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Charmless Man Lyrics
I met him in a crowded room
Where people go to drink away their gloom
He sat me dawn and so began, the story of a charmless man
Educated the expensive way, he knows his Claret from a Beaujolais
I think he'd like to have been Ronnie Kray
But then nature didn't make him that way
He thinks his educated airs, those family shares
Will protect him that we will respect him
He moves in circles of friends
Who just pretend that they like him
He does the same to them, and when you put it all together
There's the model of a charmless man
He knows the swingers and their cavalry
Says he can get in anywhere for free
I began to go a little cross eyed
And from this charmless man I just had to hide
He talks at speed he gets nosebleeds
He doesn't see his days
Are tumbling down upon him
And yet he tries so hard to please
He's just so keen for you to listen
But no one is listening
And when you put it all together
There's the model of a charmless man
Where people go to drink away their gloom
He sat me dawn and so began, the story of a charmless man
Educated the expensive way, he knows his Claret from a Beaujolais
I think he'd like to have been Ronnie Kray
But then nature didn't make him that way
Will protect him that we will respect him
He moves in circles of friends
Who just pretend that they like him
He does the same to them, and when you put it all together
There's the model of a charmless man
Says he can get in anywhere for free
I began to go a little cross eyed
And from this charmless man I just had to hide
He doesn't see his days
Are tumbling down upon him
And yet he tries so hard to please
He's just so keen for you to listen
But no one is listening
And when you put it all together
There's the model of a charmless man
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since no-one's put what this is about i mayaswell state the obvious.... it's about men AND women, who are so stuck up and think they're higher class...they know all the right people and go to all the right places. however, its all an act and their lives are infact empty. whoever it's about and whatever their sexuality....it's a brilliant song and SO true. to me, it is reminiscent of "killer queen"- queen, as it also talks about being stuck up and pretentious etc.
The song is about a certain type of Englishman who's set in the past, who has quite a lot of inherited money ("those family shares will protect him) and likes to think of himself as posh and classy ("He knows his claret from a beaujolais") - but is actually a boring dickhead who's full of himself.
There's a case to be made that the song is a dig at Morrissey, mostly through this couplet...
"I think he'd like to have been Ronnie Kray But then nature didn't make him that way"
...which could point to Mozzer's obsession with the Krays. But the rest of the song doesn't seem to back it up.
hmmmm, why are ppl mentioning Pink Floyd here? I'm pretty sure there's a page for them somewhere on this site. As for the song, Damon is singing about the music executives of the world. The suits. Makes sense to me anyway.
and, mwalker and punchyk, I have heard that there were rumours it was about Morrissey, but that's totally ridiculous. So people thought it was about him just because The Smiths had a song called "This Charming Man" and because Morrissey once mentioned Ronnie Kray in a song? LOL If you know anything about Morrissey, it's obvious that the person from this song is nothing like him. "Educated the expensive way"?! "those family shares"?! Morrissey is from working class family who always had little money, his dad was a hospital porter, and his mom was a librarian. She always gave him books to read since he was very little so read a lot, unlike most boys of similar background, but he's had anything but expensive education - and he left his secondary school at the age of 16. While the "charmless man" from the song is a snob from a rich background, who brags he can get anywhere for free, Morrissey is hardly the type of man who tries to socialize with a lot of people or get into parties. Not to mention that people who meet Moz never describe him as charmless - in fact, everyone goes on about how charismatic he is. and as you can see in his interviews, he does not "talk at speed" or "tries so hard to please he's just so keen for you to listen", he talks slowly, and as one journalist said, as someone who's used to being listened to. Being too controversial, confrontational, outspoken, a bigmouth, too critical of others, arrogant, difficult, I've heard all these accusations against Moz, but " trying to please people" is one thing that nobody has ever accused him of.
In short, he's pretty much the opposite of the man described in this song.
It's quite obviously about Brett... if you listen to the song sung live, Damon sings: "and HE goes: nanananana...", which is a perfect imitation of how Brett Andersen usually sings.
The original liner notes (which are not infallible) got this line wrong: "He thinks he's educated, airs those family shares Will protect him"
For a variety of reasons that makes no sense (how does one "air shares"?). A simple fix straightens it out:
"He thinks his educated airs, those family shares Will protect him"
He, incorrectly, thinks that his educated airs and those family shares will protect him. He's deluded.
This stuff has probably been said previously, but I only created an account today despite being a long term Songmeanings user.
Blur's three Britpop albums, for which I love the band, are famed for their social commentary on Britain. This would suggest that the 'man' in question is a certain member of society, common in Britain. Damon is exhibiting his distaste for such people.
Damon has however revealed that much of the album is about him. It would therefore make sense to see the 'man' as Damon: he does not like what he has become.
Sorry, but I think you heard wrong, Damon Albarn has had a long standing relationship with Justine Frischmann of the band Elastica
the lead singer of suede, not blur.
you people are charmless..this song rules