The The "Sweet Bird of Truth"

[bifferspice]

to all concerned about the fish: i read an interview with matt once, where he confirmed that immediately the filming stopped, he gave mouth to gills resuscitation until it was quite quite well, possibly better than before, then it received much exposure in the fish world due to appearing in this video.  after a brief but successful acting career, it went into politics, and is now president of ALL the fish in the world. so you see, you were worrying about nothing.

[Geemonster69]

love this album and track

[daypeshmodd]

Matt cares about everything! Who says he doesn't care about animals & he knew the fish wasn't hurt.

I like the way he & Anna Domino hold the skulls, making reference to Hamlet.

[22TOM77]

Reminds me so much of my first time in Amsterdam, stoned, but what an album?

[PenzingerAussie]

Love it!!!

[kax61]

Why throw a fish like that in a pool of mud in the beginning of this clip? Matt Johnson obviously doesn't seem to be too concerned 'bout other creatures well being.

[jeffiegirl]

@kax61 you are such a tosser :)

[aramanth]

@kax61 True and it's funny when you consider how Faith No More put the disclaimer at the end of that video informing the public that the fish was not hurt or something. Matt Johnson could care less for PETA obviously.

This album was so raw. I was 20, and looking for something different and I found this.... it stays with me still that part of me that had angst that has now turned to being jaded.

[stevosomebizzare]

Stevo attendee to many interviews references to “AIDS” I get offended by the following Matt Managers words “I am puzzled by your reference to 'Infected' and take any chance (as chance this may be) to extinguish abounding theories that the song 'Infected' by The The concerns the tragedy that is HIV-AIDS (SIDA) at all”.

[stevosomebizzare]

Insane words follow I promoted this records with Matt as I was that attendee to many references to “AIDS” I get offended by the following Matt Managers words

when stevo directed a charity record for Matt to vocal Sex Drugs & HIV project “I am puzzled by your reference to 'Infected' and take any chance (as chance this may be) to extinguish abounding theories that the song 'Infected' by The The concerns the tragedy that is HIV-AIDS (SIDA) at all”.

[TheBornToBeBaDDD]

@WhatTheFuck386 HI SILLY. HAPPY FRIDAY. I HOPE THAT NO GOOD SCUMBAG DIES IN THE CCU. HE DESERVES TO. MAY I RENT YOU, FOR A WEEKEND?

[opefull]

very nice.see you

[0The0Web0]

oh sweet sweet memories! such a great track

[improm2u]

A band Ahead of there time , lyrics from the early mid eighties even more prominent today

[HerAeolianHarp]

This video was, according to Matt Johnson, inspired by the U.S. bombing of Libya in 1986. Still timely today.

[usableole]

Thx. Sophia for sharing. ;) Greetings from Norway.

[mikesmegabits]

Now i'm gonna have to go through all my old 12's cause i swear I might just have the old 12 of this tune somewhere... Loved this tune when it came out. (And still do)

[scrappingfoetus]

All Time Great and so True

[gazboz10]

I've just been looking for the same PP. Can't find it on here...shame.....but it was the 12" Single version of the track.....Collectable now apparently.......Be good if someone could put on here even if audio only!

[PerignonPop]

There's another version with Army/Navy/Air Force communications channel on it at start, giving directions to next aerial target. "A blockhouse low and to the west. Request Napalm." as I recall.

What's that off. I thought 'Infected'. This isn't quite the same?

[gullahgeek]

@PerignonPop The 5:23 version on the Infected album has the communications at the beginning of the track.

[SteGreenall]

Like others here, I chanced upon listening to this, after Out of the Blue came into my head earlier.

One of the best albums of all time.

And politically miles ahead of its time.

E-aye-e-aye ADIOS

[bisco99x]

Great great Band! One of the greats from the 80's. Very political.

I think this song was made right after the US strike by bombers on Lybia on 86. A US F-111 was lost with 2 pilots(and lots of Lybian death). On the original soundtrack I think that on the beginning we can heard some of the actual flight recordings of this attack.

[dommywaddle]

@bisco99x

No, it was made shortly beforehand.

[orchidtender]

@bisco99x correct, and the recordings are at the beginning of the 12" single remix.

BTW, trivia fans, the video states that ol' Matt is USAF, but he's wearing a US Navy aviator suit. Just sayin'.

[Steveedlseasider]

Proper tune, love it 20 years later

[willh1970]

You have nooooo idea how relevant these guys have been....

[silversatelis]

Awesome ....

Have looked several times for these tracks over the years. The The were definitely one of THE best things to grace the record stores in the 80's.

Superb music and production, chilling lyrics. Enough said.

