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The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths · Barber Cuts: Beats and Bars

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Welcome to Barber Cuts, Beats and Bars.
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We're a father and daughter music podcast that slices into
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some of the greatest albums, one cut at a time.
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With no industry ties or formal training, just a shared love of
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music, we explore albums across genres, writing favorites and
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skips while digging into what makes each one iconic.
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I bring the beats. And I bring the bars and
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together we deliver real talk and fresh takes from both sides
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of the sound. They are Riley.
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And I'm Todd, and welcome to this week's episode of Barbara
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Cuts. We're talking about The Smiths
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and their album The Queen is Dead from 1986, and this is Take
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Two. We're having Internet problems,
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so hopefully this goes decently. We'll see.
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So let's get into it, Riley. What are your least favorites?
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OK, one of my least favorites was some girls are bigger than
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other other girls or some girls are bigger than others.
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I can't remember right now. I don't know if this means
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something deeper than what it is, but which?
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Is which let's let's go ahead and say this, which through
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which throws me for a loop because that's different than
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the first one you mentioned in our first take.
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Yeah, so. So you may get back to that one,
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but we're just, you know, just so you know that.
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That was also a mistake. That that threw me for a loop 1
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of. My least favorites.
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I can explain that why later. Yeah, why that got mixed up.
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Some girls are bigger than other girls.
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I don't know if this means something deeper.
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At first glance, I didn't really look into that.
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And if it does, props. If it doesn't, even if it does,
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I'll say it's not a song I would necessarily play around other
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people, which is bold because I'll play some weird stuff
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around other people. This one, just as like at first
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take of it, is a very strange little song.
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It sounds all right, but it's it doesn't like stand out to me
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compared to some of the other songs to begin with.
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Tagged along with some of the lyrics are just strange.
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However, very funny to listen to the lyric.
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Some girls mothers are bigger than other girls mothers are
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like that's just a funny thing to like put in a song.
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Don't quite understand it. Don't know if I will, but that's
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why I became one of my least favorites.
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I agree. My other least favorite is Big
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is actually Big Mouth Strikes Again.
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I previously said it was Cemetery Gates.
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The reason for this is as I'm listening to it, once I decide
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what song is a least favorite favorite, I screenshot it and I
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I screenshotted the wrong 1. So Big Mouth Strikes Again is
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actually what my other least favorite is.
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Which again, is still funny because it does talk about death
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a lot, which usually is my genre for music.
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We've learned. Apparently.
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However, this one is just so graphic that it's uncomfortable,
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which is like kind of the charm of it, I would say for people
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that would like this song. But opening with I was only
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joking when I said I'd like to smash every tooth in your head.
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Just like makes my body like hurt and I keep kind of saying
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stuff like that and then it just repeats the same thing over and
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over again. But it's it's almost like too
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uncomfortable for me, which again is impressive, but I just
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don't like how vivid the images were.
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It kind of, which is shocking, which again accomplished their
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goal for the song, but for me in terms of enjoyment of the song
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made it pretty low I would say. And understandable.
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Yeah, my 2 least favorites, 1 vicar in a Tutu, the in both of
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mine. Really, I would say musically
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seem out of place on the album, so just playful tunes.
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Country, rockabilly just seems out of place.
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The other one, frankly, Mr. Shankly, this one may be one of
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one of your favorites because it immediately reminded me of our
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my nemesis from The Beatles, Maxwell Silver Hammer seems to
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be a surfaces song and and so like once you've I'll put in
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quotes decrypted the lyrics, which I'm sure that will be a
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common theme with this is the lyrics.
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But once you've decrypted, what do you means on the lyrics
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there? They don't provide that much and
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for me, neither did the the the tune.
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So those are my 2 least favorites.
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Favorites Riley. So I will say frankly, Mr.
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Shankly and Vikriniti 2 were not in my favorites, but I didn't I
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didn't hate them. I did enjoy them for the same
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reason that I kind of liked Maxwell Silver Hammer is because
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on an app they don't necessarily fit on the album in that
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context, I'll give you that. But listening through, frankly
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Mr. Shankly happens kind of at the beginning, so it is a little
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strange. Vicar and a Tutu though is kind
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of nice after listening to some of like the really sad songs and
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then you kind of just get like a more upbeat like Vicar and a
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Tutu. That that is true.
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It is kind of a nice break. That that refreshes.
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You. What is it?
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3 through 7 is kind of lyrically kind of gloomy.
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Yeah. And heavy, I agree with that.
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So I, I, I was OK with it because it was kind of a breath
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of fresh air. But going to my favorites, one
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of my favorites was Cemetery Gates.
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I screenshot at the wrong one at the wrong time.
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So I misspoke. That's why I stopped immediately
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because I was like, no, that's wrong.
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This is what I accidentally said was one of my least favorites.
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What a lovely little tune. I know we just said that these
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songs are kind of sad, but this one is just one that kind of
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gets stuck in your head, Especially the part where it
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says Keats and Yates are on your side, kind of drawn out and the
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way he like voices, certain things like wild.
