Track-by-Track: From Please to Nonetheless

[tottenhammattspurs]

The KLF’s UFO Mix of this track is my favourite of all the PSB mixes. It’s just so brilliant in every way.

[Drico One]

Track 56: Miserablism

Chronology: Behaviour, Further Listening, Track 3

The b-side to Was it worth it? - and arguably as good. The sentiment - which is very easy to misconstrue - is oblique, and only really reveals itself later on. In that sense, I think it's one of those songs that sort of backfires on the writer. Teenagers of a certain age and disposition would very likely have taken much of this at face value, especially as the message was coming from "the most miserable men in pop." It's very seductive, appealing to one's fatalism and you are left to wonder if this "philosophy" is one that our hero subscribes to. Perhaps the real brilliance of the ambiguity is to be found in the sense that while much of the self-indulgence described is vaguely comical, it accurately reflects the tragicomedy of teenage life. It's also, therefore, a commentary on the artificial depth of miserablist musicians.

Chris, in my view, gets a little dogmatic about albums having a sound - but he was right to veto this for Behaviour, if only because it was so resolutely electronic. That said, there is a lovely lyricism in the verses that, combined with Harold Faltermeyer's production, elevates this into the upper echelon of PSB b-sides. It's probably better remembered than it's accompanying a-side.

Drico.

[Patrick Bateman]

Track 56: Miserablism

Chronology: Behaviour, Further Listening, Track 3

The b-side to Was it worth it? - and arguably as good. The sentiment - which is very easy to misconstrue - is oblique, and only really reveals itself later on. In that sense, I think it's one of those songs that sort of backfires on the writer. Teenagers of a certain age and disposition would very likely have taken much of this at face value, especially as the message was coming from "the most miserable men in pop." It's very seductive, appealing to one's fatalism and you are left to wonder if this "philosophy" is one that our hero subscribes to. Perhaps the real brilliance of the ambiguity is to be found in the sense that while much of the self-indulgence described is vaguely comical, it accurately reflects the tragicomedy of teenage life. It's also, therefore, a commentary on the artificial depth of miserablist musicians.

Chris, in my view, gets a little dogmatic about albums having a sound - but he was right to veto this for Behaviour, if only because it was so resolutely electronic. That said, there is a lovely lyricism in the verses that, combined with Harold Faltermeyer's production, elevates this into the upper echelon of PSB b-sides. It's probably better remembered than it's accompanying a-side.

Drico.

I think the sound would fit on Behaviour but maybe the uncertainty about how sincere the narrator is would be problematic on such an honest album. Seriously is often cited as being out of place as it is.

With this and GAWI, Neil really was fascinated by Morrissey at this time, wasn't he?

[leesmapman]

Lovely track.

For a long time I only knew the Moby remix which I oddly like a lot (because I usually hate these ego remixes).

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[Drico One]

I think the sound would fit on Behaviour but maybe the uncertainty about how sincere the narrator is would be problematic on such an honest album. Seriously is often cited as being out of place as it is.

With this and GAWI, Neil really was fascinated by Morrissey at this time, wasn't he?

Neil has always written from a perspective of romantic sincerity - which to this day is misunderstood. I imagine he found much of Morrissey's dramatics entertaining - but largely insincere.

I could never take Morrissey seriously as a lyricist. That's not to say he didn't write some brilliant and hilarious couplets, but his shtick was largely preposterous to me and good for a laugh more than anything else. Neil, by comparison, tended to leave the preposterousness to Chris ("let's cover Go West" and "segue U2 with the Boystown Gang"), so you had these romantically sincere lyrics accompanied by hugely bombastic slabs of musical ostentation. Even Rent, for all it's knowing connotations, is fantastically sincere and hugely romantic. It has layers that, say, You're the one for me, Fatty never did.

Morrissey, to me, was the Emily Dickinson of pop lyricists. And I, even as a teenager when this stuff was supposed to appeal to me, hated Emily Dickinson's juvenile obviousness. "I felt a funeral in my brain", indeed. Give me the proper misery of Gerard Manley Hopkins any day.

Drico.

[nonesuch]

Track 57: "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend"
Behaviour: Further Listening, Track 5

Bumping this in memory of Krysia...

Whisper round the town
'cause you're my friend
and that's the end
for you're the only one in town
that they would beg to hang around with
You're so beautiful and calm
but with an attitude that says
"Hands off, you're just not good enough"

[Patrick Bateman]

Neil has always written from a perspective of romantic sincerity - which to this day is misunderstood. I imagine he found much of Morrissey's dramatics entertaining - but largely insincere.

I could never take Morrissey seriously as a lyricist. That's not to say he didn't write some brilliant and hilarious couplets, but his shtick was largely preposterous to me and good for a laugh more than anything else. Neil, by comparison, tended to leave the preposterousness to Chris ("let's cover Go West" and "segue U2 with the Boystown Gang"), so you had these romantically sincere lyrics accompanied by hugely bombastic slabs of musical ostentation. Even Rent, for all it's knowing connotations, is fantastically sincere and hugely romantic. It has layers that, say, You're the one for me, Fatty never did.

Morrissey, to me, was the Emily Dickinson of pop lyricists. And I, even as a teenager when this stuff was supposed to appeal to me, hated Emily Dickinson's juvenile obviousness. "I felt a funeral in my brain", indeed. Give me the proper misery of Gerard Manley Hopkins any day.

Drico.

While I agree that Morrissey is/was prone to melodramatic flourishes in his lyrics, and did indeed often focus on a zinger couplet redolent of a lost vocation writing Two Ronnies' songs, he did also pen some incredible ones too. For example, This Charming Man's lyrics are as beautifully sparse as anything Neil wrote.

[Neilatrone]

Track 57: "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend"
Behaviour: Further Listening, Track 5

I absolutely adore this song. From the first time I heard it on the b side of the 12", I've never skipped in on any playlist.

[leesmapman]

Track 58: "We all feel better in the dark"
Behaviour: Further Listening, Track 6 (extended)

A Chris track through and through. A tribute to danceclubbing. Again, with the whole Behaviour era, a great b-side. The extended mix makes it even more steamy.

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[G_Goalden]

I said it on the pod that the "We.............(pause) all feel better in the dark" at 4' 02 of the Extended Mix is one of my favourite PSB musical moments.

I absolutely love this song - the piano, the relentless electronics, the "Get Down! Get Down", and the whole sleazy undercurrent.

And of course Chris stripped down to his pants and formation 'danced with a couple of boys' on the Performance tour.

Faultless.

[Xakrij]

Given this song's provocative nature, it's possible that the phrase 'feel better' could have a more tactile interpretation. 'Feel' as in 'grope' or 'palpate' are possible synonyms. If one chooses to procreate with the lights off, then one might 'grope, palpate, or feel' more successfully, accurately, or intuitively 'in the dark'. Sex is not a cognitive process. Like Nike says, "JUST DO IT. '

[TallThinMan]

The original title was “We all look better in the dark”, but they changed it because they felt that was too negative.

[Neilatrone]

Track 58: "We all feel better in the dark"
Behaviour: Further Listening, Track 6 (extended)

I love the Performance performance.

[Lleonard Pler]

Sexy, mysterious, beautiful yet menacing. One of their best tributes to clubbing alongside Vocal and Inner sanctum. The piano and the spaced singing by Neil perfectly contrast Chris visceral rapping.

I remember when I first listened to it on Alternative and was amazed that such an amazing track was only a B-side. It was probably there I understood how genius and talented the boys are.

[Neilatrone]

Track 59: "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)"
Behaviour: Further Listening, Track 7 (extended)

We can expect some commentary on this one.