I loved this song and album when it came out, but now that i'm older, i take offense to his G.I. Joe comments on this song. If it weren't for G.I. Joe, England--where Mr. Matt is from, would be destroyed, or speaking German.
@gnarlyharley71 yes but it's different when your fighting for survival. I think he's referring to American imperialism here, but could be wrong of course!
@konspiracykid Tell me how much land America has aquired through this imaginary imperialism. NONE!!! We fight for freedom. OURS and ANYBODY that needs us to. There is no such thing as American Imperialism. Research Germany, Japan, Italy and even Russia if you want to speak of imperialism.
@gnarlyharley71 True, but the big difference is that we were fighting for survival then. I think he's referring to American imperialism here, though I could be wrong!
@konspiracykid no such thing as American imperialism. Figment of the left wing imagination. It is a distraction. The Axis and now the socialist powers that exist are imperialists!
@gnarlyharley71 Think about when this song was written in 1988, it was during the Cold War, so you've got to see this song in its context, when many in the UK were genuinley pissed off with nuclear weapons. You're right though, there isn't such a thing as US imperialism. Nowadays, it's called 'power projection', 'global reach' and hegemony. Read up on the policy document called 'Project for the New American Century', which outlines the neo-con 'vision' for US 'full spectrum dominance'.
@gnarlyharley71 OK mister, if you fight for freedom, why was the USA so reluctant to give its backing to the recent NATO operation in Libya? Why did you have to be cajoled into NATO action against Serbia? Why didn't you act in Rwanda, even when the UN asked the US to take a bigger role?Sure, you aren't malevolant like the USSR was, but you can say that you only act in your own interests, like any state really.
@gnarlyharley71 I'm no leftie...but I am sure the following aren't figments of my imagination and are examples of US imperialism...Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, Greneda, Korea, Iraq 1, Iraq 2 (we're here for your fucking freedom), Philipines, Hawaii, the mass slaughter of native americans, proppoing up the Shah of Iran, several CIA sponsored coups that put far right wing, ultra-nationalist regimes in place in Chile and Nicuaragua, Angola, Ethiopia etc etc America...fuck yeah!
@gnarlyharley71 which Axis? We beat them in the Second World War mate. And which socialist powers are you on about? You'd better stock up on guns and ammo and form a militia, if you're not already in one. I reckon you are and you just LOVE to fire guns because it makes you feel like a real man.
@konspiracykid Well as a matter of fact I was in the "Bayou Militia", but have been out a while. I am no war monger, but I do own a few guns, and I do practice from time to time. The bottom line from my very first comment was this. I don't believe Matt tells the whole story and as an adult I am very proud to live in the U.S. We aren't perfect, but we are head and shoulders over the country that's in second place.
redhead the only propaganda spewed is mostly from the left. Do you live here? why are so many people willing to die to get here? What mass fear? examples please.
yes iraq had wmd just ask the Kurdish people we need some facts about you. where you went to school. married? children? you just go on supporting the death of millions of babiesthrough abortion. im sick of your kind. If you have so much hate for this nation, why dont you just move to another country.
I saw The The live in Lisner Auditorium, D.C. for this album, and it was absolutely amazing.
Yes, we in the United States are terminally infected with mass fear, massive fear, more fear, fear, lots of fear with extra helpings of mass stupidity, ignorance, propaganda, misinformation, and more stupidity.
in 1982 uk earnt 15k houses 25k , 0.6 houses per year , today 2010 uk earns 25k gee whizz, houses are 170k 0.14 houses per year , i thnk the uk may be about to go pop , 50% of the bottom half of americans own as much as the top 400 , ernesto , my friend harry wickenden great grandfather 26 07 1886, died 1st quater 1968 , me born 26 07 68 , 26th july movement since 1886 lol the saxons will rise , im an exiled essex boy . living in norfolk .
Fear and misinformation indeed. For some information you van check for yourself, google 911 and Hurricane Erin and break through some of the Alternative Media's own propaganda and censorship.
Magical song and boy don`t we need some more Matt Johnson type tunes in the (aust) singles charts these days! Ironically this song only got to 50 in aust but was played alot on Sydney radio. -Daz
A bunch of people take lyrics too seriously. John Lennon always said the lyrics were secondary to the sounds of the words and the music. Elvis Costello talks about verbal gymnastics. Music touches people in different ways. Don't read too much into it. I love this song and don't care to know exactly what it means. Only the writer actually knows. I asked Michael Stipe about the song "Wolves Lower". He and Peter Buck said "it means whatever you want it to mean".