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It's very pleasant to the ears and I just really liked it.
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The lyrics are a little, I guess I would say almost apocalyptic
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or like, I don't know how to word it.
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It's almost like a hopefulness and lack of hopefulness because
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it's kind of talking about how like everyone comes and goes,
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lives and dies. Like reading all these names,
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like kind of the coming and going of it all is at least how
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I kind of got it. And really experiencing that at
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cemetery gates, going around and breeding headstones and kind of
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having this realization that like people lived and like there
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were these lives, but they're dead now.
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And life just keeps repeating. There's always a new person.
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There's always a new thing. And so it that sentiment feels
8:29
very hopeless, but the music and the feeling of kind of
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experiencing that with someone else almost feels hopeful.
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So it's kind of a really neat dichotomy that kind of happens
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in the song for me at least, that I really enjoyed.
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And I could be way off on my interpretation of that, but
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that's my interpretation. So there you go.
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And then my real favorite going into probably know happiness is
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I know it's over, which I know it's over.
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To me, I'm I'm going to say it is equivalent to the discovery
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of crown of love. For me, this song is that level
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for me. It is a beautiful song about
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something so sad, similar to crown of love.
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Beautiful song, but the lyrics are beautiful, the singing is
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beautiful, the slow kind of song to it, it's just a beautiful
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song and the like desperation in his voice is really conveyed.
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And also, funnily enough, similar to Crown of Love
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references the mother like kind of like these grown men in
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heartbreak are going back to their moms and being like, I
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don't know what to do, man. Because in Kind of Love he talks
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about like his mom is kind of trying to get him to move on and
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he keeps trying to have to hide things from his mom and being
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like, I moved on, I'm fine. And then I guess it's just kind
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of a beat. Like I just really like the
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song. Really like this song so I know
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it's over. Was my favorite off the album.
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Well very good. So my 2 favorites, two that I
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were that I was hopping back and forth between and and was hoping
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that you would pick. The other one was There is a
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Light that Never Goes Out, which is like their biggest song ever.
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It's 1 billion streams. I did not pick that one.
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So we're going to maybe ignore their biggest song.
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But my other favorite is also, I know it's over followed,
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frankly, Mr. Shankly. So maybe I was just ready for
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any other song that came after that.
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I just switch up to warn you guys.
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If you listen to. This album in order, that's a
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switch up. That is, that is definitely a
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switch up. It's slow.
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I have the same thing written down.
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Reminds me of Arcade Fire, even though this album came two
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decades before Arcade Fire. So really the reverse.
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But in in our listening order, we hit that funeral by Arcade
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Fire 1st and and because it's slow, the just like you said,
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the the lyrics to what caught me right off off guard.
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And so the first song, you know, Oh, mother, I can feel the soil
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falling over my head. You can feel the pain in his
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voice throughout and and this grim outlook with that first
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line. But there's also this self
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deprecating humor that popped up in places.
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And so I'm I'm going to skip through and and play a couple of
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them where it says, if you're so funny, then why are you on your
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own tonight? And if you're so clever, then
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why are you on your own tonight if you're so very entertaining?
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And so it, it's, it's one of those things where it's to me,
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it, it, it almost gives this vibe of this person that is
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thinking way more highly of themselves than they really are.
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But yet in the same sense, they're suffering from massive
13:16
bouts of loneliness and, and just suffocating because you get
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that, Oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head.
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And then I'm going to Fast forward to the very end where
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it's built through the entire song.
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And so now you hear this just sadness and him, you know, the
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antagonist of the song basically crying out to his mom saying
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like, I'm being buried alive by whatever it is, I'm being buried
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alive. So that was that was one of
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them. And and that repeats a few times
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throughout the. Song that voice crack is so
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good. Yeah, it's his voice again, much
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like The Cure and Robert Smith and Arcade Fire.
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Yeah, you can feel the emotion through these through these
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lyrics. And you can still hear it going
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in the background just to turn it up a little, the wailing.
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And that's the last one as it as it goes, but such a good song.
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And my other favorite one, again, it's an upbeat song and I
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like the acoustic at the very beginning.
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And it really the the acoustic guitar at the very beginning.
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I'm saying all this before I start playing it so that you can
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hear it because it it hits into lyrics pretty quickly.
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And here we go. And so there we go.
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This is Big Mouth Stripes again, which is one of Riley's least
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favorites because. It like.
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She can't appreciate good music, but maybe it's because I don't
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look at the lyrics like she does and so I missed what it was.
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But it's got, it's a very energetic song, but the drums
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aren't in your face. It's got that little elevated
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voice in the background. The helium voice.
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Yeah, that's him just pitched up, which is which is kind of
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funny and right here got a little little guitar solo in
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there. And then it's you know, I went
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back later after after the song grabbed me and looked at the
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lyrics and and saw, oh, this is kind of heavy.
