Morrissey A-Z: "East, West"

I personally thought it had no business on the redesigned issue of KU back in 2013. And I feel the same now. Not necessarily a bad song, but a cover shouldn’t have been tagged on. Pregnant, Love Life, Guilty, Loop would have all been a more worthier addition.
 
It's a lovely little song, seems like it was made for late 80s Moz, tucked away safely in his cocoon.

"I feel homesickness very strongly. When I travel, which I rarely do, I feel very queasy and very lost. I can’t adapt to new cities and that’s why I liked East West because to me it was the kind of song you would listen to when you were away from home and you would want to be home."

Amazing how things change...

For me both this and the original are always on heavy rotation around Christmas.
 
Very sweet, very cozy. I like it, even though I very rarely listen to it. And like Janice said, what the hell was it doing on the KU reissue?
 
What a great single those three songs. The song itself always made me think of Christmas too, even before I heard the original (which seems to point more towards family getting together for a holiday) It’s very much a Morrissey song, perfect for him, though I wish his vocal sat better in the mix. Viva Hate and all the singles that soon came after was the beginning for me, exciting strange times, it was wonderful coming across these gems as b-sides at the time as they were being released with the expectation of a great album on the way, which should have been Bona Drag.


M made it his, or maybe it always was his ....



Not done live though :(

I mean, not done live ... yet. :cool:

Below, taken from http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/lyrics/moz-ew.htm

In bold are Morrissey’s changes to the lyrics, which I find very interesting ...

‘Here are the words to the original version by Herman's Hermits with Morrissey's modifications. As can be seen, the whole 4th verse was rewritten with new lyrics. ‘


East West
Over the ocean
Perpetual motion
Travelling around
No rest, singing and playing
Night out and day in
Doing the rounds
What a great life it thismust seem
Swell joints
Everything classy
Nothing that's passé is tacky
Only the best
Lush girls, ogling and eyeing
Crying and sighing sighing and crying
This is success
What a great life it this must seem
But when I hear young voices your voice
Singing out
The bells at of home
come are ringing out
And I feel all alone
When And I think of my home
Mom, Dad Cold times
All round the fire a wind through the houses
In festive attire The bleakness arouses
Keeping the day a longing to leave
Aunts, kids Time flew
All the relations I wanted to see you
Congratulations Somehow could not do
This is success because of success
What a great life it must seem What a strange life this can be!
But when I hear young voices your voice
Singing out
The bells at of home
Come are ringing out
And I feel all alone
Then I long for And I think of my home
 
What a great single those three songs. The song itself always made me think of Christmas too, even before I heard the original. It’s very much a Morrissey song, perfect for him, though I wish his vocal sat better in the mix. Viva Hate and all the singles that soon came after was the beginning for me, exciting strange times, it was wonderful coming across these gems as b-sides at the time as they were being released with the expectation of a great album on the way, which should have been Bona Drag.


M made it his, or maybe it always was his ....



Not done live though :(

I mean, not done live ... yet. :cool:

Below, taken from http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/lyrics/moz-ew.htm

In bold are Morrissey’s changes to the lyrics, which I find very interesting ...

‘Here are the words to the original version by Herman's Hermits with Morrissey's modifications. As can be seen, the whole 4th verse was rewritten with new lyrics. ‘

Good lord, did he improve this or what?
 
Below, taken from http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/lyrics/moz-ew.htm

In bold are Morrissey’s changes to the lyrics, which I find very interesting ...

‘Here are the words to the original version by Herman's Hermits with Morrissey's modifications. As can be seen, the whole 4th verse was rewritten with new lyrics. ‘

It's so intriguing that he changed a whole verse.

Cold times
Wind through the houses
The bleakness arouses


The polar opposite of the family gathering at a warm fire of the original.

I wanted to see you
Somehow could not do
Because of success


...while the original describes being part of a big family as the definition of success...
 
It's so intriguing that he changed a whole verse.

Cold times
Wind through the houses
The bleakness arouses


The polar opposite of the family gathering at a warm fire of the original.

I wanted to see you
Somehow could not do
Because of success


...while the original describes being part of a big family as the definition of success...

