"Girlfriend in a Coma" was my introduction to the Smiths and I thought it was gorgeous. Yeah, it seems a little slight now in comparison with some of their greatest songs, but I'm still giving it a 5/5. One of thier funniest songs and great melody.
"There were times when I could have murdered her" accompanied by the caveat "But I would hate anything to happen to her". Simple irony or borderline psycopathy? I envisage the patient and the doctors together in the secure unit. And I really hope she pulls through.
Coma... A proper pop song..subverted with that macabre lyric.. a nice summer breeze in 1987 before the storm of officially announced SPLIT..if I remember correctly the last Smiths release before the news of Johnny's departure... 4/5
Girlfriend in a Coma - A classic juxtaposition of a fluffy, slight pop (by their standards) tune with Mozzer's contradictory lyrics. It almost sounds like they were parodying themselves .... except it works. 4.0/5
Sorry I'm a wee bit behind...had a busy few days. "I Started Something...." - 4/5, spoiled by the electronic drum sounds but otherwise, this should have been the first single from the album. Probably wasn't due to being, effectively, a rockier "Sheila..." "Death Of A Disco Dancer" - 5/5 - oh, to hear this now and think where they could have gone....and Morrissey's lyric unnervingly prescient given how Manchester's club culture developed in the 3 years or so that followed. "Girlfriend In A Coma" - 2/5 - today, this feels like their weakest single and by a distance. Musically, it's pretty but insubstantial and the synth-strings are too harsh against the otherwise gentle musical backdrop. The lyric is the start of a pattern which would continue throughout Morrissey's solo career, in which the title tells you everything the song has to tell you and also the start of a teetering on the tightrope of self-parody, one which he would fall off repeatedly in the years to come.
I will give it 5/5 beacause is a beautiful song, but the lyrics are a bit forced and ridiculous imo. I had a friend who didnt like The Smiths and this was the song he used to mock the band beacause of the lyrics, and he had some reason.
Death of a Disco Dancer - this one seems kind of a waste but honestly works more to show The Smiths were getting to a point where songs could be carried instrumentally, along with some of the tracks they did in 1986. 4/5, I admit I haven't looked into the meaning much. Girlfriend in a Coma - My favorite on here to this point, it's so insubstantial but the delivery, the atmosphere, and those Christmas like strings and bells in the "do you really think" section are just perfect. I don't know what it is, maybe it's because it only lasts 2 minutes and dragging it out would of ruined it. 5/5.
Today's song is Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before: A great tune from Johnny and a very powerful production would surely have led to this being a decent sized hit if the Hungerford massacre had not led to its release being cancelled. Morrissey's lyrics are fine, but his contribution is overshadowed by the music. And whatever anyone might think about Mark Ronson's version, it introduced the song to a new generation and remains the biggest chart hit Morrissey and Marr have ever penned. 5/5
"Stop Me...." Probably the second best track on the album for me (after "A Rush..."). Lots of yearning melancholy in the tune and the guitars, and I especially like the bridges between the verses with the acoustic strums. The lyrics are OK although a little untidy in places. It's a track that I look forward to hearing, which can't be said about many on side 2. I'll give it 5/5, although it's one of the lower 5s. (First I've ever heard about a version by Mark Ronson. Can't say I'm enthuastic about looking it up.)
Stop me .... The single that never was (in the U.K.) , down to Hungerford. Crops up again with Mozza song Michaels Bones. Love the guitar solo , short and sweet , perfection. And another 5/5..a great side 1.
Stop Me is a 5/5 - this is a top 5 Smiths song for me. The ringing guitar intro is a thing of absolute beauty and the vocal/lyrics are perfect over the gorgeous layered guitars. A shining gem in the Smiths catalog.
Stop Me If You think You’ve Heard This One Before. – My favorite Smiths songs by just a hair over “There Is a Light That Will Never Go Out”. It’s hard to compare those two songs because they impact me in different ways. As for “Stop Me”: The melodies are irresistible and plentiful. The lyrics are hilarious. “And So I drank one that became 4, and when I fell on the floor I drank more”. Not sure I’ve heard a song mention the “Spleen” before either. The verses are perhaps my favorite verses of any song. I love the transitions and song structure. Everything about this song is smooth and effortless. Love the guitar outro as well as the jangle guitar throughout. One of the most perfect songs I’ve ever heard. It uplifts me every time I hear it. 5 out of 5.
