"1963" - What does it all mean?

I've always liked "1963" and have a few thoughts on what Barney is singing about, but I'd like to know what you think.

Thanks,

Michael

It means, 'Bitch, never come home with el-cheapo savoury snacks, or i'll gun you down and leave you to rot like the cheap savoury snack buyer that you are'! I think that's plain enough to see.

The key to 1963 in my opinion is the line

"There are so many ways that you could kill someone, like in a love affair when the love has gone"

The death in the song is caused by falling out of love with someone and the other imagery are metaphors for that love and the things that ended the love.

If only i could pinpoint what the "Gift" was.

Originally posted by Brian Geoghagan The key to 1963 in my opinion is the line"There are so many ways that you could kill someone, like in a love affair when the love has gone"The death in the song is caused by falling out of love with someone and the other imagery are metaphors for that love and the things that ended the love. If only i could pinpoint what the "Gift" was.

The 'gift' Brian, is the savoury snacks, perhaps your equalizer messed that bit up and it got lost in the muddle!

Speaking of savoury snacks, i had the most delicous Applewood Smoked Barbeque and Cheddar crisps the other day but it made me wonder why they don't put more flavors on the puffs like Cheetos. We have this stuff called Pirate Booty here in Seattle that is puffed like cheetos but with white cheddar on them...mmmmmmm......white cheddar...................i saw tears were in his eyes, he never meant to eat my last piece of pirate booty......

Originally posted by Brian Geoghagan Speaking of savoury snacks, i had the most delicous Applewood Smoked Barbeque and Cheddar crisps the other day but it made me wonder why they don't put more flavors on the puffs like Cheetos. We have this stuff called Pirate Booty here in Seattle that is puffed like cheetos but with white cheddar on them...mmmmmmm......white cheddar...................i saw tears were in his eyes, he never meant to eat my last piece of pirate booty......

Sounds delicious.

Brian, you are not the first who has praised those particular potato chips here. I was there first. Ask Huntsy.

Delicious little snacks aren't they Patrick? Are you on the east coast?

He told me to close my eyes my gift would be a great surpise, i saw pirate booty behind his back, he never meant to tease me, oh god..........

I should back Patty up on that score Big G... I read your post and thought to myself 'I'm sure they were the one's Pastie was banging on about' then I scrolled down and up comes Patty like a bad AppleWood crisp. So 10 points to Patty and his nose for a good crisp.

This will probably make you want to foul the pavement (or sidewalk) but for an American Big G you've got quite a chunk of irony in your speak... which to us Brits is something of a rareity. Patty's not bad either but I don't want to 'blow smoke up his ass'.

Its something to do with the JFK shooting and marilyn monroe or something.... if i had that 'X' songbook handy all would be explained, i just can't remember.

The 'gift' may be the moment that he tells her that he's diddling her roommate while she's at work.

Jeff-

I can see the JFK reference.......

Maybe it was a nasty point in Barney's life where he was caught with his pants down and his schlong out....

Originally posted by Brian Geoghagan Delicious little snacks aren't they Patrick? Are you on the east coast?He told me to close my eyes my gift would be a great surpise, i saw pirate booty behind his back, he never meant to tease me, oh god..........

Brian, I'm sorry for not responding before; I didn't see your post until just now for some reason. Yes, they're definitely my favorite chips. And yes, I'm on the east coast.

Originally posted by Huntsman I should back Patty up on that score Big G... I read your post and thought to myself 'I'm sure they were the one's Pastie was banging on about' then I scrolled down and up comes Patty like a bad AppleWood crisp. So 10 points to Patty and his nose for a good crisp.This will probably make you want to foul the pavement (or sidewalk) but for an American Big G you've got quite a chunk of irony in your speak... which to us Brits is something of a rareity. Patty's not bad either but I don't want to 'blow smoke up his ass'.

I'm not sure I know the precise meaning of that phrase, Huntsy, "blow smoke up his ass"? I'm sure Klumpy wouldn't know either.

You don't want to know Patty, it's sick.....

OK, Seb, I will banish it from my mind. To Room 101 in fact.