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And and from what I gathered is it's really a self deprecating
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song about himself because he felt that he would always, he
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felt he was socially awkward and always say the wrong things in
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public, around the media and around people.
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Hey man, you're writing songs like I Know It's Over in Big
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Mouth Strikes. Again, you're going to be.
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Off to the lay of the land of the.
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Music. And so in in this song, he is
16:47
actually big Mouth, so that's kind of funny.
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And then there's another little musical bridge here.
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Fast forward real quick that hits and just about 15 seconds.
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Which is just a big ship and in in the middle of the song there
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and then it gets back up. Another song like that little
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thing never happened. So those are my 2 favorites.
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I know it's over and this one big mouth strikes again.
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Yeah, I think Big Mouth Strikes Again is a great example for the
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two of us that one of us listens to lyrics and one of us listens
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to music because musically it is a great song.
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Yeah, and like I said, I went back and looked at it after the
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fact, but it's the music that hooks me in first and then I'll
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go look at the lyrics. And sometimes it's like the
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lyrics do ruin it for me, but a lot of times they they don't.
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I always, I just kind of interpret it as the kind of like
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it. You read it almost as a story or
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listen to it almost as a story going from a few songs before
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being I know it's over and kind of the concept of being still so
18:14
in love with someone, but knowing that it's over.
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Almost like in between he said a bunch of things that he didn't
18:22
mean, like the you deserve to die essentially is what he says
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at the very beginning. That was like, I was only joking
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when I said you deserved these horrible things, but a song
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almost felt like a oh, I said that to hurt you, and it worked.
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And big mouth strikes again. I've lost.
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Yeah. Something and and and comparing
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himself to being to Joan of Arc and and her martyrdom.
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Yeah, so. Also saying that she had a
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Walkman, well, was it Walkman? Figurative being him.
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I know, but that's funny imagining Joan of.
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Arc that's a, that's a little that, that's a little humorous.
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Yes. In in the heaviness of what's
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going on around the around it. So it but and there's there's,
19:16
yeah. That happens a lot.
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Around here in, in, in the song. Yeah.
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So. All right, So why should people
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go listen to this album, Riley? I would just say, well, it's
19:37
it's sad a lot. If you like lyrics, there's a
19:41
lot to unpack. Yeah.
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Sometimes it it, the unpacking leads you to kind of nonsense,
19:47
which you mentioned earlier. But sometimes it leads to a
19:50
pretty good thing. Yeah.
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And lyrically and his voice, I would say if you like the cure.
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Yes, that's what I was. You'll pick up on this.
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You may not like the overall music because I was playing it
20:11
with for Mama Barbara and she wasn't as much a fan of this as
20:16
she is the Cure and and she was explained it's the music around
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it. It is different, but if you like
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the deep lyrics and you like that voice, I mean, it instantly
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hit the Cure for me. Yeah, the lyrics in the voice
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are very The Cure. I would say if you if your ideal
20:35
music was the Cure with slightly more instrument like slightly
20:41
more music I guess would be the word.
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To me, The Cure just feels very like their music is very.
20:51
It's more ethereal and orchestral and slowing and soft.
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This is, yeah, this is way more. It it so the The Smiths come out
21:04
and, and not, not this particular album because it's
21:07
late 80s, but the, the, The Smiths come out of that post
21:13
punk, British post punk. And so they've got some of that
21:18
fast moving, but it's but it's not necessarily punk.
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So don't let. Yeah, the witch.
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Punk throw, throw, you know, scare you away from it.
21:28
Seriously, don't. I saw it described somewhere as
21:34
so, with the cure being a lot more ethereal to me.
21:39
The Cure is a lot more grounded in the pain and kind of
21:44
suffering that they write about, like the sadness that they write
21:47
about. A word that I loved that they
21:50
described someone, I don't remember who or I would credit
21:54
them, described this Smiths with.
21:56
It's almost like their music can at times be like almost frantic
22:01
in the way it comes across. It's not soft.
22:04
The pain is a lot more like frantic, like trying to figure
22:07
it out where The Cure almost seems to have it figured out.
22:11
And that would be like the difference that I feel on it.
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The this miss feels a lot more reactive where the Cure feels a
22:21
lot more coming to terms like those are just the small
22:24
differences, the way that I can describe them.
22:29
And I, I really do think like if we're talking about it in terms
22:35
of like sad songs, when would you listen to which one during
22:40
like a breakup, say, because of the punk influence, I guess
22:46
we'll say The Smiths is a lot more like the kind of hurt and
22:51
anger you feel at the very beginning where the Cure, Like,
22:56
to me, pictures of you is not something you would write in the
22:59
immediate aftermath of someone passing or losing someone.
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That's something you write years after you've lost this person.
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I can see that. Like where it says the the
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Smith, I know it's over and kind of love is something you write
23:14
within the week of losing someone to me because it's it's
23:18
so reactive. And I really do appreciate that
23:22
about a lot of the Smith songs as they feel almost frantic in a
23:27
good way of like feeling things and writing about them.
