Rubber Ring

i had been making a list of songs that changed my life in my head (a bit Nick Hornby-esque, perhaps... except i'm a girl, and ladies aren't supposed to be this nerdy about music, we're just supposed to shake our asses to the Top 10), which was quite a long list... so which should i begin with?
i decided to start with "Rubber Ring" by The Smiths, because it summarisies perfectly how songs can affect people like me. when you're alone - whether physically, or feeling lonely despite being surrounded by others - a song can be a source of warmth for your soul. it's comforting to hear someone who feels similar emotions to you. music, especially lyrics, has got me through some of the hardest parts of my short life. Morrissey seems to understand this: millions of people around the world relate to his lyrics. to the uninitiated or uninterested, he's "that bloke from the most depressing band in the world", but listen carefully and you'll find that he's just "telling it as it is", as "street" people would probably say. in this song he also shows he understands that, in the future, those fans that currently need his lyrics will one day be happier and will forget how their favourite songs got them through the darker times of their lives. many writers write songs that people relate to, but not all of them realise the profound effect they have and how much they will be remembered - or the fact that they may one day be forgotten. morrissey isn't "depressing", he's just aware of mortality.
"rubber ring" is a quietly funky piece, with lyrics that express perfectly how songs can change (young) lives and, in a way, look after you. at the end there are samples from one of the many film versions of Oscar Wilde's "the importance of being earnest" (namely "you're clever" and "everybody's clever nowadays") plus a sample from an LP of communications with the dead ("you are sleeping, you do not want to believe"), presumably because the "clever" person he addresses in the song is outgrowing music, and moz is like a voice from that dying past. the title "rubber ring" itself... well, a song can keep you afloat when you're drowning in the melodramatic stresses of teenage life.
written by Steven Morrissey (words) and Johnny Marr (music), it was on the b-side to "the boy with the thorn in his side" (originally fading into the next track "asleep" on the vinyl) and can be found on the albums Louder Than Bombs, The World Won't Listen and Best... 1.
more information on this track can be found on this webpage and in the book "the smiths: the songs that saved your life".

lyrics:

A sad fact widely known
The most impassionate song
To a lonely soul
Is so easily outgrown
But don't forget the songs
That made you smile
And the songs that made you cry
When you lay in awe
On the bedroom floor
And said : "Oh, oh, smother me Mother..."

No ...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La ...

The passing of time
And all of its crimes
Is making me sad again
The passing of time
And all of its sickening crimes
Is making me sad again
But don't forget the songs
That made you cry
And the songs that saved your life
Yes, you're older now
And you're a clever swine
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you

The passing of time leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
The passing of time
Leaves empty lives
Waiting to be filled
I'm here with the cause
I'm holding the torch
In the corner of your room
Can you hear me ?
And when you're dancing and laughing
And finally living
Hear my voice in your head
And think of me kindly

No ...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La ...
No ...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring

Do you
Love me like you used to ?
Oh ...
Rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring, rubber ring
La ...

You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You're clever
Everybody's clever nowadays
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping
You do not want to believe
You are sleeping