[Goblobslobshoblot]

An H.G.Wells reader I imagine

[Posthuman2003]

Just great

[judderman37]

Shouldnt he be flying a troop transport plane? All hands on deck, this bird is sinking!

[neilandbobbie]

@judderman37 i think he means all hands on deck for the crash landing on the aircraft carrier, when he brings it in. imo

[kkyliegeda]

@judderman37 :::A bomber pilot maybe

[TrollhunterX]

Is that actually Anna Domino in the video, or a model?

[aimeemacdn]

Great, very sexy man.

[colmachale]

i dont beleeeve i god any mooore

[DSilsbury]

@colmachale I believe you're god.

[colmachale]

@DSilsbury .....classic....i dont remember writing that but somehow it makes scence if u get me drift

[colmachale]

matt predicted the twin towerz gettin hit

[cousiwa09]

' i aint ever been to church, i dont believe in jesus christ, but, i'm praying that god is with you when you die!'

who the fuck else could come up with such superb lyric as that?????

CLASSIC!

[tomfy1979]

Saw The The in concert at the Wellington town hall. They were awesome!!

[bmoregan]

Video director for this was Mark Romanek. Later did Johnny Cash "Hurt" and NiN "Closer" videos and "One Hour Photo" with Robin Williams

[flicker1969]

FUCKIN TUNE! MAT JOHNSTON AN MARR ! NUFF SAID.

[AntiMusick]

I've seen Matt Johnson perform on two tours once for Mind Bomb in 1990 in San Fransisco at the Warfield and then for Naked Self in 1999 in San Diego at a little sports bar club in Mission Bay. Both shows were great.

[crosslynne]

I absolutely adore this band, Like Mr. "gregorymuncey" have never been to one of Matt Johnson"s shows. I hope they go on a "Retirement Plan" show soon so I can finally see them. Thank you Sophia 11!

[DrewMurray1874]

It's a requirement to listen to The The every now and again... just to wash oneself from the current Government...

[oliviagiles]

@DrewMurray1874 that is so---sooo true.

[MrKinkydip]

I ador this music. Saw them at Brixton and This is the day is my anthem. I flew out to Qatar and made sure I listened to this on the way.

[MrKinkydip]

I ador this music. Saw them at Brixton and This is the day is my anthem. I flew out to Qatar and made sure I listened to this on the way.

[buzzontap]

memories... :P

[millydom23]

A TAMER VERSION OF SCRAPING FOETUS oFF THE WHEEL..BUT GENIUS THOUGH..

[millydom23]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[spacehopper1971]

i bought this album when it first came out, played it hated it, 2 years later i played it out of the blue... now i think its one of the best albums ever, so good but so under rated...

[Templehatchet]

Been listening to this song for years on tape and never knew there was a vid. Greatly apreciated.

[paralentor]

Lucky to see 2 concerts from separate tours. Both very unique and different from one another. Why hasn't CNN bought the rights to this song. I wanna hear this and Armageddon days at the beginning of every segment pertaining to the middle east. Don't you? 'ALL HANDS ON DECK, THIS BIRD IS SINKING'.

[hotrodtodd666]

one of the best songs...damn....high school graduation when this came out...mmmmmmmmm

[GriefTourist]

scary

[tranmer3]

This is about the bombing of Libya by U.S. planes from East Anglia resulting in at least the death of Quadaffi`s grandkid.

[bigtimeconcepts]

@tranmer3 Actually, that happened after this track was recorded. The 12" was rush released after the attacks. If memory serves me right.

[hearNyou]

war is over

pce

[carlosmvicente]

I´m sorry this song is from 1986, my mystake !! but everything else stills right

[carlosmvicente]

If this isn't a prophecy, what is ?

this song is from 1992, I know that war in the gulf wasn't a real new happenning even then but Matt was one of the first note it?

[Desireestar]

The Gulf War certainly was happening, and had been happening for a while.

We entered 2 August 1990 28 February 1991

You're right. The song predates even that 1986 date. There'd been war there for generations upon generations. We officially entered into full scale war in August of '90, but much fighting had been done for many years previous. Just think of the move Lawrence of Arabia. Since then, it's been nothing but war.

[TheLawFulfilled]

Best album was Mind Bomb. Love this song too.

[XxNitallaxX]

I must say I love The The! His best albums I must say are Infected and Soul Mining! I have all of the songs from both of those albums and know all of the words too! His music is fantastic and may his music live on!

[galaxion500]

awesome words, awesome, chords, <3 matt

[webkinzfreak221]

now, we've got new "madmen" to deal with,...such as the asswad that rules iran,...and I truly feel that we are on the edge again,...this is your captain calling,...soon we bomb the shit out of iran!

