Infected (1986) – Part 1
Here’s the first 4 videos of the songs from The The’s Infected album:
The title song is definitely the most 80′s sounding song on the album, though that’s not necessarily bad – I will say that it’s left in the dust by the other offerings on the album. The drum beats are really great in this song, there’s some good synth present as well, and some minimal, but still good, guitar work – the trumpet part’s really killer too. Visually, it’s a pretty unique and cohesive video, albeit a confusing one – Matt Johnson’s strapped in a chair throughout, the part with him in the hospital goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics. Lyrically, I like the metaphor of love being an infection – it is a feeling that’s really all consuming, and it can be as harmful as it is great. Good lead-off song imo.
One of my favorites of the album. More guitar in this one than the title song, and that’s a welcome addition, the synth work is good too and adds well to the atmosphere of the song. Lyrically, it’s all about lust and how it’s easy to quell one’s loneliness by seeking sex and the sort, and Johnson really shows off his voice well on this song. Visually, it matches up well with the lyrics, showing Johnson go off seeking the company of a girl or two, and possibly tries to show the dangers of letting the sexual side of a relationship take too much of a hold (with how Johnson just gives up at the end and is “going through the motions, faking the emotions” ).
Pretty good song, nice piano intro and the catchy guitar line drives the song along, while the piano pops up again while strings add atmosphere to the song. Some sweet harmonica work in there too. Definitely one of the political songs on the album, with Johnson talking about the problems of Great Britain, with the images being shown behind Johnson demonstrating these problems visually. It’s certainly a song that remains true even today, with the problems America has been facing recently.
Nice introductory guitar riff and strings/synthesizer kick things off in the song, paired nicely with the desert images and the vulture flying in the video, which also goes well with the stand-up bass line that comes in. Lyrically, it’s a very political song, as the second one on the album so far, with lines like
“I can’t see for the tear gas, & the dollar signs in my eyes.
Well, whats a man got left to fight for
when he’s bought his freedom
by the look of this human jungle
It aint just the poor who’ll be bleeding!”
and has some social commentary with lines like:
“Down by the river, I’ve been washing out my mouth,
cuz deep in the heart of me
there’s a frightened man breaking out.
Oh I was just looking for paradise
anywhere in this world
While they’re gunning for heaven
from this man made hell!!!”
About 2:40 into the song, the music changes, with a ringing guitar line that leads into a epic-sounding finale with the chanted vocals, catchy guitar line, pounding drums, and the half-sweetly and harshly sung line “Angels of destruction”. Visually, this musical change is signaled with an explosion (likely the fake city in the music video), leading into images of an earthquake, the sun setting with a strange color scheme, interspersed between Matt Johnson singing with goggles on, ultimately ending with the image of Johnson’s head on a stake in the desert.