Johnny Marr actually writes music and lyrics.Johnny Marr influenced -in one or another way- every band that he co-operated.Not to mention his unique guitar playing. Just check out him at his best imo when was in smiths.The guy is a legend and very good singer also.
I picked up Mind Bomb out of bin of loose cassettes in Hanau, Germany in 1990 because of the cover even though I had not heard of The The. After listening to it I picked up the jacket and looked at the names because I recognized a voice. Sure enough, there was Johnny Marr. I was and still am a huge Smiths and Morrissey fan. The beaten Generation just popped up on my Slacker station.
I feel your frustration over hear in the states. We took a serious beating during the Bush administration due to Mass Fear and stupidity. Even though the Left's concerns have and are being vindicated, America is still a stupid nation with very short memories concerning facts, but very long memories when it come to misinformation and propaganda.
@redheadhunter66 the left and the right are both characters in a trifling theatre constructed to distract the masses, and it works perfectly. the road to hell is straight forward and built with good intentions
@redheadhunter66 OVER "HERE" in the states.....? You can't even spell, you ignorant liberal retard...Look what Slobama is doing to this nation......OMFG...!
@redheadhunter66 First of all it's "over here." Secondly, the current yes we can fiasco that folks like you handed to us is far worse than the Bush years. You need to shake yourself and wake up! Everything that happened before and after this recession started with the left!
100% agreed. I love The The - great in concert Lisner Auditorium D.C. way back when.
I can feel the tension, struggle, fear, and irritation butting up against each other while wading thru the fog of society at work, the mall, in the voices of my neighbors, the t.v., the driver next to me at the light, in the faces of the people at the bus stop, the guy behind me at the grocery store...
I know life is infinitely better than the mental prison we've been provided thus far and art is the portal.
@freudastaire I disagree, Matt Johnson = genius, Johnny Marr = genius, but together = not genius. Having one of the UK's most excellent songwriters/guitarists on your team and letting him help write half of one song on the whole album is not genius, it is a waste of incredible talent. Looks like Matt didn't want to share his toys with Johnny, in this video he's even made him stand in the shadows with a bass. Then Matt wonders why Johnny went off to form Electronic. Seems pretty obvious to me
Truly an amazing song. First time I heard this was live during the Naked Self tour. It was such a small intimate concert. 5 light bulbs and the band. Such a fond memory of that show, one of the best I've ever seen.
unfortunately, I now do worship at the temple of Manna,...trying to scrape enuf money to survive my approaching old age,...but boy do I remember how great it was to love these songs of youthfull rebellion,...count me as another middle aged geezer who recalls how wonderfull it was to be young and love this music!
mjs always been far far ahead and subtle beauty in his songs that contain so much more than whats going on in the world....a true east end genius who has made great records for decades,nobody like him,even an upbeat song like this has so much to say...i am gonna shut up
this is going to sound completely ignorant..but I don;t know much about post-moderism and the beat generation.. what does this song have to do with it? I'm going to be studying the beat generation for an english summative project.
"The beat generation" were working class people from the late fiftys and early sixtys. Optimistic, in work, with the promise of a brighter future. Matt uses the phrase and twists it into "the beaten generation" to describe the next working class generation of the late seventys and eightys. Pessimistic, unemployed, and let down.
Not exactly. The Beats may have been youthfully optimistic, but they knew they did not hold the cards, and so they tried to change the game. They did not seek employment in the traditional sense of the word and they were purposefully rebellious. However, they were defeated (beaten) before they started, and didn't realize it until sometime after. Thus, beats became hippies, and hippies became yuppies, and so the cycle of defeat in conformity continued. The "next" beaten generation, perhaps.
Matt twists the phraze "Beat generation" to "beaten generation" to give the song it's hook. When I refered to the "Beat generation" earlier I meant youth of the late 50's early 60's as a whole . Although I take your point about the B.G. being a specific group with an individual ideology. I also take your point about their fate in terms of their defeat by conformity. Having said that I don't think this song is necessarily about what happened to those people but to British society as a whole.
Steven: thats what makes the song such good poetry; although 3 writers does not a generation make, that group were certainly emblematic of a generation raised on hope only to be left wondering is that it? The amount of irony related to the subject is immense- the beaten generation rallied against tradition of this once proud nation really only to discover they couldnt do much better. Alas, before enlightenment- push the stone. After enlightenment- push the stone.
I thought I heard him say at 1:07 "In Jew believing what is good and what is right" ...He's referring to the generation being hypnotized by the media..Am I correct?