[webkinzfreak221]

used to listen to this all those many years ago,...god,...such relavance still today!

[markc1234golf]

The The used to be huge in Germany in the 80s being played everywhere thanks for posting this used to listen to it when i was 24 am still rocking to it now ;o)

[cloverfield911]

I've always thought of The The songs as being very prophetic for their time. Take for example "Heartland" (51st state of the USA)...the way Bush played the UK in the Iraq War.

[MrKanpel]

He is the most talented author in music history.

[anony6762]

Great song from a great album!

[statelybird3]

Damn straight--I love the chorus: "THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN CALLING"! I played the hell out of theis song back in the day! Even back then, I guess this song was too out there for regular radio play (something the TheThe never got her in the U.S.).

[Sparkina]

GREAT tune. An anti-war anthem from the POV of a soldier who realizes war is just plain stupid. Just wondering, though, what with the "Arabia, Arabia" chant, if maybe Matt J may have taken some musical inspiration from a certain angel-faced, angel-voiced gentleman from Brixton

[r7coo]

This track & Dear God by XTC are perhaps the most relevant songs today , they both sound eerlily like the future even thought they are almost 25 years old ......Matt Johnson total genius & massively underapperciated...!

[marposa7]

Thanks for uploading this, hadn´t seen this video ever since it came out... Great song

[richardmchaleleeming]

cant ever stop being amazed at Mat Johnson's genious. But can anyone tell me - the angel of death in this video, is it the girl from Shakespear Sister? (not the Fahey girl, the other one).

[gezblair]

in a short answer, no.

[lesleyr25]

Infected best album then and now ....  period ... educational to the ignorant ...

[punktonebristol]

this song has been on the band list for british radio since 1991 the 1st gulf war,other songs banned on the radio during conflicts include arthur browns fire,orange juice rip it up and start again nice to see free speach and opinion is alive in well in the uk..not.

[jdstorms]

Sweet! thanks for sharing Vitrohype! 5x5

[Vampessa]

Have loved The the since they started, so for me it is nice to see they are still appreciated even now, there are very few musicians/songwriters of this ilk and understanding of the world and how it works and the "human condition" Mat is one of these along with Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke), both had very good and clear insight into world events long before things came to a head in the Gulf (check out Jaz's university tour speeches etc), is nice to see genuinly intelligent people still in the biz.

[Skenzed]

The rise of Islamic fundamentalism I found really fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I still do. I wrote that song shortly before the air attack on Libya when Reagan tried to assassinate Gaddafi. Its written from the point of view of a mercenary US fighter pilot whos fighting a holy war yet has no real belief in God himself until the point of his own death.

[DUmfk2]

Matt johnson thought this stuff up before the first gulf war, He is a modern day Nostradamus

[TheSteelGeneral]

Sorry. He made because of Reagan bombing Libya, while Thatcher lend a hand with refueling and so on ...

No one can doubt his heart is on the left, though.

[Skenzed]

Sorry General. This from the bio page on the The The web site." Matt: It was a strange song that one because I was getting more interested in religion or more specifically religious hypocrisy.

[rededucator]

I became a fan when channel 4 played all the videos from the infected album in 1988 (I think). Bought the album and other subsequent albums and have been a fan ever since. I requested a The The track whilst drunk in that wonderful bastion to 80s music the Reflex bar in Brum. DJ had never heard of it...twat

[talk2mrjones]

top stuff he is/was visionary plus he makes great music. what a winner!

[allsopman]

this song is'nt played much from the eighties i wonder why........ strikes a nerve.

[gregorymuncey]

Lifetime fan...Never went to concert or have seen videos until tonite. This has been a great evening! I have been listening to The The since '86 and have ALWAYS kept it in my heart. Thankyou Sophia!

[lerxt42]

sad thing is they probably wouldn't even get a record deal these days

[SteGreenall]

Me too, gregorymuncey, somewhere, my sister has the VHS of this whole album. I found myself humming "Out of tghe Blue" this afternoon, so poppedonto YouTube, and have had an afternoon like your evening a year ago.

E-aye-e-aye....ADIOS

[JasonXP1000]

@gregorymuncey who sings backing vocals please

[windman657]

@JasonXP1000 i seem to remember sinead oconnor was involved somehow....... im probably wrong, but i remember reading it in the 90's or something....

[apotts60]

Like so many have said. Matt Johson is a genius many many years beyond his time. The The put out so much great music you can spend hours listening to it all. Hands down The The represents one of the best groups of all time. Peace, love and the pursuit of truth.