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Big mouth strikes again. He noticed a pattern.
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He wrote about it like it feels so in the moment, real.
23:37
Yeah, I agree. The the other thing that you
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reason that you may want to go listen to this is if you are an
23:48
indie rock fan, they are one of the front runners.
23:54
You know, some of these genres, it's hard to know, oh, that's
23:57
the album, that's the band, whatever it is.
23:59
Because so, you know, they were pulling from so many things at
24:02
the same time, but they're among the front runners.
24:05
They're, you know, several others, The Smiths, R.E.M. bands
24:09
like that. So if you if you like the indie
24:12
rock scene, go back listen to this album but some of the other
24:19
Smiths album as well. Yeah, I also.
24:22
Think front runners of that that movement.
24:24
Yeah, which I love. Indie rock.
24:27
I love indie. We've talked about this during
24:31
the Arcade Fire episode, which we recently replayed.
24:36
My favorite indie founders, like the core that I have is like
24:44
Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Bright Eyes. 3 bands with
24:49
men with weird voices and I think all of them kind of
24:53
reference The Smiths as a direct inspiration.
24:56
Arcade Fires actually covered The Smiths at their concerts.
24:59
They credit one of their songs. I think Still Ill is the song
25:03
they credit as being the reason he wanted to make music in the
25:05
1st place. Like So yes, Arcade Fire, maybe
25:10
not musically, but voice wise and lyric wise probably is very
25:14
close to The Smiths in a lot of ways, but the sound is very
25:20
reminiscent of kind of what you would see with their especially
25:24
unfortunately in this case, strangely in this case is with
25:29
big mouth strikes again. I would say in this instance it
25:35
it was almost too uncomfortable for me or it was too
25:38
uncomfortable for me. But in an aeroplane above the
25:43
sea, in neutral Mole Hotel, they really and with some bright
25:47
eyes, draw on the very uncomfortable imagery to kind of
25:54
push emotion into their song, which is what makes it not
25:58
enjoyable for some people and makes it more enjoyable for
26:02
some. So lyrically, I could see it in
26:07
a lot. Also, if we're talking about big
26:13
media reasons that someone should listen to The Smiths.
26:16
If you like or hate 500 Days of Summer the movie, listen to The
26:21
Smiths. True.
26:24
If if it's a horror movie or a love movie to you, yeah, listen
26:28
to The Smiths because both of them love The Smiths, but in
26:31
very different ways. Speaking of liking, if you like
26:37
the Queen and the monarchy, do not listen to this album.
26:41
Yeah, well if you like the Queen of Monarchy you don't listen to
26:44
anything post punk or punk like. Yeah, so very few songs.
26:50
After the punk scene commented on the Queen.
26:53
If the out if the album name didn't give it away, I just
26:56
let's be honest about it. You know, you're, you may not,
26:59
you may not like this one, but you know, Speaking of that, and
27:03
we've already talked about it lyrically, this is a this is a
27:07
wonderful album, however much of it may be missed on an American
27:16
audience, since a lot of the lyrics are specifically British
27:21
and, and things that maybe they might only pick up on some of
27:26
it. I picked up on after I was
27:28
started doing some research. Some of the others, the the you
27:31
mentioned Keats and Yates and and and poets and things like
27:35
that. So you do, you do the Queen and
27:38
the, and the monarchy. So you, you do see a lot of
27:40
that. And, and so if, if some of the
27:43
lyrics, you know, if you're not familiar with the British scene
27:51
of the 80s, a lot of this may be, you know, a lot of a lot of
27:56
the lyrics may be missed on you. But you know, it's however all
28:04
of that to say that it is still emotional and vulnerable and
28:13
explores those themes of loneliness and unrequited love
28:18
that that everybody knows, that everybody knows.
28:25
And so you can feel those those things coming through.
28:28
Like I said, his voice and sometimes with matching music
28:34
that is slow and other times with fast upbeat music that
28:39
you're bopping your head singing a sad, sad song, you know.
28:44
So it's it's it's, it's really good.
28:48
I also. Think in that way.
28:51
We've we've listened, obviously every artist attempts to pull on
28:55
some of their influences, some of their surroundings, even if
28:58
they're trying to make a very general song.
29:01
But we saw a lot of this with Arctic Monkeys.
29:04
Even lyrically, they reference a lot of things that like really
29:07
go over even people in England's head unless they lived in like
29:11
the neighborhood. Like that's just kind of how it
29:14
is sometimes. And I was thinking about this
29:17
recently, Noah Khan in a lot of his music he references like
29:23
specific street names to like his neighborhood.
29:26
Like past Alger Brook Rd. There's a reference in the new
29:33
album to like a place where past a truck, stuck on Starro,
29:39
Harvard team run, like all of these things.
29:41
And well, like immediately my brain doesn't think of something
29:47
looking into it. It's like common things from
29:50
where he lives. And that kind of happens with
29:54
like The Smiths in the 80s. And talking about things that
29:57
they relate to or that they've read or that they've seen really
30:01
adds like a, a tenderness to the music that I do appreciate it.
