PANIC
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
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, HANG THE DJ
Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ, Hang the DJ
HANG THE DJ
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Catchy multi-themed single that caused little ripples of delight to any
ardent fans who happened to live in the cities mentioned (I myself spent
many glorious hours slipping down the numerous side-streets of nearby Leeds).
One of Marr's more basic compositions, and unfortunately accompanied
by a lacklustre drum part of Joyce's. The inherent contradictory nature
of the song is further displayed in the coda of children happily chanting
the threatening refrain "Hang The DJ".
For anyone who doesn't already know the story, Morrissey wrote this
song as a response to DJ Steve Wright's insensitive placing of Wham's vacuous
"I'm Your Man" directly after a news report of the horrible Chernobyl disaster.
Done live, Morrissey often twirled a noose around, wearing a T-shirt with
the "zany" Steve Wright's face stamped, like a passport, with "HANG THE
DJ". This song often prompted Morrissey to discourse on his hatred of "puerile"
dance music, which he refers to in this song.
Steve Wright penned an "hilarious" pastiche of Morrissey, which you
can read here.