rumit. Syd Barret, salah satu pendirinya, harus meninggalkan band karena diduga mengalami skizofrenia akibat penggunaan obat-obatan yang berlebihan. Banyak juga perseteruan internal akibat Roger Waters yang terlalu mengontrol anggota-anggota lain. Bahkan sampai sekarang katanya Roger Waters dan David Gilmour masih belum baikan. 

Meskipun demikian, ketika talenta mereka digabungkan, terciptalah karya musik yang menjual namun juga tetap mendalam. Ini adalah kombinasi yang sulit ditemui sekarang. Musik yang menjual biasanya cenderung dangkal, suara yang repetitive dengan beat yang asik ditambah lirik tentang cinta, galau, seks, hura-hura dan sebagainya. Sementara musik yang lebih kompleks dengan lirik metaforis dan puitis hanya diketahui oleh orang-orang tertentu. Di situlah keunggulan Pink Floyd. Musik mereka dapat dinikmati banyak orang tanpa harus mengkompromikan sisi seni mereka. Entah karena mereka ada di era yang tepat, atau memang itulah yang menjadi daya tarik dari mereka.

DAY 25: a song you like by an artist no longer living

Lagu kesukaan dari musisi yang sudah meninggal: Leonard Cohen – Come Healing

Yang saya suka dari lagu-lagu Mr. Cohen adalah liriknya yang mirip ayat-ayat di kitab suci. Membuat lirik sekaliber wahyu Tuhan tentunya bukan hal yang mudah dilakukan hehe.

DAY 26: a song that makes you want to fall in love

Lagu membuatmu ingin jatuh cinta: Björk – Pagan Poetry

As sad as it sounds, lagu ini sangat emosional. Ini bukan lagu tentang cinta yang indah ataupun bahagia. Ini adalah lagu tentang cinta sebelah pihak dan kekecewaan. Namun, cara Björk dalam membawakan lagu ini membuat pendengar benar-benar bisa merasakan torture yang dialami tokoh yang dinyanyikan.

DAY 27: a song that breaks your heart

Lagu menghancurkan hatimu: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart

Di saat bagi yang lain cinta itu menyatukan dua orang insan, bagi Ian Curtis, sang vokalis, cinta itu justru memisahkan. Dilema Curtis dalam memilih untuk tetap bersama istrinya atau berpindah ke orang yang dicintainya tercermin dalam lagu ini. Ian Curtis menginginkan keduanya, ia ingin tetap bersama istrinya juga orang yang dicintainya, tapi itu tidaklah mungkin. Ia tersiksa oleh dilemanya ini, juga epilepsi yang dideritanya yang membuatnya kewalahan menghadapi popularitas, hingga akhirnya ia mengakhiri hidupnya.

DAY 28: a song by an artist whose voice you love

Lagu dari musisi yang suaranya kamu sukai: Portishead – The Rip

Saya menyukai suara dari Beth Gibbons, vokalis band trip-hop asal Inggris, Portishead. Dari semua suara penyanyi wanita yang sebenarnya bagus-bagus, hanya suara Beth Gibbons yang benar-benar membekas bagi saya. Saya suka cara bernyanyinya yang santai namun juga tampak sangat terhanyut dalam lagu yang ia nyanyikan. Dan dalam lagu The Rip suaranya sangat syahdu untuk didengar. Oh iya, lagu ini juga lagu yang sangat amat saya sukai. Musiknya membuat kecanduan dan liriknya sangat puitis.

DAY 29: a song you remember from your childhood

Lagu yang kamu ingat dari masa kecilmu: Coldplay – The Scientist

Video klipnya yang berjalan mundur benar-benar mind blowing, confusing, sekaligus annoying bagi saya yang masih kecil dan polos hehehe.

DAY 30: a song that reminds you of yourself

Lagu yang mengingatkanmu pada dirimu: The Smiths – Accept Yourself

Sebenarnya ada banyak lagu yang mengingatkan saya akan diri saya sendiri karena syarat utama sebuah lagu untuk dapat make it to my playlist  adalah harus relatable. Saya mendengarkan musik lebih ke tujuan katarsis hehehe. Mendengarkan lagu yang relatable membuat saya merasa tidak sendirian, tidak aneh-aneh amat, dan kadang wallow in my own misery. Tapi yang pertama terbersit ya lagu dari The Smiths ini. Salah satu band terfavorit saya karena musiknya yang asik dengan sentuhan gitar a la Johnny Marr dan juga lirik dari Morissey yang hampir semuanya relatable dengan saya haha.