30:07
It takes a little bit of effort maybe to feel that tenderness,
30:11
but to speak from someplace that's so like immediately known
30:14
to you is like invites the listener in a certain way to
30:19
experience it as well. Even if they don't experience it
30:23
every day in person the way you do now, someone gets to
30:26
experience it musically and. You're you're.
30:30
Sharing that experience, and I just think that's a neat little
30:36
yeah, welcoming someone into your life, it's a very
30:40
vulnerable thing to do, even if it's talking about poet that you
30:44
read like, yeah, sometimes that's just a vulnerable
30:47
experience to share. Yeah, so.
30:49
The IT it the album is. Vulnerable here.
30:53
Yeah, the album did spend 22 weeks on on some of the UK
30:57
charts it peaked at #2 And and this is not an album that has
31:03
one a lot of awards or accolades, but yet, critically
31:10
speaking, it is consistently listed by music critics, music
31:15
magazines, things that do that type of stuff as one of the best
31:21
albums of all time. So, you know, that is just
31:25
another reason to go and listen to it.
31:28
And then my last one will be a metaphor.
31:32
If you enjoy roller coasters, this is an album for you
31:38
musically. Yeah, musically and lyrically,
31:42
and and we've kind of talked about it somewhat.
31:45
You, you, you've got aggressive, you've got comedy, almost
31:52
slapstick music, musical almost type of, of songs, deep, slow,
32:00
you know, humor, driving rock, the rockabilly that we
32:06
mentioned. You've got emotional and and we
32:10
haven't really talked about there is a light that never goes
32:13
out, but that's probably the peak of the album really.
32:19
And so it it it is quite the ride of different music and
32:26
lyrics. Which is very funny.
32:31
If you've ever listened to my music in my car, you will know I
32:38
put I listen to my like songs and I shuffle it.
32:41
I'm that maniac. I don't have playlist.
32:43
I've made a playlist for Mama Barbara and also you listen to
32:47
it. I've heard and she's mentioned
32:50
there's some whiplash there. You, you know, the, the best
32:55
that I've ever had is a Linkin Park song followed by an Owl
33:00
City song. That was probably the funniest
33:02
back-to-back that I've experienced so far based on my
33:05
music. But so this album does very much
33:09
feel like that where you go from the Queen is dead to frankly,
33:13
Mr. Shankly to I know it's over. And it's like, Oh yeah, there's
33:17
a lot of feelings in here. And and all three of those are
33:20
very different. Yes, that's why I mentioned
33:23
those 3. Specifically, yeah.
33:25
And they're the 1st and they're the first three, you know?
33:27
There is a light that that never goes out to some girls or bigger
33:31
than others. Like even that it's like a.
33:34
OK. Cool, like there's just a lot of
33:39
the the back and forth. So I would agree, if you like
33:42
roller coasters, if you like listening to your like songs on
33:45
shuffle and don't make playlist, this could be an album for you.
33:50
There well could be. All right?
33:52
Anything else? I don't think so.
33:56
No so best beat and bar Riley? What is your most favorite lyric
34:03
from the album? So I mean, I wish I could have
34:10
branched out maybe and chosen a different song because I've
34:14
talked about it enough, but my favorite lyric does come from I
34:19
know it's over. She loves you.
34:27
I don't know where else I can go so that I'll let it just keep
34:39
playing because it's a good song.
34:42
One of my favorite parts is the though She needs you more than
34:45
she though she needs you more than she loves you.
34:49
And I know it's over. Still, I cling.
34:51
I don't know where else I can go to me summarizes the song in a
34:55
lyric. It's it's kind of this
34:57
realization. The way I interpret it is almost
35:02
talking to himself, especially the end where it's the if you're
35:05
so funny, why are you on your own tonight?
35:07
If you're all these things, why are you on your own?
35:10
Like it could be talking to someone, but it almost feels a
35:13
little introspective to and other parts of the songs feel
35:18
like that a little bit as well. But this one, it almost feels
35:23
like the realization that she's she's fulfilling a need for me
35:32
from the artist more than she loves him.
35:35
And he's realizing that and he knows that it's over.
35:38
But the feeling of like, still I'm here because I don't know
35:42
where else to go is such a vulnerable thing to admit.
35:47
But I think almost everyone has felt something like that,
35:51
whether in a romantic love or friendship.
35:53
Like knowing that it's probably over or there's not that
36:00
connection there anymore. But still being like, I don't
36:03
know who I am without it anymore, or I don't know where
36:06
to go. I don't.
36:07
I don't want to have to restart over, like all these emotions,
36:12
but it's a very vulnerable thing to admit of being like, yeah, I
36:16
know it's bad, but I'm here because where else can I go?
36:22
And then funnily enough, I do also like the the lyric where it
36:28
does kind of repeat. It's so easy to laugh.
36:30
It's so easy to hate. It takes strength to be gentle
36:33
and kind over, over and over and over.