I was chit-chatting to Hovis on the politcs thread about it because I didn't know it was a Hermits cover & that turned into a whole fight about how I'm wrong about everything... but yeah, I do think he changed it because he has a more complicated relationship with home & success.
 
I was chit-chatting to Hovis on the politcs thread about it because I didn't know it was a Hermits cover & that turned into a whole fight about how I'm wrong about everything... but yeah, I do think he changed it because he has a more complicated relationship with home & success.
:paranoid:


The internet is intense. I'm gonna go and visit the cows now.
 
Probably a dumb question, but do you have to get permission to change a song like this when you cover it?

Obviously the sound of cover versions can be dramatically different from the original, but it's much more rare to re-write the words to such an extent, right? To what extent is this still 100% Graham Gouldman's song, if the lyrics are changed like this at the end?
 
It's so intriguing that he changed a whole verse.

Cold times
Wind through the houses
The bleakness arouses


The polar opposite of the family gathering at a warm fire of the original.

I wanted to see you
Somehow could not do
Because of success

...while the original describes being part of a big family as the definition of success...

and/or, the definition of ‘normalcy’.

Yeah, I love it. I love the way he went out of his way to erase the accepted picture of family life as the natural pursuit and goal that everyone should aim at and achieve in order to be ... ‘happy’.


No thanks.

:cool:
 
Probably a dumb question, but do you have to get permission to change a song like this when you cover it?

Obviously the sound of cover versions can be dramatically different from the original, but it's much more rare to re-write the words to such an extent, right? To what extent is this still 100% Graham Gouldman's song, if the lyrics are changed like this at the end?

I think you would need permission from the copyright holder & you couldn't claim any kind of credit or royalty for it.

With plays, if a writer hasn't stipulated that you can't change something, then that usually means you can, unless they hear about it & get annoyed.
 
Really like this one, a bit of a hidden gem. Also have to hand it to Langer and Winstanley - they didn't always hit the mark with Morrissey, but the production is great on this one.
 
Probably a dumb question, but do you have to get permission to change a song like this when you cover it?

Obviously the sound of cover versions can be dramatically different from the original, but it's much more rare to re-write the words to such an extent, right? To what extent is this still 100% Graham Gouldman's song, if the lyrics are changed like this at the end?
Yes, you do need permission.
 
Autobiography:
"At Santa Barbara Bowl on Tuesday 5th I am told that Peter Noone is watching from side-stage. Peter is from Manchester and attended Stretford Road School near my iron pile slammer, St Wilfrid’s. Peter, of course, sang for Herman’s Hermits, and I had covered their East west, which had probably piqued his curiosity. On a television show a few weeks later, he proudly name-checks me and I blush for a fortnight."

From the archive (2000):
"Hello Shawn,

Thanks for the email. I heard Morisey was a big HH fan, so I was happy he did one of our songs. I think he just missed.I think my version captured the sadness of life on the road better than he was able to do, although I will admit he has cornered the sadness market much better than me. See you in the whirled.

Peter Noone

'The artist formerly known as Herman'"


Gouldman's writing and Salford background would probably resonate with Morrissey.
I'm Not In Love - 10cc
For Your Love - The Yardbirds
Being examples of his work.
Enjoy the song every now and then. Does feel a bit long. Feels like a Kirsty backing vocal or similar was missing from this maybe - has that sound to it.
Regards,
FWD.
Eric Stewart wrote "I'm not in love".
 
An enjoyable enough cover. Had forgotten this was on the Ouija Board release, easily Morrissey's weakest single (+ B-sides) at that point, with Yes, I am Blind as the 3rd song. Although he'd go on to release much worse singles (Dagenham Dave, Roy's Keen etc.) unlike Ouija Board they nearly always came with at least one brilliant B-side (e.g. Lost, Nobody Loves Us).
 
I always liked this one, kind of slight but fits Morrissey's style quite well. Takes me back to when I purchased that boxset of all of M's early singles and my car was littered with these CDs as I gleefully bounced from disc to disc. One of the weaker b-sides from this era but still lovely. The bar was quite high at that point.
 
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