Throwing my Arms Around Paris - lyrics meaning?

Maradona

Senior Member
Been meaning to post this for a wee while...apologies if this has been noted before (I'm sure it must have been)

Moz's song "Paris" surely, undoubtedly refers to that documentary that was shown here earlier in the year - "The Woman Who Married the Eiffel Tower".

This show documented the appallingly sad lives of people who suffer from a physical and emotional attraction towards solid objects - the documentary depicted a woman kissing/fondling the Eiffel Tower, and another who married the Berlin Wall after an affair with a church wall or something. Seriously. I'm not making this up. I'd find the youtube links but they're blocked here at work.

The lyrics of Moz's song make perfect sense in light of this, and it's obviously the sort of story he'd be attracted to.

As I said, apologies if this has been raised before.

An article from The Independent about the show: http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/living/i-married-the-eiffel-tower-832519.html
 
Nope, the lyrics has been written long before the Independent article was published.

The song was premired in 2007 US tour, 23rd July Philadelphia gig.
 
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Yes, I understand and am aware of the timings of the song's debut, of the broadcast of the programme and the newspaper items....but Morrissey was obviously aware of the subject matter prior to the show's airing...there had been heaps written about these cases in last year's media, particularly Stateside (the girls are American).


Trust me on this one, this is what the song's about......trust me folks...

If you have read about or watched this, the lines "Only stone and steel accept my love" obviously pertain to this strange emotional/sexual condition.
 
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Been meaning to post this for a wee while...apologies if this has been noted before (I'm sure it must have been)

Moz's song "Paris" surely, undoubtedly refers to that documentary that was shown here earlier in the year - "The Woman Who Married the Eiffel Tower".

This show documented the appallingly sad lives of people who suffer from a physical and emotional attraction towards solid objects - the documentary depicted a woman kissing/fondling the Eiffel Tower, and another who married the Berlin Wall after an affair with a church wall or something. Seriously. I'm not making this up. I'd find the youtube links but they're blocked here at work.

The lyrics of Moz's song make perfect sense in light of this, and it's obviously the sort of story he'd be attracted to.

As I said, apologies if this has been raised before.

An article from The Independent about the show: http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/living/i-married-the-eiffel-tower-832519.html

That's actually a brilliant interpretation of the song--I think that I agree with you.

As for which one was written first, the Berlin Wall lady has been around for 20 years, and the Eiffel Tower one probably has, too, so it hardly matters when the Independent article came out.
 
Nope, the lyrics has been written long before the Independent article was published.

The song was premired in 2007 US tour, 23rd July Philadelphia gig.

Um, no.

It was premiered at the Jacksonville, FL show on July 17th, 2007.

FYI.

and it's beautiful.
 
Can't find love with another person? Fall in love with a city instead.

It's quite romantic, really.
 
You could well be right. It certainly sounds like the kind of thing that would draw Morrissey's interest.

That being said, the song works regardless of the connection.

Plus, I think it's less about Morrissey being attracted to inanimate objects as it is about people being incapable of accepting and receiving his love, thus the city's architecture becomes a kind of substitute.

As an aside, I think the song is a great choice for first single. Of all the new songs that became available as live bootlegs, this was the one that I liked the most (in fact, I played it to death). Admittedly, it hasn't demonstrated the staying power of Something is Squeezing My Skull or Mama Lay Softly, but I think its appeal is more immediate (hence, a good choice for first single).
 
I don't agree with the suggestion about the song being about objectum sexuality. Morrissey seems to be embracing Paris because he is lonely and otherwise loveless- "in the absence of your love, and in the absence of human touch "etc and opts for Paris almost as a defensive gesture in order to avoid to get hurt. It's a very conscious decision on his behalf.

The woman who married the Berlin Wall (amongst others) speak of how they have always felt drawn toward objects, and that their attraction to these objects came naturally and had nothing to do with a lack of sexual attention from other human beings.
 
tarot_tower.jpg


The symbol of Paris is the Eiffel Tower. This isn't the best card to demonstrate, but the tower is actually a human body, skin colored from which the two prince's fall. One falls and retains his crown remaining victorious, the other loses his crown and becomes the fallen prince, the devil in some doctrines. At any rate, both the men falling love the tower, this is just Morrissey's ode to IT or her or him or whatever. It's a love song to a person. Morrissey's quiff is his crown. It's very simple.
 
There is also the connection between Oscar Wilde and Paris (Wilde spent his last years in Paris), wich might be significant when making interpretations of the song. Again he follows the footsteps of his hero because the lack of love in this life.

A beatiful song indeed.
 
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