» OLD MESSAGE ARCHIVES «
The Pop Culture Information Society...
Messageboard Archive Index, In The 00s - The Pop Culture Information Society

Welcome to the archived messages from In The 00s. This archive stretches back to 1998 in some instances, and contains a nearly complete record of all the messages posted to inthe00s.com. You will also find an archive of the messages from inthe70s.com, inthe80s.com, inthe90s.com and amiright.com before they were combined to form the inthe00s.com messageboard.

If you are looking for the active messages, please click here. Otherwise, use the links below or on the right hand side of the page to navigate the archives.

Custom Search



Subject: Can someone please explain?

Written By: shadow_weaver (Guest) on 01/02/03 at 01:00 a.m.

Can somebody please explain what the song "How soon is now?" about? ::) I'm pretty good at figuring what songs are about but this ones is confusing to me.

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: John_Seminal on 01/02/03 at 01:28 a.m.

Is that the song by the Smiths?

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: Lula on 01/02/03 at 10:49 a.m.

This Smiths' song is about solitude and failure to meet someone to love.
It's a world wide hit besides speaking about gay relationship.

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: Lula on 01/02/03 at 10:52 a.m.

They were cool like other gay groups: Erasure, Soft Cell, Pet Shop Boys,...

(Well, I think I had to write it to show I don't have anything against gays or whatever...)

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: Absolutely_Vile on 09/25/03 at 08:01 a.m.


Quoting:
This Smiths' song is about solitude and failure to meet someone to love.
It's a world wide hit besides speaking about gay relationship.
End Quote



Who says it was speaking about a gay relationship? "How Soon Is Now" is about loneliness and the longing for companionship. Morrissey does not speak of any particular gender...just "somebody." He is also speaking universally (meaning he is not just speaking for himself, but on behalf of lonely people everywhere), so how could he have just been speaking of a gay relationship? As for it being a "world wide hit," well, it didn't exactly chart very high, did it? It's certainly The Smiths' most well-known song though, but I really don't know how much of a hit it was in its time. It's just one of those rediscovered treasures. Now if only some of their other songs could gain the same notoriety...

Absolutely Vile

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: Absolutely_Vile on 09/25/03 at 08:16 a.m.


Quoting:
They were cool like other gay groups: Erasure, Soft Cell, Pet Shop Boys,...

(Well, I think I had to write it to show I don't have anything against gays or whatever...)
End Quote



If you mean "gay groups" in that certain members of the groups were gay, well, your examples are accurate; Erasure and Soft Cell both have gay men as part of them (Andy Bell and Marc Almond, respectively). I'm not sure about Pet Shop Boys. But how can you call The Smiths a "gay group" in the same respect? Morrissey has never, even to this day, confirmed his sexual preference, and he'll probably take it with him to his grave. Yes, there are certain songs ("This Charming Man" being a great example) that would seem to indicate that Moz is gay, but he has never actually come out and said that he is. He never proclaimed to be anything. People can speculate all they want about him, but he's never admitted it...unless I've missed something.

If you mean "gay groups" in that these groups, The Smiths included, had a large gay following, then I'd say you're right. But I highly doubt that every boy that would climb the stage to hug Morrissey...even now...is gay!! :) You can put Depeche Mode in this category as well, since they have a huge gay following...and none of its members are gay themselves.

Absolutely Vile

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: stingr22 on 09/26/03 at 10:06 p.m.

You know, this whole conversation opens a whole new can of worms.  It seems that whenever a gay musical artist sings a song, everyone assumes that it is about another gay person or whatever.  It seems like I heard quite a few years ago that Morrisey was gay.  I can't confirm this, so don't ask.  

I am not particularly a Smiths fan, but I do like some of their music.  I am straight and don't really think of gay relationships when I know that gay artists are singing.  I appreciate good music for what it is:  good music.  

Back in the 80s I was a teenager.  I listened to all kinds of music (still do).  Whenever my friends saw my music collection, they would just laugh.  Whether it was "gay sounding momma's boy music" or harder more "manly" music, I listened to everything.  Rock, pop, jazz, country, R & B, whatever, it all dependes on what mood I am in.  Everybody needs to stop being so homophobic and like what they like.  It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks.  It's about your own unique interests.  

And in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: Bobby on 09/28/03 at 07:50 a.m.

Quoting:
I am not particularly a Smiths fan, but I do like some of their music.  I am straight and don't really think of gay relationships when I know that gay artists are singing.  I appreciate good music for what it is:  good music.  
End Quote



I believe that is the right way of looking at this issue.

I used to get a bit bothered by the fact that a lot of the music I love is from gay people - a lot of groups mentioned above. I love a lot of Stock, Aitken and Waterman's music not realising that it originated from something called 'Gay Disco'.

Now I just think 'I like the music' and that's that. I can't change what I like.  :D

Subject: Re: Can someone please explain?

Written By: Absolutely_Vile on 09/28/03 at 09:37 a.m.

Who really cares whether music is gay, straight, black, white, whatever? It's MUSIC!!! If it sounds good, you like it! You'd have to be bloody ignorant to not like certain music, or music by a certain group just because of what they are. If their music sounds good to you, it doesn't matter. As for what songs are about, I don't bother trying to analyse a song to death because it takes away from the enjoyment of it. Some songs are blatantly obvious ("Meat Is Murder," for example), but again, it doesn't matter. What matters is, "it's got a good beat and you can dance to it," the music sounds good to you. A song, lyrically, could be mindless pop drivel, but it can sound really really good musically. I love Duran Duran,  but has anyone ever tried to figure out what most of their early songs mean? I'm not sure it's possible, but the music's great!!! They created music for people to dance to, not for people to sit down and analyse their meaning. People should not bore themselves with such things. Just sit back and enjoy! And if the lyrics to certain songs touch you in a certain way (like Morrissey's lyrics do to me) that's just an added bonus.

Absolutely Vile