The Fascinating Turnip

The Smiths - Hatful Of Hollow

Hatful Of Hollow is a compilation album released in 1984 by Rough Trade, just months after their self-titled debut.
Comprised of two BBC Sessions, some then recent single tracks and a previously unreleased This Night Has Opened My Eyes, it charted at No. 7 in the UK album charts, and is quite frankly a mother of a blowout, if I may be so bold.
The tracklist represents The Smiths' early period quite exceptionally, with a selection of songs that yield little to no dull moments.
Some of the tunes I've covered earlier have only been slightly altered for this compilation, Still Ill gained its notorious intro and Reel Around The Fountain sounds a tad more glossy, perfected, which may or not be to your liking.

It begins quite smoothly with the immensely fun William, It Was Really Nothing. An acoustic guitar leads us into an upbeat track with grey, rainy imagery; endearing and vulnerable melancholy and delightfully fun wit:

The rain falls hard on a humdrum town
This town has dragged you down

(...)

Oh, no, and everybody's got to live their life
And God knows I've got to live mine

(...)
William, William it was really nothing

(...)

It was your life ...

How can you stay with a fat girl who'll say :
"Oh ! Would you like to marry me ?
"And if you like you can buy the ring"
She doesn't care about anything
Would you like to marry me ?
And if you like you can buy the ring
I don't dream about anyone - except myself !
Oh, William, William it was really nothing
William, William

There's something about the plump young lady imposing herself on "William" that I find terribly amusing. Of course, it's merely a satirization, and the person advising said "William" seems to be behaving like a scorned woman, jealous, perhaps of the whole relationship; which can be directly interpreted from the line "I don't dream about anyone - except myself", that presents us with some quite whimsical narcissism.
Again I'd like to point out the connection with Oscar Wilde. To me this resembles to a great degree a conversation between Lord Henry Wotton and Dorian Gray, in which Lord Henry Wotton blemishes the object of Dorian's love.

After this treat follows a myriad of fantastic tracks, with How Soon is Now? and its beginning riff standing out quite obstreperously, and its once again sensational, insightful; dare I say autobiographical lyrics:


What can I say? This is an anthem to every troubled wallflower or socially challenged teenager out there. The fact that it's so genuine is definitely moving, and you can see there's a certain dichotomy, with two sides presenting themselves: an angry one - which reflects on the sound of the whole song - and a soft, vulnerable side showing itself in its entirety. There's no hiding of flaws here.

Another track I find particularly amusing, and which I haven't discussed earlier on so as not to make these reviews too long is Handsome Devil.
This song is fantastic when it comes to the music: Once again we're presented with an upbeat track that seems angry at the world, and which has that fast paced guitar that doesn't fail to please.
The lyrics on this one, though, while terribly amusing and quite catchy at some points were rather controversial and I think you'll understand why:

All the streets are crammed with things
Eager to be held
I know what hands are for
And I'd like to help myself
You ask me the time
But I sense something more
And I would like to give you
What I think you're asking for
You handsome devil
Oh, you handsome devil

Let me get my hands
On your mammary glands
And let me get your head
On the conjugal bed
I say, I say, I say

I crack the whip
And you skip
But you deserve it
You deserve it, deserve it, deserve it

A boy in the bush
Is worth two in the hand
I think I can help you get through your exams
Oh, you handsome devil

And when we're in your scholarly room
Who will swallow whom ?
When we're in your scholarly room
Who will swallow whom ?
You handsome devil


There's more to life than books, you know
But not much more
Oh, there's more to life than books, you know
But not much more, not much more

It seems to be a rather predatorial song, agressive, forceful, as you can judge by the rough, blunt lyrics.
It might be an attempt at a caricature of the typical male role, or as my dear friend Paloma suggested, a tale of an attempt at assuming such a role, and in my opinion failing, as whimsical lines such as: "Let me get my hands on your mammary glands" suggest, revealing a slight awkwardness.
The school theme that shows up seems to bring up the subject of youth, inserting all of the aforementioned opinions in a rather youthful scenario, wich again is quite Wildesque.
All in all, the subject of the song ends up looking rather pathetic, yet human, as a lot of us are, which makes it all the more captivating.

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now is one of their most famous tunes as well, I believe.
Smooth, charming, perhaps most likely to be sung by the quiet man in the corner gazing at his shoes and tremulously grasping his beverage; it's a marvellous track that once again yielded an anthem for troubled souls:

"I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour
But heaven knows I'm miserable now

I was looking for a job, and then I found a job
And heaven knows I'm miserable now

In my life
Why do I give valuable time
To people who don't care if I live or die ?

Two lovers entwined pass me by
And heaven knows I'm miserable now

What she asked of me at the end of the day
Caligula would have blushed

"You've been in the house too long" she said
And I (naturally) fled"

In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye ?"

This is one of the few examples some people would just write off as whining; but I myself find it utterly charming, and relate to it heavily (I suppose that makes me a whiner).
He's surrounded by people he doesn't like and by things he wants and doesn't have, and it all seems rather unfair.
On the other hand, note how the lyrics could easily be a jab at people who at the time already considered them miserabilists. It's the wit people sometimes miss, and by relating to the theme too much, I admit I initially missed the humorous side of the lyrics too.

Accept Yourself is a rather average musical arrangement, though it has interesting lyrics dealing with (as the title suggests) the acceptance of one's self.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want is almost too sweet, with its tender acoustic guitar ringing in the background while Morrissey delivers a charming vocal performance. It seems endearing enough to put a small child to sleep with its innocent lyrics and a dream-like outro which sounds like the work of a balalaika, if I'm not mistaken:


A perfect ending for a marvellous compilation.