[cousiwa09]

....aint ever been to church, dont believe in jesus christ, but im praying, god is with you when you die.. LOVE THE LYRIC.

[boxeswithknobs]

yeah, I remember this from high school in '87. Always thought it was a cool song, I had never seen the video, but knew the lyrics were prescient. Come 2001 and 9/11 and it takes on a whole different meaning and depth. Sad, but great artistry. Speak of the spookiness of human nature...

[samaxlealan]

cool song!

[eli4777]

I was in the military and bought this on CD in England back in 87'. The song was so ahead of it's time and the verses that made me sad was when this soldier (like so many) said he'd never been church nor believed in Jesus Christ, but he hoped God is with you. I was stunned! People are fighting religious wars without a clue as to really why!

[matako07]

uhm...no .

he;s not talking about Islamic fundamentalism ..

he's talking about the madness of U.S. Operations

the mind of a "shock trooper" or mercenary.

[bignickb]

It's always been on my mind that this song covered islamic fundamentalism long before most people knew about it. It's almost prophetic to the extent that the video is filmed on a site that resembles ground zero right after the 9/11 attacks!

am I alone with this notion?

[Roger1776]

You're way off base. He's talking about us.

[BaldexSoldier]

Yet another reason that The The because and still is my Fav band.. many many many nights spent sharing the emotion.

THX

[MoRobi0515]

I was scared back then in 87 when i first heard this. But Infected was a bad ass album Mind Bomb was even better. One of my life's greatest experiences was the mind bomb concert in late 89. That was the fuckin shit The The, small venue[U of H] everything was so awe inspiring. Peace!!

[ComedyJesus]

The The is still my favorite band.

Ever.

[kissmybuttdimple]

oh yea... this is one of the best cd's ever... as important now .. as it was then.

[scroff55]

me and matt were mukers sort out the jumpiness of this vidoe and do the message justice pathfinder.

[scroff55]

me and matt were mukers sort out the jumpiness of this vidoe and do the message justice pathfinder.

[Eusebia19]

0:25 - 0:29

...***...

[percymate]

Sweet song. Check out the rem/ixed version which is way better: Search for "* 9/11 Secret Society & Secret Service *"

[xyling]

Interesting- this version is not the one on the album.

[DCS66]

I agree with inmuc. Anyway, Matt is a unique artist.

[spanishdi]

or maybe 03:05 - 03:24

[spanishdi]

Tyron912 how spooky, checkout the scene at 03:24. And DrumBunny see what you mean, not many people know of Matt Johnson and The The, I can understand it all now I'm older.

[daveluzon]

forgot to add check out the 12" if you can of this awsome!!

[happyhead64]

I have every single thing this man has ever recorded (plus some things he never meant to be recorded.) I am a THE THE frantic fan. I love this band, this is one of his greatest songs, IMO.

[mommaswatchinU]

never heard this,thanx 4 sharing

[Tyron912]

the scenes in the background remind me of the twin towers on 9/12 then later on a plain flys near skyscrapers, does that mean Matt was a prothet?

[inmuc]

Well sure, but Matt Johnson is ten times more intelligent than your average member of the music industry in any era, so it's not so surprising. Still, as much as people giggle at the eighties, there was a lot more music of substance coming out in those days than the garbage we get now. Recent years have spellt the death of the melody, not to mention meaningful lyrics. Amazing, though, how much of the really good stuff came out of England (I'm not English by the way).

[edlizard]

Yes, after all these years, still good & relevant.

[spaticus09]

gotta agree with patsy on that one. Totaly underated band. M Johnson is a genius.

[patsywatsywoowoo]

Angel colour shift might relate to the heaven sent/hell bent lyric. just a thought. Fantastic band mind. Criminally unsung.

[drumbunny]

Matt Johnson is a prophet. He called it in terms of the US, the middle East and the religious extremism years ago. Is it any wonder, he never made it onto MTV. America cannot handle the truth... Sad...

[spaticus09]

Sophia..many thanks for posting all these The The vids. If i had the chance i'd carry your shopping home for at least, i dunno.... a week.

[aimeemanddn]

I bought the album on the strength of "Infected". I thought it was an astounding album, had never seen the video before.

[baldyflaps]

thankyou,that's wonderful. Christ they made moving music.

[gerretl]

Possibly the greatest album ever. There HAS to be a place nowadays for intelligent songs like this, isn't there?

God help us if there isn't.

[TheBeastisgoogle]

prophetic song from 1986. still relevant.

[shap94]

love this song, this band is under-appreciated and under-rated

[BorresfromForres]

I'd love to understand the significance of the Angel colour shift?

[moonuni]

GREAT SONG EXCELLANT VIDEO