The Cribs: The Wrong Way To Be

Photo: mediaeater

"The Wrong Way To Be"

[Because a guy I used to know
Is returning now to show
That the wrong way to be
Is rubbing off on me]

I guess we were never going to be friends
I've never really liked people that are too 'right on'
Mind you, I'd love to turn my back on everything
I've preached for years
I bet that's a right laugh

Because a guy I used to know
Is returning now to show
That the wrong way to be
Is rubbing off on me
And no you can't come back to mine
Because I know that you will find
That the wrong way to be
Is rubbing off on me

You were funny the other night
You were just name dropping
Talking about scene hopping
Dreaming of chart topping
I remember, just before I walked away
Wondering to myself
How someone that lives so much of their lives
through other people
Could possibly have so much to say?

(chorus)

You know, your scene has got a lot to answer for
Like all these clued-up arseholes that try and set us
and Wakefield at war

You know it's not right but it's something you like *
(repeat)

Because a guy I used to know
Is returning now to show
That the wrong way to be
Is rubbing off on me
And no you can't come back to mine
But you will always blow my mind
Yeah the wrong way to be
Is rubbing off on me

* This is the lyric in the CD sleevenotes, but I hear, "You're so right, it's something you write" or "You're so bright, it's something you write".

This song begins with a preview of part of the chorus (in brackets above). There's no drumming or bass, just a trebly guitar and the voice of the singer, who sounds like he is standing far away from the microphone.

That distance translates into delicacy, uncertainty, and isolation. "Is this going to be a wistful song?" you wonder. Then the unexpected happens: drums and a throbbing baseline charge in, completely obliterating any feeling of isolation or delicacy.

There's a killer opening line, "I guess we were never going to be friends", and we're back with the more familiar acerbic tone of The Cribs.

This song, like many of The New Fellas songs, is specifically focused on the music scene, but it translates easily to any field where there are "in" groups and "out" groups, and people who are desperately trying to be in the former.

In the field of music, of course, there is a particular emphasis on tribalism and "cool" as currency. Hence the fourth stanza where the singer describes running into his almost-was friend, and recounts his name dropping, scene hopping, and chart topping posturing ("You were funny the other night…").

Part of what makes this song interesting is the singer's ambivalence about "a guy I used to know". He's not averse to chatting with him if he runs into him, but the possibility of a friendship has been mutually aborted ("I've never really liked people that are too 'right on'").

Because of this rift, the singer is able to view "the guy" more clearly, and this enables him to recognize himself in "the guy". So he's not out and out condeming the guy he used to know. In fact, he's slightly amused, so there is an intriguing element of empathy and recognition running throughout the song.

The line about Wakefield refers to the band's hometown of Wakefield, Yorkshire. I'm speculating here, but the lines imply that someone's spread a rumour that the band and their hometown aren't on good terms.

I find these lines compelling: "Mind you, I'd love to turn my back on everything I've preached for years / I bet that's a right laugh". The singer is tempted—sorely tempted—to abandon his music philosophy and give in to the name-dropping culture and all that it entails.

Finally, at the end of the song, when we revisit the chorus one last time, there is another surprise. The line "Because I know that you will find" is abandoned, replaced by the rueful admission:

"But you will always blow my mind".

The haunting loneliness and alienation of the introduction is recalled here, and when we hear the final "yeah, the wrong way to be is rubbing off on me" it's with a different perspective than at the beginning of the song.

Context: It's Cribs Week

From The New Fellas