Electronic – Getting Away With It... Electronic!

From Wayne Studer's excellent 'geowayne' site:

Neil has provided some fascinating background information: he and Sumner wrote the lyrics from the presumed perspective of former Smiths lead singer (and Marr's former writing partner) Morrissey, suggesting that he's been "getting away with" his "persona of being miserable" for years. (See "Miserablism" for another song with a similar background.) Marr has suggested that Neil actually had greater input into the lyrics than Sumner, which Neil has subsequently confirmed in interviews: "They had the track but they didn't have any words.… and I thought of 'getting away with it.'… My idea for the lyric of the song was that I was being Morrissey." Musically, it was Marr who composed the chorus, whereas Sumner composed the music of the verses and Neil pretty much did the arrangement. And, in a surprise revelation by Marr in 2021, it was none other than Chris Lowe who performed the synth bass-line and made important suggestions as to how it should "go," despite his not getting a co-writing credit on the song.

Anyone notice the type-set on this is sloppy:
Cover has Electronic! inside the quotes around the song title.
Then on the CD surface, track "3-extended versions."

Wishing more remixed versions were hidden on CD.

Still a great song and the remixes made for mixing it up DJ style!
With Pet Shop Boy vocals and
Johnny Marr guitar and
Anne Dudley strings and
Dave Palmer (once drumming with ABC an TheThe).
This is 80s synth-pop supergroup!

7 reasons why Getting Away With It… is perfect pop.

Reason #1: it's all about the ellipsis in the title…

Reason #2: the song opens on such a dream of a bassline fidgeting under a swathe of strings. Barney sings "I've been walking in the rain just to get wet on purpose", and lisps the ess in the laziest of shrugs.

Reason #3: forty-five seconds in, a spectre of Neil Tennants loom over the chorus. Tennant, in the Dusty-est of traditions, is multitracked approx eighty-nine times - atonally. This is pop genius.

Reason #4: "However I look it's clear to see, I love you more than you love me"

Reason #5: verse two; Johnny Marr cuts Chic-ly at his guitar and the cellos chop as Barney sniffs "I hate that mirror, it makes me feel so worthless". As the bassline slouches, Marr's mogadon flamenco dodges the poison arrows of Dudley's strings; it's heavenly.

Reason #6: the singles' artwork (a somewhat lazy reappropriaton of stock photography) was the start of Saville's descent into the Mac trap. But! Not only is the barcode the most perfectly positioned barcode ever, the hidden verso of the inlay is printed blood red. You might not understand how important this is - trust me, it is.

Reason #7: it's only 4:21 seconds long. It's only a pop song. But somehow this song has lived in my life for over 16 years. When I'm happy, it sings my happiness back at me. When I am blue, it cries too. It can sound slightly concerned. It often sounds like it doesn't have a care in its world. It has a swagger. It's such a perfect sigh of a song.