Pure Punk Picks
No Peace For The Wicked – The Only Ones
“Why do I go through these deep emotional traumas?” This pleasant, pop song inquires. “Why can’t I be like I always wanted to be, carefree? Why can’t I be happy like everybody else?”
Because everyone else is not like this writer, Peter Perret, or The Only Ones, or like you. The misfits of society, the square pegs trying to fit in the round holes. All who don’t fit into ordinary life- whether through race, sexual orientation or just because you’re not part of the in-crowd, the captain of the cheerleaders or the star quarterback in your home town.
And, frequently, these misfits find a place that they do feel comfortable and accepted in- and that’s the punk scene.
“There’s no peace for the wicked, they say no peace for the wicked, loud and clear, no peace for the wicked. The angels tell me, no peace for the wicked.”
All this is true and it is true that The Only Ones were a British band in the late seventies/early eighties that weren’t exactly punk but not aligned with the old dinosaur bands so they were relegated with the term “new wave” and were greatly, underrated in my opinion.
“New Wave” was another term that was used to describe a lot of the misfit bands of the time- a category that described such great bands as Devo, Talking Heads and Blondie.
But this band most reminds me of Television, another band that wasn’t really punk, but who were the first to play CBGB’s- before The Ramones and all the other legendary bands played there as well.
This song does have one of the most punk like lines I could imagine. “I’m in love with extreme mental torture.” And the way it slowly, oozes out of his mouth is sublime and divine.
Followed with- “I’m in love with the way you hold your head and cry.” Not really sadistic, I think, more world wearily sad and resigned.
“I’m in love with all these affairs of the heart.” So fey and sarcastic that it could’ve been muttered by Oscar Wilde over a hundred years ago.
A spaghetti western soundtrack guitar lick takes place in the middle of this song. You know, a low twangy lick that’s echo-ey with sparse notes. And as the lick resonates and collides against the sides of my head, I feel it tares and collides against my heart and my emotions, as well.
I feel this band, this song portrays life more perfectly than life or even us, in real life could ever express.
And that what is wicked is not within us, but what is wicked is within life. A reverse of the original sin.
And it makes me feel sad for us, the unintentional wicked and much praise for the perfect angels in life who try to steer us dirty devils towards redemption.
Let’s pray for the wicked and for their peace and for more songs as pure and perfect as this.
And let’s pray for all us lost souls who will never fit in, in a world that is truly wicked.
And let us give thanks for all the angels who help us, in our life, in our hell as they all lead us to a better way with a soundtrack of songs, so truly great as this, to lead us on, onto a musical bliss some might rightly call heaven.
(Slimedog)
