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162 pop songs picked over by pedants (in 2,968 comments!)

You’ll have to join Jools for the jam sketch

Moody Chops is about all those musicians who continue to play the impoverished, tortured artist even when they’re on the way to sharing G&Ts in the Long Room with Mick and Sir Tim. Or at least that’s how I’ve always read it. One or two people seem to think it’s specifically about Morrissey though. And by the way, the Dutch were never going to decide they could reclaim the IJsselmeer after all, and achieve it in six years, by 2003. Apparently. Thanks to David

See lyrics to Moody Chops

14 Letters Sent:
  1. Simon Aughton

    I’ve always thought it was about Thom Yorke. Something to do with the hand-up-the-sleeve reference.

  2. Mr Larrington

    Re: “Now you’ve got water to stop [?]”

    I’ve always heard this as “Now you’ve got wads of the stuff”, i.e. Filthy Lucre.

  3. Mr Larrington

    Additional pedantry: “But know you’ve got national acclaim” – I think that “k” is surplus to requirements.

  4. Dave F.

    I think Zuiderzee is one word.

    You’re gonna have to take your hand from out of your sleeve.

    Unlike Mark E Smith:
    You’re gonna have to join Jools for the jam sketch

    I agree with “wads of the stuff” It sounds like only one syllable when he says wads.

    I think Chris is correct with “But know …”

  5. dj

    and you’ve missed the “join” from the first “join jools for the jam sketch”

  6. Ricardo

    Think 2nd line is “You’ve gone and got national acclaim”, and 10th is “But no, you’ve got national acclaim.

    Agree that Zuiderzee should be one word, and, like Simon, above, always assumed it to be about Thom Yorke.

  7. Ta for all that folks. Hope I’ve made the rather large number of appropriate corrections!

  8. Dave F.

    I think Chris was correct originally with “You gone and…”
    I can’t here the “‘ve”

  9. A Gubba Lookalike

    I never considered Morrissey for this song, always Thom Yorke.
    It makes sense because this song coincides with the aftermath of OK Computer, which certainly gave Yorke “national acclaim”. Morrissey hit his peak in the late 80′s, if the song was “you’ve gone and continued coasting on your background national acclaim”. Maybe I’m just pedantic.

  10. It wasn’t me who thought it was about Moz, it was people like this. But those wacky Moz fans got it right.

  11. Ben

    I was always under the impression it was aimed at Leonard Cohen, isn’t he a well known arm in sleeve tucker?

  12. Daryl

    Richard Ashcroft or Liam Gallagher for me.

  13. Charles Exford

    How could the song be about anyone who achieved national acclaim before “Later” became established as the music business establishment’s broadsheet acceptable outlet ? Which rules out Mozza & Len.

    I think its targets are mostly generic, but if it’s ‘abou’t anyone it’s about more about N. Blackwell Esq. than anyone else, projecting himself once again into the kind of music business career he has so stubbornly rejected and resisted, and once again justifying that choice..

  14. Daryl

    “Alright boys, fill the skip” is such a brilliant line.

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