Great song and one thing i hate is politics never voted in my life.You our a great singer and all songs you sing our true ones and great love Shirlsxx
Heh. Obama. Or McCain. It's like playing pin the tail on the donkey. Or smacking a pinyata. Neither one of these stooges is the answer. The answer is for people like you and I to have the courage to pass on this baby pablum bullshit and take care of business ourselves. Brave New World.
Agree with you fully, Feyrhawk. sheepthroat is, I'm guessing, a teenager.
The brilliance of the song is its relevance to a number of human societies over the course of history. It's certainly a very, very fitting comment on the state of America today-as well as many others.
As for your last comment: This house has 3 votes going to Obama/Biden. My frustrated 17-year-old didn't make the age cut. It's a damn shame, because he's politically passionate, attends Obama rallies, etc...he's pissed !
I've never been happy. My life has been ruined by jealousy and hatred for people more fortunate than myself. My funeral is next wednesday (depending on the weather). You are more that welcome to attend. Bring a bottle.
The words in this song are more important now than ever. We think we have freedom of choice and freedom of expression. But as long as we need the likes of Google we are always going to have the thought police monitering everything we say.
I was thinking exactly the same while I was watching and listening this legendary song (from a legendary album). Never too late to rediscover The The and Matt Johnson lyrics for the new beaten generations...
if any of you are aware of Matt's current "Save shoreditch" campaign. myself and a few of his loyal fans have decided to do everything in our power to encourage Matt to do a gig at the site to try and raise awareness for his cause. We think that with enough interest he might go for the idea. The plan is to get as much support as we can so if your interested in helping plz spread the word and join The The (and Matt johnsons) Face book and my space pages and check for further details. Mike harry
That's not Johnny Marr on bass, he plays lead guitar and harmonica, genius that he is.
Baggatoni 4 weeks ago
Love this tune.
Baggatoni 4 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Go Johnny Marr, go!
Lucianoloucurinhas 1 month ago
Comment removed
Lucianoloucurinhas 1 month ago
I loved this song and album when it came out, but now that i'm older, i take offense to his G.I. Joe comments on this song. If it weren't for G.I. Joe, England--where Mr. Matt is from, would be destroyed, or speaking German.
gnarlyharley71 1 month ago
@gnarlyharley71 yes but it's different when your fighting for survival. I think he's referring to American imperialism here, but could be wrong of course!
konspiracykid 1 month ago
@konspiracykid Tell me how much land America has aquired through this imaginary imperialism. NONE!!! We fight for freedom. OURS and ANYBODY that needs us to. There is no such thing as American Imperialism. Research Germany, Japan, Italy and even Russia if you want to speak of imperialism.
gnarlyharley71 1 month ago
@gnarlyharley71 True, but the big difference is that we were fighting for survival then. I think he's referring to American imperialism here, though I could be wrong!
konspiracykid 1 month ago
@konspiracykid no such thing as American imperialism. Figment of the left wing imagination. It is a distraction. The Axis and now the socialist powers that exist are imperialists!
gnarlyharley71 1 month ago
@gnarlyharley71 Think about when this song was written in 1988, it was during the Cold War, so you've got to see this song in its context, when many in the UK were genuinley pissed off with nuclear weapons. You're right though, there isn't such a thing as US imperialism. Nowadays, it's called 'power projection', 'global reach' and hegemony. Read up on the policy document called 'Project for the New American Century', which outlines the neo-con 'vision' for US 'full spectrum dominance'.
konspiracykid 1 month ago
@gnarlyharley71 OK mister, if you fight for freedom, why was the USA so reluctant to give its backing to the recent NATO operation in Libya? Why did you have to be cajoled into NATO action against Serbia? Why didn't you act in Rwanda, even when the UN asked the US to take a bigger role?Sure, you aren't malevolant like the USSR was, but you can say that you only act in your own interests, like any state really.
konspiracykid 1 month ago
@konspiracykid Reluctant because of the moron we have running things! He is a gigantic failure and an embarrassment!
gnarlyharley71 1 month ago
@gnarlyharley71 I'm no leftie...but I am sure the following aren't figments of my imagination and are examples of US imperialism...Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, Greneda, Korea, Iraq 1, Iraq 2 (we're here for your fucking freedom), Philipines, Hawaii, the mass slaughter of native americans, proppoing up the Shah of Iran, several CIA sponsored coups that put far right wing, ultra-nationalist regimes in place in Chile and Nicuaragua, Angola, Ethiopia etc etc America...fuck yeah!
konspiracykid 1 month ago
@gnarlyharley71 which Axis? We beat them in the Second World War mate. And which socialist powers are you on about? You'd better stock up on guns and ammo and form a militia, if you're not already in one. I reckon you are and you just LOVE to fire guns because it makes you feel like a real man.
konspiracykid 1 month ago
@konspiracykid Well as a matter of fact I was in the "Bayou Militia", but have been out a while. I am no war monger, but I do own a few guns, and I do practice from time to time. The bottom line from my very first comment was this. I don't believe Matt tells the whole story and as an adult I am very proud to live in the U.S. We aren't perfect, but we are head and shoulders over the country that's in second place.
gnarlyharley71 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I tell you what... Do not believe in the government. You are wrong if you do so.
