This track, stuck at the end of the LP, is easily overlooked, but is perhaps the most ambitious song of the lot. Having skewered stereotypes and laid bare a certain lifestyle on ## 1-13, Skinner ditches the humour and goes for broke with a message song. "I ain’t no fuckin’ preacher and I ain’t no do-goody-goody either" he argues, but of course he is preaching, after a fashion, and good on him.
The secret to this song’s success is the tone of address he chooses. On the album thread, david h noted that, on other cuts, Skinner has the ability to slip smoothly from one persona into another without breaks in the flow. Here, he moves between the « You » and the « I » perspective equally seamlessly. And I think he uses the device to cleverly avoid becoming (too) patronising. (Try mentally reversing all the occurrences of these two words in the narrative – so that the « I » perspective is the person whose life is shit, and « You » are the guy who’s (for now at least) got it together. Wouldn’t he sound like an insufferable ‘complaint rocker’ that way round, railing against life’s injustices? Isn’t that how pop normally serves up its social commentary ? Not here.)
Musically, the song’s about as ironic as you can get. It’s supposed to be a hymn to positivity, yet sounds as desolate as Joy Division’s "The Eternal". That cascading harp would sound joyous in another context, here it mocks. The locked grooves that book-end the song are the rut we might all be in someday. "Just try and stay positive" goes the refrain, and it feels like a cry of desperation. Or a challenge, maybe: huh! YOU try and look on the bright side!
― Jeff W, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)
When I found myself liking this song, I knew that I'd turned around a
lot about the way I was listening to the album as a whole. Initially
some of the jokier stuff grated on me, the "sensitive" stuff seemed
out of place, and this track seemed lost and very weak. Now I'm more
agreeing with you Jeff (the word ambitious leapt out at me), and I've
dropped my guard on the (initially) overbearing qualities of the
other songs, which are just evidence of variety. Considering the
debut nature of this album this variety of the narratives is
impressive.
― Alan Trewartha, Tuesday, 16 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)
OK, listening to this right now and writing 24 style. First thing
that strikes, is the dejected, not laid back lethargic but not
anaemic sound of his voice. Lost the zest but completely full
bodied. Cold, almost, in its delivery compared to the 'personality'
of all the other tracks. It's almost spoken word. But, still, not.
Thinking: Tricky, Maxinquaye, Feed Me - Dunno why. I'm listening to
this standalone, but it heals better when listened in
sequence.
Like on Maxinquaye, Feed Me, the reprieve after the Dark Night of the
Soul BUT it is a monologue about a Dark Life of the Soul.
It doesn't sound smug, cos he's helping the person he's singing to
NOT preaching NOT condescending IT'S brilliant. And that halo-swirl
of harp-guitar is utterly brilliant. The clipped piano outro,
bassamoondo reprieve, fade, stop.
― david h, Tuesday, 16 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)