36:38
And it repeats it again but says it takes guts to be gentle and
36:40
kind. Yeah.
36:42
That's a good lyric. I mean, the lyrics can go on and
36:45
on and on. You could talk about almost
36:47
every lyric from this song and say it's a vulnerable lyric.
36:51
It's an incredible lyric. But saying that as well,
36:58
especially, it is kind of funny following it up with, again, a
37:01
few songs later, the one song that's like, if I could crush
37:05
every tooth in your head, I was just kidding.
37:09
Like, all right, man, maybe let's go back to it takes guts
37:12
to be gentle and kind. But all right, I digress.
37:17
But yeah, I wish I could have branched out because there's so
37:20
many great lyrics in the song or in this album, but I know it's
37:26
over as my truth. Yeah, so before I get to best
37:31
beat I because it doesn't happen all that much for me and I
37:38
wanted to give it a mention. There is a light that never goes
37:41
out. So if you got anything to say
37:44
about it, now's your time to say about it.
37:46
But Speaking of lyrics, this is how fast these lyrics switch in
37:56
a song of theirs. And, and again, you know, I, I
38:01
took this as this is, this is to to me a song that is that
38:08
unrequited love that he loves somebody that they don't
38:11
necessarily love him back. And so there's a verse.
38:17
And again, this, this is uncomfortable and and morbid.
38:22
And if a double Decker bus crashes into us, to die by your
38:26
side is such a heavenly way to die.
38:30
And if a 10 ton truck kills the both of us to die by your side,
38:34
well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine.
38:37
And then it says, oh, there's a light that never goes out.
38:40
There's a light that never goes out.
38:41
But then also he talks in that same song about Take Me Out,
38:49
take me anywhere, I don't care. And in the darkened underpass, I
38:54
thought, oh God, my chance has come at last.
38:58
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.
39:04
I'm like, that's really good to be able to say I love, like to
39:11
to die next to you is would be my privilege.
39:15
I love you so much. But yet we're walking in the
39:20
park and we go under an underpass or whatever it is, and
39:23
I'm like, here's my chance. And then fear gets me and I let
39:28
the moment slide. Like that's so good and again,
39:33
sad and again that that's one of those where the the music is a
39:38
little bit slower, but that's a that's a really good song.
39:42
Yeah, also the driving in your car, Please don't drop me home
39:45
because it's not my home. It's their home and I'm welcome
39:48
no more. It's like such a like you really
39:52
got thick. Thick.
39:54
Yeah, but yeah, no, I did really enjoy the song and that's what
39:56
I'm saying. Incredible lyrics to it was like
39:59
the the backup. To it and I I'm glad you
40:03
mentioned it because yeah, incredible lyrics.
40:06
But if I was being true to what lyrics really gripped me, it was
40:11
the I know it's over, but the prep, the pleasure, the
40:14
privilege is mine. Yeah, it's such a yeah, it's
40:18
good. And again, lyrically talking
40:21
about something that is uncomfortable to grab your
40:24
attention and drive home the the point that it's like.
40:29
Yeah, I guess. I can see that.
40:32
Yeah, I guess. So.
40:33
The difference for me and I'm just now I'm piercing it
40:36
together is I I do enjoy it when people talk about something very
40:45
sad or uncomfortable, like or picking something pretty like
40:51
gruesome, like a double Decker bus crashes into us or a tin ton
40:58
truck kills the both of us. Like very in your face about it.
41:01
But then following it up with like, it's such a heavenly way
41:04
to die, like softening it, attempting to soften something
41:08
very gruesome. Because I'm sitting next to you.
41:12
It's it's a heavenly way to die. Yes, it's a It's a very
41:16
beautiful and hard thing to do and I very much appreciate it
41:20
when songs do it, which it's why I just really like it.
41:26
But but sometimes, like the other one, they don't soften at
41:33
all and they just say, I was just kidding.
41:36
Yeah, when I said that. Yeah.
41:38
It's like OK. So my best beat is actually the
41:44
opening 45 seconds of the album and the song is The Queen is
41:51
Dead after the album or the album after the song.
41:56
And so I play it, but it it starts with this nostalgic
42:02
sounding clip from a 1916 song from a play, and then it's
42:10
interrupted by feedback from the guitar that just stays there.
42:16
So it's that constant high pitched feedback.
42:21
And then some aggressive drums kick in as guitar strums for a
42:25
second or two and and then about 45 seconds more, say, start
42:29
singing. And the rest of the song is very
42:36
in stark contrast to the nostalgia and really a lot of
42:40
the rest of the album, and it is as well.
42:43
It's in contrast to the nostalgia, the nostalgic feeling
42:48
that you get from the first, first opening, maybe 10 seconds.
42:52
So here's the song. It's like kids, you know, and
43:10
you can just see again, Liverpool leads or Birmingham,
43:16
There's the feedback drums. Notice that feedback is is still
43:25
there. And so now he's about to start
43:41
to sing, so you can see there's a Are you making something?