Suck me.
NedsMissingTeeth 1 month ago
man... i can totally hear the smiths in this song... that signature Johnny Marr sound! I Love it!
Buddhist2k 2 months ago
One of the most underrated bands of the 80's. spoke volumes, guitar like crazy, and singing awesome. matt and Johnny were an unforgettable collab.
ecoseed1 2 months ago
The message rings just as true as when it was originally recorded. Will we never learn?
youtubsteak 4 months ago
What an Uplifting Song! Listen to the words! "reared on a diet of prejudice and mis-information"..and the harmonica is awesome!!!
bluekarma 6 months ago
redhead the only propaganda spewed is mostly from the left. Do you live here? why are so many people willing to die to get here? What mass fear? examples please.
yes iraq had wmd just ask the Kurdish people we need some facts about you. where you went to school. married? children? you just go on supporting the death of millions of babiesthrough abortion. im sick of your kind. If you have so much hate for this nation, why dont you just move to another country.
treesloth9 7 months ago
@treesloth9 enjoy the music! Enuff politics for awhile! : )
bluekarma 6 months ago
@bluekarma some of us are Patriots...we enjoy our music and speak Truth when it needs to be spoken.
ParteeOfNine 6 months ago
Marr is on the Bass! End of discussion ;)
bangelab33 9 months ago 2
According to our leaders, "freedom (and democracy) lives in the barrel of a warm gun."
bobbycarolina75 10 months ago
he sounds just like aldous snow from get him to the greek and stuff
dontoadz 1 year ago
YouTube censors comments
nayjayjee 1 year ago
Dam right freedom lives in the barrel of a warm gun! The lyrics are still true today as they were when this was made!
judderman37 1 year ago
In six months time this song will be more apt,Thatcher was bad,but Cameron is going to be far far worse.RIOTS ON THE STREETS BRING IT ON.
doughnut950 1 year ago
No way !!!! 20 years ago
jamiefors 1 year ago
brilliant-still as revealent today as it was nearly 20yrs ago.
knucklebutty 1 year ago
Humm! ??
paulashoes 1 year ago
Johnny Marr !!!!
coeurley 1 year ago
8 dislikes?? 8 for execution. Find 'em!
BbilllyNoMates 1 year ago 2
I saw The The live in Lisner Auditorium, D.C. for this album, and it was absolutely amazing.
Yes, we in the United States are terminally infected with mass fear, massive fear, more fear, fear, lots of fear with extra helpings of mass stupidity, ignorance, propaganda, misinformation, and more stupidity.
Tothe2012 1 year ago 2
fantastic
bonniebardowski 1 year ago
Matt Johnson was a prophet.
tommybass40 1 year ago
I don't like all of The The song but this song and Uncertain smile are pretty great.
lifepod2036 1 year ago
@lifepod2036 actually there's two examples of his worst songs.. check out This Is The Night from Dusk for a good song
basehead617 2 months ago
that was my generation..matt johnson is such a legend, he speaks what's on his mind.
Drugstorecowgirlca 1 year ago 2
that was my generation..
Drugstorecowgirlca 1 year ago
man...i miss this music...pure lyrical genius.
howardsbackyard 1 year ago
Is this another genius we will ignore until his death, like Syd Barrett?
madmic1967 1 year ago
@madmic1967 RIGHT?!!
AleMayaOM 1 year ago
in 1982 uk earnt 15k houses 25k , 0.6 houses per year , today 2010 uk earns 25k gee whizz, houses are 170k 0.14 houses per year , i thnk the uk may be about to go pop , 50% of the bottom half of americans own as much as the top 400 , ernesto , my friend harry wickenden great grandfather 26 07 1886, died 1st quater 1968 , me born 26 07 68 , 26th july movement since 1886 lol the saxons will rise , im an exiled essex boy . living in norfolk .
colutd1 1 year ago
@colutd1 man. no idea here. norfolk?
ernesto?
harry wickenden? what the feck?
And your point is , caller?
26th july movement? Beethoven perhaps.
