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The Smiths — Girlfriend in a Coma
Album: Strangeways, Here We Come
Avg rating:
7.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 651









Released: 1987
Length: 1:59
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's serious
Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's really serious

There were times when I could
Have "murdered" her
(But you know, I would hate
Anything to happen to her)


NO, I DON'T WANT TO SEE HER


Do you really think
She'll pull through ?
Do you really think
She'll pull through ?
Do ...


Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's serious
My, my, my, my, my, my baby, goodbye


There were times when I could
Have "strangled" her
(But you know, I would hate
Anything to happen to her)
WOULD YOU PLEASE
LET ME SEE HER !


Do you really think
She'll pull through ?
Do you really think
She'll pull through ?
Do ...
Let me whisper my last goodbyes


I know - IT'S SERIOUS
Comments (87)add comment
BBC Radio 1
refused to play the song. Morrissey later said, "You're not really
supposed to like those songs. They're very depressing and not supposed
to be played on radio."[3]


Thanks for ignoring M-s advice. :)
Posted 4 years ago by darshan    [ Reply ]
I give "Girlfriend in a Coma" a 10 only because it was peak Morrissey. 
Posted 5 years ago by Grayson    [ Reply ]
 ploba wrote:
Douglas Coupland wrote a novel called "Girlfriend in a coma"...:) 

 

Wow, had to go back to 2009 to see the only comment mentioning Coupland's novel (which knocked me off my feet back then....1998).

Does anyone know if there's a connection?

(I feel so unconnected to the song I can't even rate it... especially seeing many here seem to love it, so I'm assuming I just don't get it...)

Edit: solved, the novel was named after the song. (When I wrote the comment, I wondered: 'Why don't I just go to wikipedia?'... Then I thought it would be fun to ask in a forum for a change... and then I got too impatient {#Biggrin})
Posted 10 years ago by fedtho    [ Reply ]

Gotta give this a 9 for 'Outstanding Humour".

 
Posted 11 years ago by msymmes    [ Reply ]
 ScottishWillie wrote:
 kult wrote:
I think the Smiths are one of those bands that you just love more and more as you listen to them. Morrissey's lyrics are really funny, and not miserable at all; they're deliberately self-pitying and melodramatic.
I agree I've loved The Smith from their very first single and I have always believed that their tongues are so far into their cheeks that it’s a wonder they’re not poking out of their ears.
I simply don’t understand how so many people miss the obvious, the Smith are a comedy band.


 
Do you really think she'll pull through? 
(Morrissey secretly hoping she won't) 

You have to realize that Morrissey wants you to laugh at or along with him--songs like this one help you figure it out. I loved "Vauxhall and I" because it had still had that OTT knuckles-to-eyebrow feel, but the songs had a sharp edge under the purple crushed velvet. "Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning" was perfectly whispered black humor, a musical version of Roald Dahl's darkly funny stories for adults. 
Posted 11 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
Finally, I'm enjoying a Smiths song...its only taken 20 (or so) years!
Posted 11 years ago by jt1    [ Reply ]
ho hum  set
zzzzzzzz
BTW- never heard the Rolling Stones sound so bad as that tune
Posted 11 years ago by Rmike    [ Reply ]
Brilliant song. Great performances all round.

It's a shame that Marr's production once again lets the song down. Talk about a "Japanese Hifi" mix.

 
Posted 11 years ago by zigzag    [ Reply ]
There's a theme going on here.........
Posted 12 years ago by :+:_DL    [ Reply ]
 sirdroseph wrote:
Johnny Marr and Morrisey at their melodic best! Great memories!{#Cheers}
 

absolute bliss
Posted 12 years ago by julsee213    [ Reply ]
Johnny Marr and Morrisey at their melodic best! Great memories!{#Cheers}
Posted 13 years ago by sirdroseph    [ Reply ]
 So.  Good.  
Posted 13 years ago by hencini    [ Reply ]
this song has always amused me. However, to follow Junkie Girl with this was a stroke of sick comic genius. {#Lol}
Posted 13 years ago by pamohearn    [ Reply ]
Not to be confused with "Canary in a Coalmine" by the Police.  ; )
Posted 14 years ago by On_The_Beach    [ Reply ]
 gjr wrote:
come on - one of the funniest songs of the last 30 years...............period!!
 
and funnest! {#Dance}
Posted 14 years ago by jkhandy    [ Reply ]
come on - one of the funniest songs of the last 30 years...............period!!
Posted 14 years ago by gjr    [ Reply ]
 EssexTex wrote:
A coma would be welcome relief from this pile of steaming kack
 
Hilarious, despite the fact that I love the song. . .


