Suede. Music. You know it makes sense.
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
(In the beginning, there was an introduction...)
I search the entire site, and would you believe, not a single entry on Suede..
I'm recitifying this right now.
This entry refers in particular to the fantastic and most recent album, Head Music.
Let's just fill in the background to this masterpiece, shall we?
First there was Suede (the album). Then came Dog Man Star. After which came a long restful period. 1996 (Or there-abouts (ie, I'm not too sure..)) saw the release of Coming Up.. followed by Sci-fi Lullabies. I will go in-depth on all of these albums at a later date.
And then, 1999 heralded the arrival of Head Music. Wow. I love this album. Seriously, I listen to it every single day.
13 of the best songs ever made.
Here we go track-by-track style...
01 - Electricity. The first single off the album, and a sign of good things to come. With a beautifully crafter (if not altogether original) video, this was some of the best Suede I had ever heard. The song is loud, with more guitar than you can shake a stick at. All electric style. It takes a bit of getting used to, but on maybe the third listening it all starts to make sense. Brilliant song. "We gotta love between us and it's like electricity" is the general message. Shake that head!
02 - Savoir Faire. Bret Anderson (vocals, and occasionally assorted instruments ranging from tamberine to guitar) says that this is his favourite song on the album. No doubt about it, this is a goood song. Starts off slowly, the vocals come in. You're attention is grabbed very early on the the phrase "Stupid as a mouse". Or "f*****g machine" may have something to do with it. I can't find a word to properly describe this.. It has a repetative beat in the background, which is noticeable, but also has some very interesting guitar work. "And she got everything she needs/And she got pretty pretty feet/And she got flowers in her hair (yeah yeah)/She got savoir faire... yeah, yeah"
03 - Can't Get Enough. You are gently and slowly eased into this song, instruments coming in one by one, and then the patented Suede "oo-OO-oo" haunting sounding singing type thing (you'll know it) kicks in. "I feel real, like a man like a woman, like a woman like a man". Bret is bisexual, so perhaps this song deals with that fact. It is another belter. Smiles all round.
04 - Everything Will Flow. The third single. And what a song it is. Can you say "violin"? This song is just great, a comment that you may as well just let things happen, and not get too hung up about them.. "A million cars, a million trains, under the jet plane skies".."Everything will flow". So take it easy, sit back, and enjoy the music. "oh-hooo-hohoho".. as it goes. Great music, vocals, lyrics - It gets better? Oh yes.
05 - Down. A slow, sad song, about depression. "All the people in your life say your down".. This song is... brilliant "Hey-heyhey, you chase the day away, heyheyhey, you draw the blinds and blow your mind away".. "And there's a sadness in your style, and there's a madness in your smile". As with all of Suede's music or this fashion, you can really feel what they are talking about. This is the kind of song that you just sit through and listen to. And maybe you sing along quietly to yourself.
06 - Asbestos. A nice change of pace now, as we hear Anderson complain - well, not complain.. more comment about the world in general, touching on topics such as prostitution, underage sex and overall the not-so-nice side of society. "Watching all the schoolgirls ... come along and having sex" ".. come in and cash the cheques" "Watching all the lovers, under covers..". A nice song, in its way. Not the best on the album, but still way up at the usual standard. Which is very, very high. G'wan Suede!
07 - She's in Fashion. The second single. Very, very good. It's about this woman who is all over the place on tv, magazines and whatever. "She's the face on the radio,". "She's the shape of a cigarrette" "She's the colour of a magazine.." Lovely song this, sung extremely well, even by Suede's bar. This woman has control over people "Ohho, and if she tells you two is one, then two is one, my love". "And she's in fashion/ oo, oo, oo-OO..."
08 - Head Music. Fantastic stuff if perhaps a little questionable. The words "Give me head. give me head, give me head" don't exactly inspire one with confidence in the guys' morals. Then they tack "..music, instead" on the end. So everything is ok. "So come on lose it/ to the music/ lose it/to the beat".. And apparantly, Head Music is "all in the mind". I shelled out 15 quid for that album..