WTF.
hampden12 1 year ago
what can you say? Fantastic...AGAIN!!!
colshythecomedian 1 year ago
Fear and misinformation indeed. For some information you van check for yourself, google 911 and Hurricane Erin and break through some of the Alternative Media's own propaganda and censorship.
adjuk 1 year ago
At the 48 to 51 second mark, you can tell Johnny's thinking..."I miss you, man..."
CurlyPubis 1 year ago
Magical song and boy don`t we need some more Matt Johnson type tunes in the (aust) singles charts these days! Ironically this song only got to 50 in aust but was played alot on Sydney radio. -Daz
daznotdaz 1 year ago
This song was sooo ahead of it's time!!! Kudos to the genius of Matt Johnson!
msmayify 1 year ago 4
matt johnson. the most underrated songwriter of all time. simple as that !
praxylite 1 year ago 11
This song came out 21 years ago and how true is it still?
Jimmibear13 1 year ago 9
@Jimmibear13 to update you, this song came out 22 years ago.
Supersweetguy 3 weeks ago
This song is superlative. It seems like a perfect description of the United States in the present day.
HankTuds 1 year ago
The correct title is 'The Beat (en) Generation'. Thanks for uploading it though, excellent track.
bloodnokian 1 year ago
Britain is already beaten, America may or may not follow.
akear 1 year ago
Matt Johnsons keen observations about reality, politics, & love are timeless.
paralentor 1 year ago 4
Where is Matt Johnson now? He was brilliant. Infected is one of the best albums of the 80's
jomaroma1971 1 year ago 2
A bunch of people take lyrics too seriously. John Lennon always said the lyrics were secondary to the sounds of the words and the music. Elvis Costello talks about verbal gymnastics. Music touches people in different ways. Don't read too much into it. I love this song and don't care to know exactly what it means. Only the writer actually knows. I asked Michael Stipe about the song "Wolves Lower". He and Peter Buck said "it means whatever you want it to mean".
telrickka 1 year ago 2
The fascists of the future will be anti-fascist. (Winston Churchill)
You look into the UAF and you realise how right he was.
NedsMissingTeeth 1 year ago
Johnson & Marr dream team combination. Pity they were not more prolific. Top line up this
andywatson189 1 year ago
Johnson & Marr a dream team combination. Shame they were not more prolific
andywatson189 1 year ago
wow
thx
fav
*****
pce
hearNyou 1 year ago
Johnny Marr and Matt Johnson. Different but equal. It is not surprising to me that together they would come up with a great song like this.
norrisonthespot 1 year ago
Brilliant tune! Did'nt know it was marr on guitar and harmonica! Great lyric too! Melancholy yet profound. ;-)
Sneakerpimp79 1 year ago
Get a grip.
Great vid and music!
eff901 1 year ago
Jonhy Marr was just a guitar player, don't confuse it with the genious of really songwriter / musician that is Matt Johnson
carlosmvicente 1 year ago
"Johnny Marr was just a guitar player"
Johnny Marr actually writes music and lyrics.Johnny Marr influenced -in one or another way- every band that he co-operated.Not to mention his unique guitar playing. Just check out him at his best imo when was in smiths.The guy is a legend and very good singer also.
HarisPi 1 year ago 10
I picked up Mind Bomb out of bin of loose cassettes in Hanau, Germany in 1990 because of the cover even though I had not heard of The The. After listening to it I picked up the jacket and looked at the names because I recognized a voice. Sure enough, there was Johnny Marr. I was and still am a huge Smiths and Morrissey fan. The beaten Generation just popped up on my Slacker station.
redheadhunter66 2 years ago
truly a beautiful song
TriggerHappyMariachi 2 years ago
Thanks a lot. A song that could turn a bad day, in a quite good one ;)
JulioDeLaWega 2 years ago 4
"GRACIAS" sophia
lobokitaro 2 years ago 3
This song is more relevent now than ever. Freedom of speech in the U.K has long gone.
NedsMissingTeeth 2 years ago 7
I feel your frustration over hear in the states. We took a serious beating during the Bush administration due to Mass Fear and stupidity. Even though the Left's concerns have and are being vindicated, America is still a stupid nation with very short memories concerning facts, but very long memories when it come to misinformation and propaganda.
redheadhunter66 2 years ago 12
@redheadhunter66 the left and the right are both characters in a trifling theatre constructed to distract the masses, and it works perfectly. the road to hell is straight forward and built with good intentions
eyesea 1 year ago
@redheadhunter66 You got that right!
ChuckyJesus666 1 year ago
@redheadhunter66 OVER "HERE" in the states.....? You can't even spell, you ignorant liberal retard...Look what Slobama is doing to this nation......OMFG...!
