track

This Charming Man - 2011 Remaster

1984Released
2:42

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about This Charming Man - 2011 Remaster. By Songfacts®.

In this song, a male protagonist, who has punctured his bicycle tire on a desolate hillside, is approached by a "charming man" in a "charming car." After a brief hesitation, the protagonist climbs into the car with the man, who flirts with his passenger and invites him out later that evening. The protagonist rejects the man's offer, because he hasn't "got a stitch to wear." Front man, Morrissey, told Undress in 1984 that this latter line was written from personal experience: "For years and years I never had a job, or any money. Consequently I never had any clothes whatsoever. I found that on those very rare occasions when I did get invited anywhere I would constantly sit down and say, 'Good heavens, I couldn't possibly go to this place tonight because I don't have any clothes, I don't have any shoes.' So I'd miss out on all those foul parties. It was really quite a blessing in disguise."

Morrissey lifted the line, "A jumped-up pantry boy, who never knew his place," from the 1972 film adaptation of the homoerotic play, Sleuth, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. The film itself is referencing the 1945 novel, Loving, by Henry Green. In this story, the caretaker of an Irish castle, Charlie Raunce, accuses his pantry boy of being "jumped-up" and "not knowing his proper place." Later events include the theft of a ring, for which the pantry boy is wrongly accused.

Guitarist Johnny Marr composed this especially for a BBC radio session with the DJ John Peel, who championed the band. For these "Peel Sessions," bands were granted three hours of studio time to record a few songs with minimal overdubbing, which Peel would play exclusively. Marr recalled to Guitar Player in 1990: "I remember writing it, it was in preparation for a John Peel single. I wrote it the same night as 'Pretty Girls Make Graves' and 'Still Ill.'" Peel played the Session version of "This Charming Man" a few times, and it got a great response. This convinced The Smiths' record label, Rough Trade, to released the commercial version of the song as a single rather than their original choice of "Reel Around the Fountain."

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of This Charming Man - 2011 Remaster.
BKey
MajorMode
4/4Time Signature
104BPM

Album

The album This Charming Man - 2011 Remaster is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released This Charming Man - 2011 Remaster.
WM UK
© 1986 Warner Music UK Ltd
℗ 2011 Rhino UK, a division of Warner Music UK Ltd.

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