'Songs that changed your life' by Simon Goddard

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I got this for my girlfriend but then I read it all in bed in three sittings.

I lapped it up. What did you think?

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 6 January 2003 21:04 (twenty-three years ago)

I went off Goddard after something he said in the Mail on Sunday, sorry

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 04:41 (twenty-three years ago)

it sounds like some kind of nick hornby self satisfied crap?

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 04:44 (twenty-three years ago)

i mean, thats just off the title, i never heard of the guy

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 04:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Goddard is the one who did the "Nation's Favourite" book on Radio 1, yes?

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 06:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Nope, that was Simon Garfield. Fucking funny play it was too.

― Charlie (Charlie), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 06:47 (twenty-three years ago)

It's a book about the Smiths, Gareth. Song by song, like Revolution in the Head.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 08:44 (twenty-three years ago)

D'OH! I meant 'songs that saved your life', obv.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 09:02 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, its rockism? i see...

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 10:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Ihateyou

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 10:31 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw it in a bookshop & picked a song (There is a Light) at random. This is one of the most indepth pieces in the book - mentions borrowings from Velvets' "There She Goes Again", Stones' "Hitch-hike" etc (all of which were first pointed out by Johnny Marr), but not Morrissey's lyrical borrowings from eg NY Dolls "Lonely Planet Boy".

Suggests to me that most of the text has been garnered from old interviews, rather than any new ideas / interpretations.

― bham, Tuesday, 7 January 2003 10:37 (twenty-three years ago)

There's quite a lot of new stuff, I think. He interviewed lots of people. I was surprised at how much I didn't know. It made me rush back to the songs themselves, which is a good sign.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 10:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Also, he's had access to outtakes and demo tapes. Did you know that TIALTNGO used to end with the line 'There is a light in your eyes that never goes out', for instance?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 10:52 (twenty-three years ago)

ah, sorry for the Goddard/Garfield confusion. I take back the Mail on Sunday comment, in that case.

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, but the book.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 02:58 (twenty-three years ago)

the book sounds amazing - if *only* someone'd do the same thing for Pulp...

http://www.utexas.edu/academic/cte/lightbulb.jpg

waydaminnit!

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 03:07 (twenty-three years ago)

N: I saw the book in a shop yesterday. It looks like the book I've been waiting for for over a decade. I think the criticisms made of it are wide of the mark and your approval of it is correct. I just also have a kind of envious resentment that someone else did this and I didn't.

B-but... 'girlfriend'??

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 8 January 2003 17:16 (twenty-three years ago)

oh no! jilted. OH NO!

― zebedee, Wednesday, 8 January 2003 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

I made up the 'girlfriend' thing, obviously.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 18:36 (twenty-three years ago)

eight months pass...

things *i've* learned so far

there was an italian 12 " of 'how soon is now' which had an out-take vocal version on it where moz *sings* over the instrumental bits

well i wonder came out as a b side before meat is murder (!!)

how soon is now was rejected as a potential a side by geoff travis
because it didn't fit in with the idea of the smiths brand
(which put me in mind of dave balfe's semi-legendary comment prior to the release of the blur parklife album to wit 'this is a mistake')

there are jensen bbc sessions that have never been released

it was 8 months between marr and moz meeting on the doorstep and the first radio 1 session.

there was a non-hatful version of 'back to the old house' which is
rubbish.

ooh it's right fascinatin and i'm not even half way through.

― piscesboy, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I knew all those things already (except maybe the geoff travis hsin one)!

I say this not to boast (some boast!), but to encourage people who also knew them to still buy it as there's lots more I didn't know.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

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