MrNewman24 1 year ago
@MrNewman24
Give people labels and they will live up to them.
Welcome people as equals and you might just learn something from each other.
Kencone1 1 year ago
@Kencone1 MYOB Ken....
MrNewman24 1 year ago
@redheadhunter66 So how are you feeling now about "hope and change" and the Lybian invasion? Meet the new boss...
bobbycarolina75 10 months ago
@redheadhunter66 First of all it's "over here." Secondly, the current yes we can fiasco that folks like you handed to us is far worse than the Bush years. You need to shake yourself and wake up! Everything that happened before and after this recession started with the left!
gnarlyharley71 1 month ago
@NedsMissingTeeth You think the UK is bad?! hehe, try America :D
CalemBendell 1 year ago
I do what I can to spread the word :THE THE
darcut 2 years ago 6
johnny marr!!!!
theahw 2 years ago 4
I love it. The special police that delivers us from liberty and protects us from peace. The best line I have heard in a long time.
pandabead 2 years ago 4
This has been flagged as spam show
LOVE THIS SONG
johnboykim246 2 years ago
thanks matt johnson for inspiring me this cold morning in las vegas
when can you come and play a gig here
jimsolonomo 2 years ago 3
what's the best The The DVD out there? shit I love this band
braincras 2 years ago 3
100% agreed. I love The The - great in concert Lisner Auditorium D.C. way back when.
I can feel the tension, struggle, fear, and irritation butting up against each other while wading thru the fog of society at work, the mall, in the voices of my neighbors, the t.v., the driver next to me at the light, in the faces of the people at the bus stop, the guy behind me at the grocery store...
I know life is infinitely better than the mental prison we've been provided thus far and art is the portal.
Tothe2012 2 years ago 2
Greatest political song ever ...!
jorgeLKC 2 years ago 7
So much better with my main man Johnny Marr!
kerouhak 2 years ago 3
2good and 2profound 2b understood hence it's history. Leave the country i did :)
talk2mrjones 2 years ago
Is an excellent song, where some people is protesting aigaints the injustices and the shelfishness.
Because the people generally is very egotistic, and the world could be to change.
But the world don't change, because the shelfishness, blinds the people and also the obstinacy. And this is a problem.
Congratulations for the song.
bfcgal1983 2 years ago
Matt Johnson and Johnny Marr = genious
freudastaire 2 years ago 36
Never said a more true statement
dubtoffee 2 years ago 2
@freudastaire I disagree, Matt Johnson = genius, Johnny Marr = genius, but together = not genius. Having one of the UK's most excellent songwriters/guitarists on your team and letting him help write half of one song on the whole album is not genius, it is a waste of incredible talent. Looks like Matt didn't want to share his toys with Johnny, in this video he's even made him stand in the shadows with a bass. Then Matt wonders why Johnny went off to form Electronic. Seems pretty obvious to me
johnnywhitechapel 1 year ago
@johnnywhitechapel you watch the same vid, not johnny on bass
marksteve0 1 year ago
Great song, great lyrics!!!
TheGeorgesat 2 years ago 3
I doubt I'll ever tire of Matt Johnson's music. Very prophetic song. Even more relevant today than it was upon release, imho...:(
mobdeadmeat 2 years ago 6
Cool tune Cool Yep Cool tune.yes yes cool very cool.o yes cool.way cool.
fromthispoint 2 years ago
Great song, now that Im 35 I understand the meaning
thnx
newcoconete 2 years ago 6
Come back and write some new songs Matt Johnson because we need you!
dommywaddle 2 years ago 7
Someone saying something...pretty rare and pretty beautiful...:)
Henrymood8 2 years ago 4
its mammon...the temple of mammon
stevemcdine 2 years ago
Truly an amazing song. First time I heard this was live during the Naked Self tour. It was such a small intimate concert. 5 light bulbs and the band. Such a fond memory of that show, one of the best I've ever seen.
anxdiety 2 years ago 2
unfortunately, I now do worship at the temple of Manna,...trying to scrape enuf money to survive my approaching old age,...but boy do I remember how great it was to love these songs of youthfull rebellion,...count me as another middle aged geezer who recalls how wonderfull it was to be young and love this music!
webkinzfreak221 2 years ago
A middle age geezer with a profile that says your 22????
TheFreedomfighterguy 2 years ago
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny!
MissdeMeanor07 2 years ago
Still sounds as good now as it did back then. Open your eyes....
smurfu2 2 years ago 3
Timeless song and so relevant to todays current climate.
katoness 2 years ago
This a great song. But isn't it sa
thirstymuse1 2 years ago
This played on the radio at the local steakhouse last night and I nearly shat my pants. I was 20 again.
