Getting Away With It

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenging of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post everyday (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be…

Electronic – Getting Away With It (1989)

Getting Away with It

” Getting Away with It” is the first single by the English band Electronic, which comprised Bernard Sumner of New Order, ex- Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and guesting vocalist Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 1989. Musically, Bernard Sumner wrote the verse and Johnny Marr wrote the chorus.

Lyrics (via Genius)

Read “Getting Away With It” by Electronic on Genius

We’re continuing in the UK, dear reader, and shifting from Salford to Manchester which isn’t a million miles. Formed in 1988 Electronic brought together Bernard Sumner from New Order and Johnny Marr, once of The Smiths, to form a supergroup. They also collaborated with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe from Pet Shop Boys at the outset of their career. That’s quite a UK hall of fame in one studio! We join Electronic in 1989 with the release of their debut single – Getting Away With It.

Getting Away With It seems to concern problems in a relationship. I did read that the track is partly a parody of Morrissey from his days in The Smiths and the image he projected to his audience. Lyrically, the narrator seems to have been in bad relationships in the past but is now with someone new and seems rather content. Not all is plain sailing though. The narrator seems to suggest that they love this new woman more than they love them so there is a suggestion that trouble may be on the horizon.

Getting Away With It sounded familiar to me on first listen. It reminded me of Love My Way by Psychedelic Furs whenever the chorus came round. It is a well-structured song. I was not aware of Electronic or the collaboration involved from former members of New Order and The Smiths, as well as pairing up with Pet Shop Boys. The group’s debut album came some time after this first single and was met with critical acclaim upon release. The group ceased activity in 2001 but neither Marr nor Sumner have confirmed the band is at an end.

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

The Doors – The End (1967)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now (1978)

Ultravox – Vienna (1980)

The Smiths – How Soon Is Now? (1984)

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)