The Smiths - Handsome DevilOne of The Smiths' first-ever tunes, 'Handsome Devil', was supposed to be featured on the band's eponymous '82 debut LP. In fact, it would have been included amongst the (now classic) eleven tracks, if not for endless rumors circulating that the demo's lyrical content embraced pedophilia, forcing the band to scrap the recorded version of the tune shortly before the album was officially released.
When asked by NME about the true meaning behind 'Handsome Devil', Morrissey exclaimed that 'the message of the song is to forget the cultivation of the brain and to concentrate on the cultivation of the body'. In spite of the growing controversy surrounding the record, it was later highlighted as the B-side to the 'Hand In Glove' single, and subsequently, the Peel Sessions version was contained on the 1984 compilation, Hatful Of Hollow. It was also the tour-opening tune on the vast majority of Smiths gigs throughout '83.
Also of note, the song paraphrases the line 'there's more to life than what you read in books' from Chapter 2 of Kurt Vonnegut's masterpiece Slaughterhouse 5. Check out the track below and tell us what you think.
MP3: The Smiths - Handsome Devil
0 comments:
Post a Comment