09 - Elephant Man. Somebody's gone crazy and decided judt to have fun with the lyrics.. This is a song that no one could take seriously. "I am I am the elephant man".. ! Also mentioned are "Elephant fans". "We'll be all over your town like a rash/ we'll steal your children and smoke all your hash" is perhaps a dig at people who have.. reservations.. about the band. And apparantly "We'll be stampeding again". Wahey! So much fun!
10 - Hi-fi. This utilises the coolest sound EVER. A kind of echo-y "pppooo-oOOo-o..." sound. The song itself is great too. "slipping through the city, sliding train to train, graffity on our eyes, and music in our brain.."
NOTE: At this point the album becomes indescribable by any word other than "whoa..."
11 - Indian Strings. Absolutely amazing. This song is soo good. It is sad, mournful and has a beautiful haunting sound. It seems so ominous, the fact that "I've seen the real you". "So sad to see" "she knows the scene". This is one of the best songs that I have ever heard. EVER. "open up my heart and see what inside, take a look inside me, inside my mind".. "Images of violence fill up my mind, and you see the silence feel it inside, and you'll see my heart is broken too, 'cause I've seen the real you".
12 - He's Gone. My favourite song of the album, this song is mind blowing. It has been said by Phil Savadge - "...- I defy anyone to come up with a better stanza than this - "Like the leaves on the trees/Like the Carpenters song/ Like the planes and the trains and the lives that were young/He is gone and it feels like the words to a song" - heartbreaking...". I can't put it any better, I'm afraid. Good job, Phil!
13. Crack In The Union Jack. The only song with any kind of political theme in the album. Bret Anderson on guitar and vocals, Neil Codling on keyboards and backing vocals. And nothing else. The other three guys walked off the stage for this song in a fanclub gig. One cannot help feeling cheated, that this song is too short. Also, it is the only acoustic track. "Heard it on the radio/ Saw it on the news today" He's talking about Britain, and how it is falling apart. A fairly simplistic yet oh-so-effective metaphor. Such a perfect song.
I must also point out that there is another song, Leaving, which is present, I think, on the Australian version. I have not heard this song many times, but I can verify its existence, and the fact that it is as good as any track on the album.
These are my opinions on the music, what the songs mean to me, and what I think they were intended to mean. I make no claim that they are correct interpretations, in any shape or form, as I have not had the pleasure of interviewing the lads.
I search the entire site, and would you believe, not a single entry on Suede..
I'm recitifying this right now.
This entry refers in particular to the fantastic and most recent album, Head Music.
Let's just fill in the background to this masterpiece, shall we?
First there was Suede (the album). Then came Dog Man Star. After which came a long restful period. 1996 (Or there-abouts (ie, I'm not too sure..)) saw the release of Coming Up.. followed by Sci-fi Lullabies. I will go in-depth on all of these albums at a later date.
And then, 1999 heralded the arrival of Head Music. Wow. I love this album. Seriously, I listen to it every single day.
13 of the best songs ever made.
Here we go track-by-track style...
01 - Electricity. The first single off the album, and a sign of good things to come. With a beautifully crafter (if not altogether original) video, this was some of the best Suede I had ever heard. The song is loud, with more guitar than you can shake a stick at. All electric style. It takes a bit of getting used to, but on maybe the third listening it all starts to make sense. Brilliant song. "We gotta love between us and it's like electricity" is the general message. Shake that head!
02 - Savoir Faire. Bret Anderson (vocals, and occasionally assorted instruments ranging from tamberine to guitar) says that this is his favourite song on the album. No doubt about it, this is a goood song. Starts off slowly, the vocals come in. You're attention is grabbed very early on the the phrase "Stupid as a mouse". Or "f*****g machine" may have something to do with it. I can't find a word to properly describe this.. It has a repetative beat in the background, which is noticeable, but also has some very interesting guitar work. "And she got everything she needs/And she got pretty pretty feet/And she got flowers in her hair (yeah yeah)/She got savoir faire... yeah, yeah"
03 - Can't Get Enough. You are gently and slowly eased into this song, instruments coming in one by one, and then the patented Suede "oo-OO-oo" haunting sounding singing type thing (you'll know it) kicks in. "I feel real, like a man like a woman, like a woman like a man". Bret is bisexual, so perhaps this song deals with that fact. It is another belter. Smiles all round.
