Friday, July 27, 2007

The Smiths 'Jeane'

I have this as a b-side to a reissue of 'This Charming Man', but it was of course originally the b-side to 'Hand In Glove', the band's first single. I don't think this has ever found itself onto a compilation, making it one of the rarest Smiths tunes I possess. It is an epic tale of kitchen sink misery, like something from the British cinema New Wave distilled into three minutes. I really like this song, although of course it is by The Smiths, a band with only three bad songs. Even among their oeuvre, I feel that this track deserves a higher reputation than its tucked away status earns it. That said, the production is maybe a bit murky.

2 comments:

Andrew Sherman said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VK-6iMhNLQ
Jeane is sung by Sandie Shaw about half way through

ian said...

The posthumous CD single of 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' handily has the three Smiths tunes Sandie Shaw sings on it. Nice.