The Smiths' Panic ("Hang the DJ", piano vocal cover)

There's something about this song that makes it more than a little intimidating to cover on piano. The Smiths' original version has a brilliant (yet relatively simple) guitar part. The accompaniment alternates either between G and Em (with a transition chord that is probably DonF#) or between C and D (with brief F and C chords used to transition back to the G Em bit). Any attempt I made to imitate the guitar part on piano seemed a bit lame, so my piano version is built around the G,Em and C,D chordings while generally avoiding the transition chords. I've slowed it down, which will probably raise some complaints that I've made it more depressing. Each to their own.

Generally, I followed the lyrics of the original (below) quite closely until the end of the track when I got carried away with a spontaneous alternative accompaniment idea.

*****

Panic on the streets of London
Panic on the streets of Birmingham
I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again ?
The Leeds side-streets that you slip down
I wonder to myself
Hopes may rise on the Grasmere
But Honey Pie, you're not safe here
So you run down
To the safety of the town
But there's Panic on the streets of Carlisle
Dublin, Dundee, Humberside
I wonder to myself

Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music that they constantly play
IT SAYS NOTHING TO ME ABOUT MY LIFE
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music they constantly play


On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down
Provincial towns you jog 'round
Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ
Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ
HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ
HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ
HANG THE DJ, HANG THE DJ

Category:

Music

Tags:

• the
• smiths
• panic
• on
• streets
• of
• london
• piano
• vocal
• cover
• morrissey
• johnny
• marr
• hang
• DJ
• wonder
• to
• myself

[m0zc0re]

Wow. The Smiths did a nice job of reconstructing "Metal Guru" by T Rex with this track, and you have done a brilliant job of reconstructing The Smiths. Very well done.

[BeetrootChessElf]

Thanks. I hadn't made the link between Metal Guru and Panic. I have both in my collection so I'll give them another listen. (-:

If you haven't already, you might want to check out my piano vocal cover of The Smiths There is a Light... One of my personal favourites...

[willilj]

I don't think it's bad at all. Sounds a bit the the ish too me, (melancholic piano). The negatives probably come from people who don't play so don't appreciate the difficulties. Nice tune, keep it up!

[xboxcrazee]

thats terrible in every respect. Smiths murderer !!!!!!! Don't give up the day job and get a decent piano !!!!!

[lpan01]

Awesome!

[Gingoose]

bloody awful, stick to the day job

[MomentarySupernova]

this is awesome. never would have thought to do it on piano!

[nickrock23]

interesting interpretation.. i like it alot

[RetroGuy5000]

nice cover mate well done

[writheinpain]

This is beautiful.