Better Than Rock and Roll

The Smivets

Better Than Rock and Roll by The Smivets | Free Download

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This one starts gently but don't be fooled - it soon hots up

prog punk wildhearts cardiacs

The Smivets

Trash-pop, guitar rock and melodic miscellany.

Not so much a band as a bloke with a guitar and a laptop, The Smivets deliver a genre-bending blend of pop, rock, punk, prog and many other monosyllables.

"Better Than Rock and Roll" is a Progressive Rock track by The Smivets on SoundClick. The song establishes its own world and invites the listener to settle in. The arrangement unfolds with a natural ease, guiding the listener through a more immersive experience. It has charted at #20 on the SoundClick Progressive Rock chart. Discover "Better Than Rock and Roll" and the rest of the Smivets discography on SoundClick.

Song Info

Genre

Rock • Progressive Rock

Charts

Peak #140

Peak in subgenre #20

Author

Steve Smith

Rights

Steve Smith

Uploaded

December 08, 2021

Track Files

MP3

MP3 13.9 MB • 320 kbps • 6:05 minutes

Story behind the song

Is it a soft calypso?
Or hard rock?
Or punk rock?
Or prog?
Probably all the above - this gets as close as I can get to the concept of "prog punk" - attempting to combine the energy and rawness of punk and hard rock with the musicality and intrigue of prog.  2 genres that are supposed to be polar opposites but I love them both so why not?

Somewhat autobiographical this one - some details have been changed to protect the guilty.

Lyrics

When I was a young boy
I didn't much like school
Everything had a restriction, a regulation or a rule
Well I kicked against the system
Every chance I got
Everything they said I should I said that I would not
Yes they pegged me for a fool
Because I didn't want to be there
But it doesn't seem that foolish
Looking back on it from here
By the time they tossed me out
I'd had enough of hearing nonsense
Because nothing they tried to teach me seemed like any use at all
So I turned up pirate radio
As loud as I could make it go
And everything made sense instantly
And nothing sounded better than rock and roll to me

So I bought me a Les Paul copy
Started bashing it around
Tortured and abused the poor thing until I liked the sound
Then I set biro to paper
Wrestling down on the page
Songs to capture the zeitgeist, songs of ignorance and rage
Then I set out to make an impact
Trying to look like a contender
Decked in every rising fashion
Like the panoply of war
But it's hard to wage a battle
When you don't know who you're fighting
With one eye on the leader
And the other on the door
So I resolved to play the the waiting game
With two brass ha'pennies to my name
Never better than tenth place in the queue
And nothing better than rock and roll to do

Well I felt the dream get closer
Almost close enough to clutch
Too close to let it go too far away to touch
Every passing bandwagon
I'd follow it blind
Changed my style a thousand times, one step behind
But I figured out too late
It's best to lead and not to follow
And be blessed with chiselled cheekbones
And a liberal dose of luck
But while I was drowning in self pity
Someone dived straight in to save me
Who took me for what I was
And who didn't give a
About unachievable fantasies
That come with rock and roll disease
And in the bolt of lightning moment there I knew
The only thing better than rock and roll was you

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Comments 3

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Oddger

Jan 11, 2022

Great story telling. A mini rock opera in its own right. And I can sooo relate to the lyrics! You summed up my life there. 
We had a reunion of local bands from the 1980's in my little town and I realized that I played in them all, except the local New Orleans jazz band. 
I like the way the music builds up to emphasize the lyrics. I simply like this one a lot!

steveweyman

Jan 03, 2022

I knew it ! Fooled me into thinking you gone mellow then it kicks in ! Great track in your inimitable style ! Great voice Steve and always love your guitar work and production .The lyrics are something else !

KeithMitchell

Dec 08, 2021

I know I have said this before but I love your voice Steve. You record it perfectly. And you mix and arrange your tracks with pure class. Monster track in my book.