DrBojayGupta 2 years ago 3
hyperactive much?
bryngOneOn 2 years ago
it was class then even more so now
MrAshbayThorn 2 years ago 2
Classic!
mokumhammer 2 years ago 2
Well ahead of their time!!..timeless!
relfyc 2 years ago 2
found Mind Bomb today again lying in the attick. so many nice memories.
luthienaa 2 years ago
Its an amazing album. I've been listening to Soul Mining too
lozhardy 2 years ago 2
yes along with Mind Bomb I found a lot of other albums! I put them on my iPod, I bring them everywhere! =)
luthienaa 2 years ago
Is Johnny Marr playing Guitar and Harmonica on this He played Harmonica On Hand In Glove Intro Is that right ?
ninelivecat 2 years ago
yeah its marr. he joined in about 89 and they recorded this album
preetonk 2 years ago
I LOVE this song!!!! gooseboops
giddyzero7 2 years ago 3
Quality tune... So so true, even more prominent as time goes by.
TSwidryk 2 years ago
ahhhh, greensboro.
almadora 2 years ago
Marr on guitar, right?
rubyjadesapphire 2 years ago
yep! and mouth organ by the looks of it- god they look so young, still, so did i then...
eilismaireg 2 years ago 2
great post-haven't heard this tune in years. Brings back memories! Truer now more than ever, these lyrics
LilBillyWillickers 2 years ago 7
mjs always been far far ahead and subtle beauty in his songs that contain so much more than whats going on in the world....a true east end genius who has made great records for decades,nobody like him,even an upbeat song like this has so much to say...i am gonna shut up
brownson1970 2 years ago 2
You don't have to shut up, your comments on Matt almighty are right on the money
ozodog 2 years ago
More true today than ever!
facey65 2 years ago 7
Matt Johnson rules but it is too bad that he looks a hell of a lot like Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisted. Ay caramba!
yobo48167 2 years ago
great tune !
accadoza 3 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
matt johnson!!!!!!! More talented than marr!!!!
SollyMotherF 3 years ago
I think its "beaten generation" what he is really saing
djblastfromoporto 3 years ago 3
i do bud , dont do a lot about it true, but i do CARE . Amazing lyrics , a kinks dead end street of its time.
colutd1 3 years ago
Open your eyes, open your imagination
IvanOsadchiy 3 years ago 6
Johnny Marr!!!
bedsitter1982 3 years ago
Still actual. :)
Hyper5nic 3 years ago
Johny Marr.....one of worlds best guitarists. Interestingly Je ne Mar means Ive had enough in French!!!
unusualsuspect71 3 years ago 2
It's "J'en ai marre" :)
Hyper5nic 3 years ago
no 1 cares
FukinMikeAlright 3 years ago
Johnny, oh johnny...have my babies!!!
chickensw 3 years ago
Anti-establishment songs don't get much better than this
vjohn82 3 years ago
Thanks Steven H. I cut and pasted the lyrics here: We're being sedated by the gasoline fumes
And hypnotised by the satellites
Into believing what is good and what is right
RPete100 3 years ago
this is going to sound completely ignorant..but I don;t know much about post-moderism and the beat generation.. what does this song have to do with it? I'm going to be studying the beat generation for an english summative project.
firky 3 years ago
"The beat generation" were working class people from the late fiftys and early sixtys. Optimistic, in work, with the promise of a brighter future. Matt uses the phrase and twists it into "the beaten generation" to describe the next working class generation of the late seventys and eightys. Pessimistic, unemployed, and let down.
stevenhoward72 3 years ago 3
Not exactly. The Beats may have been youthfully optimistic, but they knew they did not hold the cards, and so they tried to change the game. They did not seek employment in the traditional sense of the word and they were purposefully rebellious. However, they were defeated (beaten) before they started, and didn't realize it until sometime after. Thus, beats became hippies, and hippies became yuppies, and so the cycle of defeat in conformity continued. The "next" beaten generation, perhaps.
dissolutionangel 3 years ago
Matt twists the phraze "Beat generation" to "beaten generation" to give the song it's hook. When I refered to the "Beat generation" earlier I meant youth of the late 50's early 60's as a whole . Although I take your point about the B.G. being a specific group with an individual ideology. I also take your point about their fate in terms of their defeat by conformity. Having said that I don't think this song is necessarily about what happened to those people but to British society as a whole.
stevenhoward72 3 years ago
Steven: thats what makes the song such good poetry; although 3 writers does not a generation make, that group were certainly emblematic of a generation raised on hope only to be left wondering is that it? The amount of irony related to the subject is immense- the beaten generation rallied against tradition of this once proud nation really only to discover they couldnt do much better. Alas, before enlightenment- push the stone. After enlightenment- push the stone.
dissolutionangel 3 years ago
I thought I heard him say at 1:07 "In Jew believing what is good and what is right" ...He's referring to the generation being hypnotized by the media..Am I correct?
