"This Charming Man" is a song by the English rock band The Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer/lyricist Morrissey. It was released as the group's second single in October 1983 on the independent record labelRough Trade. The song is defined by Marr's jangle pop guitar riff and Morrissey's characteristically morose lyrics, which revolve around the recurrent Smiths themes of sexual ambiguity and lust.
Feeling detached from and unable to relate to the early 1980s mainstream gay culture, Morrissey wrote "This Charming Man" to evoke an older, more coded and self-aware underground scene. The singer explained of the song's lyrics, "I really like the idea of the male voice being quite vulnerable, of it being taken and slightly manipulated, rather than there being always this heavy machismo thing that just bores everybody."
Although only moderately successful on first release—the single peaked at number 25 on the British singles chart, "This Charming Man" has been widely praised in both the music and mainstream press. The single was re-issued in 1992, reaching number 8 on the UK singles chart (making it The Smiths' biggest UK hit by chart position). In 2004, BBC Radio 2 listeners voted it number 97 on the station's "Sold on Song Top 100" poll.Mojo magazine journalists placed the track at number 1 on their 2008 "50 Greatest UK Indie Records of All Time" feature.
This Charming Man is a 2008 novel by Irish author Marian Keyes. It centres on the engagement of popular politician Paddy de Courcy and the impact this has on the women in his life. The novel won the Popular Fiction Award at the Irish Book Awards 2009, having received the most votes from the Irish public.
Plot summary
The main characters are: Paddy de Courcy, a charismatic politician; Lola Daly, a stylist; Grace Gildee, a journalist; Marnie Hunter, Grace's alcoholic sister; and Alicia Thornton, Paddy's fiancée.
The story is told predominantly from the viewpoints of the first three, although there are occasional sections from Alicia's point of view. Lola, Paddy's girlfriend, is heartbroken when she hears of his engagement and moves to County Clare to get away from him. Marnie, who was Paddy's college girlfriend and still has feelings for him, is an alcoholic and eventually loses her job, husband and children; her sister Grace attempts to help Marnie, get an interview with Lola, and hide her relationship with Paddy from her partner Damien. Over the course of the book it is revealed that all three women - plus various other ex-girlfriends of Paddy's - have been abused by him.
Punctured bicycle On a hillside desolate Will nature make a man of me yet? When in this charming car This charming man Why pamper life's complexity When the leather runs smooth On the passenger seat? I would go out tonight But I haven't got a stitch to wear This man said, "It's gruesome That someone so handsome should care" Ah! A jumped-up pantry boy Who never knew his place He said, "Return the ring" He knows so much about these things He knows so much about these things I would go out tonight But I haven't got a stitch to wear This man said, "It's gruesome That someone so handsome should care" La, la-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man La-la, la-la, la-la, this charming man Ah ! A jumped-up pantry boy Who never knew his place He said,,"Return the ring" He knows so much about these things He knows so much about these things
When he was first appointed manager of Chelsea, José Mourinho strode into his unveiling press conference and held the Premier League in his hand. It was spellbinding ...United, this United, are evidently a very different proposition ... .
He’s too good to ignore.’ But it is a different Smith this time ... This wasn’t a procession or a razzle-dazzle contest ... But the national team can still make use of the man who has the Saints dancing to his tune.
It feels strange to start this piece by discussing another player, but that’s so often the case when talking about the man who ‘should’ve been a model’ and didn’t make his international debut until the age of 25.
(Here he is, for instance, doing “Stayin’ Alive” and sounding like KK Slider.) Today, Wain joins a cast of punk heavyweights for a cover of the Smiths classic “This Charming Man.”.
