About That's How People Grow Up vs. There's A Light Never Goes Out

[Cudweed]

Hi

It just hit me the other day, that there could be a kinda connection between That's How People Grow Up and There's A Light Never Goes Out. It seemed as if Morrissey had thought his latest single as reaction to the mentioned 1986 song. I mean the imagery of a car crash and thoughts about partnership is a central issue in both lyrics. What do you think, - could there be a connection in your opinion? And has Morrissey said anything in anything in the any interviews ...?

- It would be a quite daring and brave thing do, distancing himself from his past like that- & surrender to a new way of thinking. I mean not many artists would do the same, I think. And by the way There's A Light Never Goes Out appear to be such an "important" song.

Cudweed

 

[Kewpie]

I'd suggest you to read earlier threads of the song:

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=78324

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=81776

 

[Maurice E]

Yeah, both songs do indeed evoke car-crash imagery. I'd noticed that.
But 'There Is' does it with poetic agility and poignancy and 'That's How' does it with clumsiness and clunkiness!

 

[konstantinl]

Hasn't intertextuality been discredited?

 

[Vauxhall95]

- It would be a quite daring and brave thing do, distancing himself from his past like that- & surrender to a new way of thinking. I mean not many artists would do the same, I think.

Not really following you on this one... It seems to me he has “…distanc[ed] himself from his past like that- & surrend[ed] to a new way of thinking,” on many occasions. Compare the teenage angst of “The Headmaster Ritual” to “The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils,” or “Suffer Little Children (a commemoration of the dead)” to “Ambitious Outsiders.” I don’t believe the irony is lost on him, quite the contrary. It seems to validate the interview in which Morrissey talks about writing songs, and the vital importance of writing down everything. Every emotion, every momentary opinion, or reflection. The end results can be head scratching at times, but I think it just goes to show you cannot judge the artist’s character because of his works.

 

[Anaesthesine]

Hasn't intertextuality been discredited?

If there was ever an intertextual artist, it's Morrissey (even though he denies it ).

 

[Worm]

There are lots of intertextuals around-- not that there's anything wrong with that.

By the way maybe the car crash eroticism marks him as a J. G. Ballard fan. Hey, I can dream.

 

[jesuisbryony]

I see the connection but I would have said they were opposites,
'That's how ..' is saying it doesn't matter if you're alone because something worse could easily happen I was driving my car ..... things worse in life than never being someone's sweetie. Wheras in 'There is a light...' he's clearly saying that he doesn't care if he dies because he's with the person he loves. So really he's contradicting himself but he does that a lot.

 

[the judge]

Hello again cudweed

Interesting thread.

 

[Danny_]

Morrissey is a story teller. There's no reason at all he should be consistent. It's quite possible and logical for him to be able to write two songs in the same day that express totally opposite points of view.

 

[Joshu's Mu]

With respect to "THPGU", I've been thinking lately about how this song is a pretty remarkable slam on much of Moz's own (prior) preoccupations, personal and professional, i.e., the attainment of love, etc. Is he really telling HIMSELF to grow up, or telling US that he has already? For a performer who relies so much upon his image, this is telling piece of work, and perhaps even a brave one.

 

[Orson Swells]

Interesting point. It's a great song. And if you take the two as linked (as they are because Morrissey wrote them both) then the Morrissey of There Is A Light... almost wishing for the romantic crash to happen, has experienced the crash by That's How People Grow Up and has as a result, erm, grown up. He now realises his former romantic notions were naive and unrealistic an unattainable.

 

[chrisarclark]

THPGU is not deserving of any inspection or analysis deeper than a single listen followed by an automatic dismissal. those who are debating its connection and contrast with TIALTNGO are really wasting their time

the most poignant contrast to be observed is that TIALTNGO is arguably Morrissey's greatest song ever, while THPGU is certainly one of his worst.

 

[dunya]

I was wasting my life
Always thinking about myself,
Someone on their deathbed said:
"There are other sorrows too."

I was driving my car,
I crashed and broke my spine,
So yes, there are things worse in life than
never being some-one's sweetie.


I always thought the lines

I was driving my car,
I crashed and broke my spine,
So yes, there are things worse in life than
never being some-one's sweetie.

were part of the quotation, that is, the singer is reporting that someone on their deathbed was saying that to him.

So the singer is accepting that other people see things differently and that always thinking about yourself can prevent you experiencing the things you are seeking.

Or maybe the singer isn't as horny as he used to be and is passing it off as "maturity".

 

[Joshu's Mu]

THPGU is not deserving of any inspection or analysis deeper than a single listen followed by an automatic dismissal. those who are debating its connection and contrast with TIALTNGO are really wasting their time

Hey, thanks so much for giving me perspective on my life. I hadn't realized how misguided I've been until your obnoxiously superior posting. Please keep spreading your pomposity: it really helps!

 

[chrisarclark]

Hey, thanks so much for giving me perspective on my life. I hadn't realized how misguided I've been until your obnoxiously superior posting. Please keep spreading your pomposity: it really helps!

your welcome- anything ican do to help....