Day 03 - The Wonder Stuff
Today's
song is a favorite of mine from the UK band, The Wonder Stuff. I've
loved this song since first hearing it back in the 90s, and I had to
include it in the maiden voyage of the Song Solstice series. Read on
to find out what this track is and what it does for me.
The
Wonder Stuff is one of many bands introduced to me by my eldest
brother. (Hi, Steve!) I'm not sure what the first song I heard was,
but I'm pretty sure the first listen happened just before or around
the time their album, Construction For The Modern Idiot, came out.
The first single for said album is today's featured track, “On The
Ropes”.
I
remember seeing the video on MTV's 120 Minutes (RIP; thanks for the
tunes and the memories!), and I managed to find a 2 song promo single
for it that is now currently missing from my collection. (It makes me
so sad... It had the song “Professional Disturber Of The Peace”
on it, which is a big favorite of mine and, at the time, was only
available on that promo and the On The Ropes EP. For a physical copy, it is currently available by a used copy of the EP or the promo, on one of the WS
retrospective compilations, and on the virtually impossible to get
self-released Construction For The Modern Idiot (The Demos) disc.)
Anyway... Where was I...
At first listen, this song was an
instant favorite Wonder Stuff track for me. The music, the vocal... I
was too young to really understand or relate to the lyrics, but I
still loved them all the same. Being the broken record that I am, I feel this entire track ought to have
been more popular. As an adult
and having a lot more experience, certain lines stand out from the
overall lyrical intentions and resonate as relatable inside me. 'My
central theme barks like a dog in me... ' ... 'I can't kick aside a
kick inside...'... So much YES right there. Doing a little digging
just now, it seems this song is about 'how things change and people
making mistakes' (according to this article; scroll down a bit to find it), which explains a little
about why this song hits me the way it does now. I'm almost 45 and
feel like my life has largely been a series of mistakes that left me
emotionally and mentally stuck while the constancy of change
remained relentless. I won't go into all that personal stuff here, so
it will suffice to say that this song has become an important one for
me, even without the full understanding of the actual meaning.
It's a
great track musically and vocally, the band hanging out the rock side of their folk-rock style, becoming a little more commercial in
the process. There were issues in the band--“D'you wanna know what
this fight's about? Commerciality over art can't win out.”--and
they broke up after this album cycle (they reformed many years
later). But, despite the problematics with shifting into a more
commercial sound, this song—and the whole album, really—kept the
spirit of what made The Wonder Stuff who they were. At least in my
view, anyway. I can feel the emotional grit and the conflict within
“On The Ropes”, which echoes what's inside me, and I appreciate
it immensely. I've been struggling to write poems and lyrics like I
used to, and it helps to have songs that echo what is lying beneath
my surface, whether literally or energetically. It means a lot to me
to have songs like this in existence, and I hope you can find
meaning in it for yourself. If anything, I just hope you like the
song.
Lyrics
Take these words and stick 'em in your
head
Now roll them round until you can't
forget what's said
Take this time to lie about everything
About who you are and who you've been
Don't let the world get in.
It's happened to me, it won't happen to
everyone
It don't give in, it will repeat, it will
repeat, it will
And my central theme barks like a dog
in me
The modern idiot is here and plain to
see
I can't kick aside a kick inside
Call off the dogs, I won't admit
I changed at all but lied just a little
bit
Seconds out
Do you wanna know what this fights
about
Commerciality over art can't win out
I'm alike in a lot of ways
I'm alike in a lot of ways
I'm alike in a lot of ways
It's happened to me, it won't happen to everyone
It don't give in, it will repeat, it will repeat, it will
And my central theme barks like a dog in me
The modern idiot is here and plain to see
I can't kick aside a kick inside
Call off the dogs, I won't admit
I changed at all but lied just a little bit
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
I'm alike in a lot of ways
I'm alike in a lot of ways
I'm alike in a lot of ways
On the ropes or on the floor it doesn't
have to be this way
On the ropes or on the floor it doesn't
have to be this way no more
~~~
Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music
(via Room512, unofficial fan site)
Disclaimer: All photo, music, lyrics, video, and artwork copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Photos, videos, and lyrics used for reference and informational purposes.
Photos, videos, and lyrics used for reference and informational purposes.
I'm not being paid by them to write this. I'm not a journalist or anything. I just love music.
(Posted on 23rd June 2024, backdated to 3rd June 2024)
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