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before": OK, for me this isn't just an album highlight, nor is it merely a career highlight - this song is a highlight of the whole damn history of rock music. It's that good! First off, you've got a monstrous intro (and outro) that immediately commands attention. Then, the verses are based around one of the coolest riffs of Johnny Marr's entire career, and Morrissey's great vocal melody propels it even further into the stratosphere. And when the verses shift into that wildly gorgeous vocal-less section, it's like goosebump city. That part, with its shimmering web of jewel-like guitars ringing out gorgeous chords and sublime melodic accents, is so damn beautiful, so melodically and harmonically rich, that it totally slays me every time I hear it. It's so wistful, evocative, and dreamy. And I even adore the fake synth bell melody that occurs when they play this section for the second and third times; I don't care how dated/80s it sounds. And when this part ends, it slams dramatically into another stupefyingly cool riff to segue back into that awesome verse. Everything about this is so amazing that it makes my head spin. (It's a fun song to play on guitar too!) Andy and Mike turn in a wonderfully energized performance. I love those rhythmic bursts that punctuate the verses, which give added emphasis to Morrissey's vocal delivery and lyrics. The lyrics are great. I like how they have this rambling storytelling quality. Great imagery too. The production, the layers of the arrangement, the cool, beautiful, and sophisticated melodies - it all fits together to make an exceptional song. This really should have been a single instead of "I Started Something," as for me it's the superior and more single-worthy track. It was released as a single in Germany, the Netherlands, the US, and a few other places, so at least the labels who licensed their work in those countries got it. (I like how in the US, the label took the video for "I Started Something..." and simply the swapped the music for this song.) This track is an incredibly strong 5/5, and further proof of how on Strangeways The Smiths were at the top of their game. For me, this immensely creative and wonderful song easily makes their top 10.
It's a ludicrous song, really, and it balances on that line that I find so often with Morissey's lyrics, in that I'm never quite sure when the humor is intentional and when it's unintentional. Are we laughing with him, or at him? Or some of each? And does it matter?
No, it doesn't matter what he is singing because the melody and the music is so compelling. If he were singing nonsense syllables, it'd be just as good.
I'm glad so many others love this song. For me it's far and away the best thing on a patchy album (plenty of good stuff spread through it, but it really runs out of steam towards the end), and on some days it's the best thing they ever did. Everything about it is muscular, melodic and compelling, with enough hooks to fuel an entire album. I hate rating / ranking things, because so often it takes the place of actual discussion, but this is one of the band's 5/5s for me.
this track is interesting personally, as it was technically the first time I've ever heard The Smiths when I was 13. I'm showing my age here but anyway this track is on the setlist on Rock Band 3. I got it at release and the songs on disc at the time mostly left me cold, this included. I saw the track title, the cover art, the bit it plays before you select a track and thought "this is some 80s garbage, the singer sounds awful and that cover is terrible too. 1987? Pass" I will still admit to the cover art being kind of terrible anyway. So fast forward 8 years and I actually got into the band proper. One of the first songs that clicked with me was... Stop Me If You Think you've Heard This One Before. Needless to say something happened (listened to hundreds of records from the 70s/80s during my late teenage years and after mostly) and I love this track. The vocal melody plays off of Rourke so well, the lyrics I often quote in my head at random, usually the "And so I drank one it became four, then I fell on the floor and drank more" or "And the pain was enough to make a shy bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder, who said I lied to her?" and that's another thing, I love how the song has a odd chorus structure. It opens with it, then uses it as a basis for it's first verse, and it's second verse, and then comes back to it's opening with the solo ending it. The actual melodic structure isn't that complex, but the method of using it to the effect it manages is quite great. I'd like to mention how at the end of each verse, the way the song has a bit of a dreary tone for about 10 seconds then gets started again. But, this one is easily one of my favorite tracks they did. Incredibly strong 5/5
Stop me . . . Pavol says it all again with this up-tempo treat. This song fires on all cylinders. Fine lyrics. Fine singing. Fine guitar work. This is time capsule material. Want to know what identifies Smith's music? Here you go. An essential piece to the puzzle. 5/5
Stop me - 4 for me. I like it, especially the line ‘so I drank 1 it became 4 and when I fell on the floor I drank more’ My head says it’s a 5 but I’ve heard it too much so my hearts not as into it I like the verses but not that intro part
STOP ME, OH OH-OH STOP ME from giving this too high a ranking. I think it's a good album track but individually can't hold a candle to some of the others. I will give this one... 3/5
Stop Me If You think You’ve Heard This One Before - As I'm from Wiltshire I remember very well the Hungerford, England massacre. This really should have been a single, as it is the most single friendly track on the album. Everyone is on full cylinders on this great track. I thought Mark Ronson did a great job reviving the track and taking it to a new generation, so providing a gateway back to The Smiths back catalogue. 5.0/5