Actually Michael, Barney's heartfelt lyrics on this masterpiece of sonic concussion (that's a compliment by the way) are a bit of a red herring - despite what it may sound like he's singing about, he's really written a ode to an old tin of green paint that he happened to find lying around his garage one Sunday afternoon. Chancing on this remarkable discovery, seeing that he recalled losing a tin of green paint - a birthday present given to him by his mother - back in - yup, 1963 - when he was just a wee little 7-year-old , his traumatic cries for attention were ignored for so long that he all but forgot about this sad episode until 24 years later when, having completed recording the a-side "True Faith", he sat down and poured himself a very large pernod and began reflecting on his childhood in the hope that some old memories may return and prompt some inspiration to flow forth for some lyrics to a tune he had just drafted from the b-side with the help of the drum-machine backbeat from Prince's "IT" track (from "Sign "O" The Times). Suddenly he shot upright when a certain episode from the past hit him like a bolt from the blue - it was the incident involving the tin of green paint. Reflecting back on this, he then realised why he subconsciously titled the second New Order single "Everything's Gone Green" back in 1981 (the original title was going to be "Everything's Gangrene" but was considered a bit in poor taste by the other three members of the band) - because of this childhood memory. Anyway, he actually missed this tin of paint so much that, as a 7 year old,he used to have nightmares about it, wherein the tin assumed a human identity of its own - and answered to the name of Johnny. The tin of paint also carried a toy gun which it constantly held aloft (hence this explains the pleading, desperate line in the lyric : "Johnny...don't point that gun at me....") and this used to terrify young Barney because he always believed the tin of paint to be his best friend in the whole wide world - like young minds often do you see. Johnny used to be a bit of a stud about town - always on the prowl looking for other fit tins of paint to pick up...he courted a young lemon-yellow specimen with a very fetching plastic handle (unlike his unflattering buckled steel one) and decided to elope with it (her). Barney never understood why his beloved Johnny tin of paint left him for another tin of paint, but the story goes that he spent many cold winter nights running outside calling for his tin buddy to come back to him as he was missing him greatly. [Jesus, tears are welling up in my eyes as I write this, it's so moving...honestly - I get so emotionally involved sometimes it's untrue] Then after months of not hearing from Johnny, Barney was startled by a shuffling noise as he was on the floor playing with a train set - the door creaked open and in walked Johnny, with a little gift for Barney - needless to say, Barney was delighted to be reunited with his friend until he saw an even larger firearm poking out of the wrapping. Johnny then declared that he was having little mini-sized tins of paint from his lemon-yellow partner before telling Barney that he - Johnny - had to choose between one or the other. So he chose to marry the lemon-yellow tin. Barney never recovered fully from this traumatic experience and as a result, he wisely closed the lid on the episode until the occasion when the song was written and he inadvertedly opened up the old wounds again. Nobody knew what happened to Johnny the tin of green paint after he walked out on his best childhood friend Barney linking handles with his lemon-yellow fiancée - or even if they did settle down and have some little tins of paint - not least of all Barney. So this is his lament to that innocent childhood friendship that somehow turned cruelly bitter and unresolved.

Then again, it could be about Johnny Marr. But who's betting on that one, huh?

The book "Dreams Never End" says that 1963 is a song about the JFK murder. It is a theory that Marilin Monroe and JFK were together plannind the murder of his wife. So, his death was causeb by a wrong shot from the killer.

Sorry guys, the reference is wrong. The New Order song book is the right one. It has a Barney's manuscript where he explains his theory. So, if the manuscript is real, it kills the doubts. I've bought this song book in HMV, few years ago. Does anybody have this one too?

Martin-

Wow! That was very creative. It must be the warm beer that y'all consume in mass quantities ;)!

Speaking of warm beer, here's a joke popular among sports car racers:

Q: "Why do the English drink warm beer?" A: "Because they have Lucas refrigerators."

Originally posted by Michael McDermott Q: "Why do the English drink warm beer?"A: "Because they have Lucas refrigerators."

Hmmmmmm....

You know, as are all New Order's songs, it's about:

SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX and SEX!!!

'Johnny, don't point that GUN at me.....'

:\puke: