1001 Songs: You Must Hear Before You Die by Dimery Robert

Author:Dimery, Robert [Dimery, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: 1001 Songs: You Must Hear Before You Die
Publisher: Octopus
Published: 2011-12-04T23:00:00+00:00

1980s

Uncertain Smile

The The (1982)

Writer | Matt Johnson

Producer | Mike Thorne

Label | Some Bizzare

Album | Soul Mining (1983)

“I see myself changing a lot, becoming a lot more cynical.”

Matt Johnson, 1982

Influenced by: Hot on the Heels of Love • Throbbing Gristle (1979)

Influence on: Divine • Sébastien Tellier (2008)

Covered by: Pierce Turner (1986) • Poésie Noire (1990)

Other key tracks: Perfect (1983) • Infected (1986) • The Beat(en) Generation (1989)

Deceptively jaunty, the swinging “Uncertain Smile” was a typically misleading record from arch-manipulator Matt Johnson, aka The The. The protagonist was a man obsessed: a “broken soul” watching the ignorant object of his affections “from a pair of watering eyes.” This lyrical lust was soundtracked by bouncing guitar and almost comedic saxophone. The song (a reworking of the 1981 single “Cold Spell Ahead”) seemed free of effort—but our hero needed to go to sleep just to clear his head of his unrequited love.

Johnson released his 1981 debut album Burning Blue Soul under his own name, reverting thereafter to The The, a name of an earlier band, to put a wall between artist and audience. That debut had been raw and unapproachable, and the mooted follow-up The Pornography of Despair was never even released, although one can assume “Uncertain Smile” was earmarked for it.

The single was recorded in New York with Soft Cell’s producer Mike Thorne, Uptown Horns session player Crispin Cioe, and the integral assistance of a xylimba—a cousin of the marimba, giving the song its distinctive, percussive shimmy. Cioe’s alto sax and flute provided solos between the verses and generally allowed “Uncertain Smile” to float lighter than air—lighter than its lyrical mood at the very least.

When a The The album eventually appeared, 1983’s stunning Soul Mining featured a reboot of “Uncertain Smile,” now produced by Paul Hardiman in tandem with Johnson. Gone were Cioe’s contributions; in their place, a sleeker sound and a preposterous—but brilliant—piano solo from Jools Holland of Squeeze. There is endless value in either version. MH

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