RPete100 3 years ago
He sings "We're being sedated by the gasoline fumes and hypnotized by the satellites into believing what is good....
stevenhoward72 3 years ago
"In TO believing what is good and what is right"
no Jews were involved in the making of this song
minnask8 3 years ago
RPete100............I dont believe Matt is an anti semitic twat like you seem to be. "In Due........" Open your ears, open your intellect!
unusualsuspect71 3 years ago
Great song and one thing i hate is politics never voted in my life.You our a great singer and all songs you sing our true ones and great love Shirlsxx
shirls2 3 years ago
class
biker042 3 years ago
what's Matt been up to last 10 years
and poor old Johnny Marr is now getting memeber of existed bands
damn, bring the 2 and Ian Bown together,Bernard Butler and a drummer, and you
have the best of the best
celibatecry 3 years ago
Matt
Loved your music 4 years. Keep it up !
With love from New Brighton
Mel x
squidwood10 3 years ago
It keeps us occupied with meaningless minutia while they pull the wool over our eyes. There is no easy way out.
Poodlehag 3 years ago
Heh. Obama. Or McCain. It's like playing pin the tail on the donkey. Or smacking a pinyata. Neither one of these stooges is the answer. The answer is for people like you and I to have the courage to pass on this baby pablum bullshit and take care of business ourselves. Brave New World.
Poodlehag 3 years ago
I think unknowingly they wrote it to transcend that time and its really about today and America, and the election and PLEASE GOD...OBAMA! WIN!
Feyrhawk 3 years ago
i think very knowingly that you are a fool,keep your shite american staged electioneering to yourself.prick.
sheepthroat 3 years ago
that was just rude, you fucking wanker. Why dont you go back to your tavern and have a pint and go piss yourself, you fucked up pikey.
Feyrhawk 3 years ago
Agree with you fully, Feyrhawk. sheepthroat is, I'm guessing, a teenager.
The brilliance of the song is its relevance to a number of human societies over the course of history. It's certainly a very, very fitting comment on the state of America today-as well as many others.
As for your last comment: This house has 3 votes going to Obama/Biden. My frustrated 17-year-old didn't make the age cut. It's a damn shame, because he's politically passionate, attends Obama rallies, etc...he's pissed !
meredumais 3 years ago 2
thank you. I am glad there are more sensible people in the world. Thanks for voting for our future!
Feyrhawk 3 years ago
this song just about sums up the defeated atmosphere in Ireland at the time
shit times the 80s
provobastard 3 years ago
This song just about sums up the defeated atmosphere in America TODAY...
meredumais 3 years ago 3
ye ok but jonny made u a star.
sheepthroat 3 years ago
wankfest. can you still walk back to happiness? were you ever happy?
spinysquid 3 years ago
I've never been happy. My life has been ruined by jealousy and hatred for people more fortunate than myself. My funeral is next wednesday (depending on the weather). You are more that welcome to attend. Bring a bottle.
SNEDILLIO 3 years ago 4
The words in this song are more important now than ever. We think we have freedom of choice and freedom of expression. But as long as we need the likes of Google we are always going to have the thought police monitering everything we say.
SNEDILLIO 3 years ago 3
I was thinking exactly the same while I was watching and listening this legendary song (from a legendary album). Never too late to rediscover The The and Matt Johnson lyrics for the new beaten generations...
iesus68 3 years ago 3
james zinn agrees 100%
open your eyes open your imagination
cabbak100 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
if any of you are aware of Matt's current "Save shoreditch" campaign. myself and a few of his loyal fans have decided to do everything in our power to encourage Matt to do a gig at the site to try and raise awareness for his cause. We think that with enough interest he might go for the idea. The plan is to get as much support as we can so if your interested in helping plz spread the word and join The The (and Matt johnsons) Face book and my space pages and check for further details. Mike harry
ElWolf1 3 years ago
Very nice! Probably Johnny Marr's best moment post-Smiths
rockenroe 3 years ago 2
It's definitely Johnny Marr. He recorded & toured w/ The Pretenders & The The after the Smiths broke up
nelsonfromnelson 3 years ago
Anyone know what Matt's up to these days?
meredumais 3 years ago