43:53
No, sorry. Oh, there was some crashing
43:56
going on. I handle beside me.
44:00
So you can, you can, you can even hear from this that it's
44:04
not like the the feeling that you get from the first bit, but
44:10
I really like the the way that it opened of we've got this old
44:17
timey and quotes feeling, but yet we're about to RIP that out.
44:27
And and that is essentially what what they did, whether that be
44:31
through through music, through lyrics, through whatever it is
44:36
they did that for for the album. So that brings us to ratings.
44:43
Riley, what are your ratings? I'm, I'm saying, I'm saying 9.5
44:58
for both. Oh I know.
45:01
I really liked this album. Which should surprise no one.
45:04
They're like a pinnacle indie rock band, and I famously love
45:09
famously, famously love Andy Rock.
45:12
So it should surprise no one that I really like this album.
45:19
I enjoy it on pretty much every song, and even the song that
45:25
made me uncomfortable, Big Round strikes again.
45:27
I would listen to it, you know, like, least favorite does not
45:31
mean hated ever. And I would still listen to it
45:36
still added into my like songs. I added the entire album.
45:39
I really enjoyed this album. I only counted off the .5 is
45:44
because I may listen to it but it may still really make me
45:47
uncomfortable. So, but I, I really enjoy this
45:52
album and I think it would be hard to criticize other than
45:56
kind of what you talked about with some of the songs maybe
45:58
feeling like they don't fit. When you have such a strong
46:01
album, even if a song is kind of a nice relief or release away
46:09
from some of the emotion, there's also some risk that it
46:15
sounds off or it sounds strange in the midst of everything.
46:21
But I mean, it's, it's a strong album for me, a strong indie
46:27
rock album. And therefore I really liked it
46:32
and enjoyed it. And also indie rock has a lot of
46:38
critical praise. And I mean, it does not surprise
46:41
me that they don't technically have a lot of awards or names to
46:45
go along with it. Most of your indie rock bands
46:47
won't because it's in. It's a you got to like it.
46:54
Yeah, it's the nature of what it is.
46:57
So my objective rating is a nine just because you know, it, it it
47:04
is what it is. You you mentioned a lot of what
47:09
you like is the indie rock. And so it's one of those things
47:12
that without The Smiths, that stuff is hard to come by or
47:16
takes longer to get to, you know, whatever, whatever it is,
47:20
because I'm not saying any rock would have never come along, you
47:24
know, but all music matures. And so it needs to start when it
47:28
started to get to the point where it is now.
47:32
And and so you know, yes, I give it a nine on personal rating.
47:40
You mentioned you added all of these to your like list.
47:43
I did not add any. It's a six for me.
47:48
You know, I think a lot of it any, any time where I think that
47:57
songs or an album is going to require me to be invested into
48:03
the lyrics for it to be really good, it's going to fall short
48:06
for me. Now that's a shortcoming maybe
48:10
on my part, OK, I can admit that.
48:13
But in just listening to it, you know, yes, it is a roller
48:19
coaster of of songs as well. And some of those, but again,
48:25
it's a little bit softer than what I would normally go to.
48:30
Again, I didn't hate it, so it wasn't like I got to turn this
48:35
off right away, but it just wasn't my favorite.
48:38
So 6 on the personal rate for me.
48:44
So next brings us to Song of the Week.
48:53
What is? Your song of the week.
48:55
Are you laughing at me? Because you're you're end of the
49:01
is making all kinds of like you're moving stuff around.
49:05
Oh, I think I'm just fidgeting a lot.
49:07
Yeah. Sorry, guys.
49:10
That's all right, professionals. So my song of the week is
49:18
Whatever You Want To by Annabelle Dinda, a female
49:22
artist. Big for me.
49:26
I don't listen to that many, though I should.
49:30
I'm gonna say first. To me, it just sounds like a
49:33
very summary song. It was just released June 15th.
49:36
It's such a good summer song and I'll play it with that kind of
49:43
premise. Just a fun song about just being
49:48
willing to do whatever the person you like wants to do
49:53
like, but just a really good beat, good melody, really good
49:59
voice. And I think I just like the the
50:07
way she plays with the voice, the kind of up and down that
50:10
they do or that she does. I just enjoy and the chorus is
50:18
good. A little bit more poppies than I
50:26
usually do, but there's something to it that makes it
50:30
distinct to me, kind of the fry of the voice at certain points.
50:34
The kind of playfulness of the song is very fun and I maybe I
50:40
liked it a lot because I listened to it while listening
50:42
to an album like The Smiths that listening to the song was like,
50:46
this is a happy song. I wouldn't.
50:49
I wouldn't normally peg this one for you.
50:52
No, no, but I just, I, I think it's, it's a sweet little song
51:00
that's just like, it just kind of talked feels like being in a
51:09
having a crush, like doing whatever they want.
51:12
It like says I'll become a champion runner, follow like a
51:15
dog in the summer, like just kind of following this person.