04 - Everything Will Flow. The third single. And what a song it is. Can you say "violin"? This song is just great, a comment that you may as well just let things happen, and not get too hung up about them.. "A million cars, a million trains, under the jet plane skies".."Everything will flow". So take it easy, sit back, and enjoy the music. "oh-hooo-hohoho".. as it goes. Great music, vocals, lyrics - It gets better? Oh yes.
05 - Down. A slow, sad song, about depression. "All the people in your life say your down".. This song is... brilliant "Hey-heyhey, you chase the day away, heyheyhey, you draw the blinds and blow your mind away".. "And there's a sadness in your style, and there's a madness in your smile". As with all of Suede's music or this fashion, you can really feel what they are talking about. This is the kind of song that you just sit through and listen to. And maybe you sing along quietly to yourself.
06 - Asbestos. A nice change of pace now, as we hear Anderson complain - well, not complain.. more comment about the world in general, touching on topics such as prostitution, underage sex and overall the not-so-nice side of society. "Watching all the schoolgirls ... come along and having sex" ".. come in and cash the cheques" "Watching all the lovers, under covers..". A nice song, in its way. Not the best on the album, but still way up at the usual standard. Which is very, very high. G'wan Suede!
07 - She's in Fashion. The second single. Very, very good. It's about this woman who is all over the place on tv, magazines and whatever. "She's the face on the radio,". "She's the shape of a cigarrette" "She's the colour of a magazine.." Lovely song this, sung extremely well, even by Suede's bar. This woman has control over people "Ohho, and if she tells you two is one, then two is one, my love". "And she's in fashion/ oo, oo, oo-OO..."
08 - Head Music. Fantastic stuff if perhaps a little questionable. The words "Give me head. give me head, give me head" don't exactly inspire one with confidence in the guys' morals. Then they tack "..music, instead" on the end. So everything is ok. "So come on lose it/ to the music/ lose it/to the beat".. And apparantly, Head Music is "all in the mind". I shelled out 15 quid for that album..
09 - Elephant Man. Somebody's gone crazy and decided judt to have fun with the lyrics.. This is a song that no one could take seriously. "I am I am the elephant man".. ! Also mentioned are "Elephant fans". "We'll be all over your town like a rash/ we'll steal your children and smoke all your hash" is perhaps a dig at people who have.. reservations.. about the band. And apparantly "We'll be stampeding again". Wahey! So much fun!
10 - Hi-fi. This utilises the coolest sound EVER. A kind of echo-y "pppooo-oOOo-o..." sound. The song itself is great too. "slipping through the city, sliding train to train, graffity on our eyes, and music in our brain.."
NOTE: At this point the album becomes indescribable by any word other than "whoa..."
11 - Indian Strings. Absolutely amazing. This song is soo good. It is sad, mournful and has a beautiful haunting sound. It seems so ominous, the fact that "I've seen the real you". "So sad to see" "she knows the scene". This is one of the best songs that I have ever heard. EVER. "open up my heart and see what inside, take a look inside me, inside my mind".. "Images of violence fill up my mind, and you see the silence feel it inside, and you'll see my heart is broken too, 'cause I've seen the real you".
12 - He's Gone. My favourite song of the album, this song is mind blowing. It has been said by Phil Savadge - "...- I defy anyone to come up with a better stanza than this - "Like the leaves on the trees/Like the Carpenters song/ Like the planes and the trains and the lives that were young/He is gone and it feels like the words to a song" - heartbreaking...". I can't put it any better, I'm afraid. Good job, Phil!
13. Crack In The Union Jack. The only song with any kind of political theme in the album. Bret Anderson on guitar and vocals, Neil Codling on keyboards and backing vocals. And nothing else. The other three guys walked off the stage for this song in a fanclub gig. One cannot help feeling cheated, that this song is too short. Also, it is the only acoustic track. "Heard it on the radio/ Saw it on the news today" He's talking about Britain, and how it is falling apart. A fairly simplistic yet oh-so-effective metaphor. Such a perfect song.
I must also point out that there is another song, Leaving, which is present, I think, on the Australian version. I have not heard this song many times, but I can verify its existence, and the fact that it is as good as any track on the album.
These are my opinions on the music, what the songs mean to me, and what I think they were intended to mean. I make no claim that they are correct interpretations, in any shape or form, as I have not had the pleasure of interviewing the lads.