51:21
And then one of them is talking about debating who would be a
51:24
better boxer at like 5:00 AM with the stupid conversations
51:28
you have with someone and like a young crush.
51:32
And it's just a fun song. That feeling is very fun, and I
51:36
think it does a good job capturing that playfulness.
51:40
So yeah, whatever you want, Whatever you wanna.
51:43
By Annabelle Tinda. OK, mine is also a summer song
51:51
and but specifically this summer.
51:57
So we are recording the day after the good old US of A has
52:04
won their Round of 32 World Cup game before the game against
52:10
Belgium. So I hope this lives well.
52:15
But seeing this song sung, my fans just watch it on TV gives
52:22
you chills. Sing it Country Rd.
52:25
Take Me Home. Yeah.
52:35
So go US of A World Cup got the fever really John Denver
52:45
officially the name of the song is Take Me Home country roads,
52:49
but everybody calls it country roads.
52:51
John Denver from 71 But. I'll, I'll say this, you and I,
52:58
you and I can say whatever we want about country music, hate
53:02
on it as much as we want. Not this song.
53:05
And I would argue sometimes I may not agree with the whole
53:08
song or I don't know, whatever your stance is, Proud to Be an
53:13
American is also sometimes a beggar of.
53:15
A song. So we can.
53:17
Hate on it like. Country roads is not one that we
53:20
can necessarily hate on, I don't think.
53:22
You know, and, and it's also great because like, you know,
53:27
our our head coach is not American.
53:32
He's Argentinian and he sounds Argent.
53:35
There's nothing about him that even I'll put in quotes because
53:39
I may get in trouble for it sounds American and they asked
53:44
him about it. He's like, I am 200%
53:46
Argentinian. But when this song is playing,
53:49
you can't help but get swelled up and seeing him sing the song,
53:53
hugging those players like it it is, it is something else.
53:57
So the also another shout out to a group that we've done The
54:07
White Stripes and the song 7 Nation Army.
54:10
So in the post game, all the people were singing that chorus.
54:15
And so again, we talked about it that if you've never heard seven
54:19
nation army, you probably have you just didn't hear any of the
54:23
lyrics. You just heard that, that iconic
54:26
beginning of the song. And then the other thing that I
54:30
like about this one that I found was neat is I'm a Manchester
54:33
United fan and United family, and they also sing this and they
54:41
tweak the lyrics a little bit. Take Me Home to Old Trafford.
54:46
So that was kind of neat too. But good old John Denver Country
54:53
Roads is my song of the week. Go USA beat Belgium.
55:01
That now concludes our patriotic portion of this podcast.
55:07
What is our next album? Maybe not, depending on what you
55:12
consider our next album. I'm excited for because most of
55:18
the time, when you look at best albums of all times, this one's
55:20
from the top five in some way, shape or form, at least the ones
55:24
that I've seen. Top five.
55:28
Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. Oh, Beach Boys.
55:31
OK, Yeah. And I would say.
55:35
But goody. I would.
55:38
We're The Beach Boys American. Uh oh.
55:42
We're The Beach Boys American. They they feel they feel very
55:48
American. Take what take take what you
55:51
want from that. But to me, I don't think we're
55:54
ending with patriotic ending the patriotic country rose.
55:58
I think we're continuing it on, but with Pet Sounds by The Beach
56:00
Boys. I'm like Beach Boys and just
56:04
like surf, you know, the first song that I thought of was
56:07
Surfing USA. So like, they just feel Southern
56:10
California. Yeah.
56:12
So I didn't know that was the song on this album.
56:16
Do what? I knew the song.
56:17
I didn't know that was the song of the song.
56:20
So what do we got? Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys.
56:29
So go listen to Which Sounds by The Beach Boys.
56:33
We can talk about this more in the next episode, but going into
56:36
this, everybody be aware that really my only awareness for The
56:42
Beach Boys is really specifically from Full House.
56:47
The Beach Boys gets referenced in a few episodes.
56:52
I think someone really likes The Beach Boys or they're joined
56:57
like a Beach Boy cover band or something along the lines.
57:00
I'll look into it and see what it is, but the way I really know
57:04
The Beach Boys is from reruns of Full House on Nick at Night.
57:10
Very good and I, and I'm not sure I don't, I don't think
57:13
Surfing USA is on this album, but.
57:15
OK on one of the albums. I don't know The Beach Boys
57:19
discography all that great, but we'll.
57:23
Discover it together. Yes we will.
57:25
So Barbara cuts pod on Instagram, Facebook.
57:32
Also, if you prefer to watch and see our beautiful smiling faces,
57:39
you can do that over at YouTube. If you don't just listen to us
57:45
wherever you get podcasts, Barber cuts podcast, Barber cuts
57:53
beats and bars. Trying to think of the official
57:56
name that you may have to search for the beats and bars, but
58:00
other than that I got nothing else.
58:03
I'm Tom. And I'm Riley, and this was
58:06
another episode of Barbara Cats.