Posted 15 years ago by vandal    [ Reply ]
A coma would be welcome relief from this pile of steaming kack
Posted 15 years ago by EssexTex    [ Reply ]
 ptooey wrote:
 
Yes, this song is dumb.  It's also pretty damned good.  7.

 
Dumb?...just wait until you have a girlfriend in a coma!


Posted 15 years ago by More_Cowbell    [ Reply ]
 kult wrote:
I think the Smiths are one of those bands that you just love more and more as you listen to them. Morrissey's lyrics are really funny, and not miserable at all; they're deliberately self-pitying and melodramatic.
I agree I've loved The Smith from their very first single and I have always believed that their tongues are so far into their cheeks that it’s a wonder they’re not poking out of their ears.
I simply don’t understand how so many people miss the obvious, the Smith are a comedy band.

Posted 15 years ago by ScottishWillie    [ Reply ]
 farakon wrote:
The Smiths are one of the main reasons I got into punk music.  Every time I would hear them on the Radio back in the day I would fly into a rage {#Fire}.  But for punk music I would have killed someone.  Two things stand between The Smiths and tolerable music... testicles.

  Yours or theirs?  'cause, there were, what, four of 'em in the band, right?  How would you divvy those up?
 
Yes, this song is dumb.  It's also pretty damned good.  7.

Posted 15 years ago by ptooey    [ Reply ]
 jayvee2 wrote:
I'm sorry, but I think this is just a STUPID song.
 

Agree, totally.
Posted 15 years ago by bronorb    [ Reply ]
this song is SO WRONG.

I LOVE IT!!!  LMAO!
Posted 15 years ago by raindogt00    [ Reply ]
Douglas Coupland wrote a novel called "Girlfriend in a coma"...:) 
Posted 15 years ago by ploba    [ Reply ]
The Smiths are one of the main reasons I got into punk music.  Every time I would hear them on the Radio back in the day I would fly into a rage {#Fire}.  But for punk music I would have killed someone.  Two things stand between The Smiths and tolerable music... testicles.

Posted 15 years ago by farakon    [ Reply ]
 Koan wrote:
I made some snarky comment about The Smiths in another thread awhile back but, they're actually growing on me too.
 

I'd see the doctor about that !
Posted 15 years ago by veejay    [ Reply ]
Another great british band.
Posted 15 years ago by STEVIE1    [ Reply ]
this is a great song..
short and very sweet..
Posted 15 years ago by arsenault    [ Reply ]
I made some snarky comment about The Smiths in another thread awhile back but, they're actually growing on me too.
Posted 16 years ago by Koan    [ Reply ]
kult wrote:
I think the Smiths are one of those bands that you just love more and more as you listen to them. Morrissey's lyrics are really funny, and not miserable at all; they're deliberately self-pitying and melodramatic.

umm, you know, that's why I hate them the less and less I here them {#Whisper}
Posted 16 years ago by TanteJensen    [ Reply ]
Cheery song. 
Posted 16 years ago by justlistening    [ Reply ]
Wow, I haven't listened to this CD in awhile. Time to pull it out and give it a spin. {#Daisy}
Posted 16 years ago by splooge    [ Reply ]
jayvee2 wrote:
I'm sorry, but I think this is just a STUPID song.
No wonder it seems stupid for you. You should try not to bump your head so often... see a doctor.
Posted 16 years ago by tupicetti    [ Reply ]
Always witty, constantly sarcastic, ever cunning.
Posted 16 years ago by aragon    [ Reply ]
Awful...one of the worst voices in music..
Posted 17 years ago by EssexTex    [ Reply ]
jstrait wrote:
Silly? SILLY? It's not silly! It's Seeeriooous...
Posted 17 years ago by pigglywiggly    [ Reply ]
I\'m sorry, but I think this is just a STUPID song.
Posted 17 years ago by jayvee2    [ Reply ]
not HIS girlfriend, is it??
Posted 17 years ago by beakersbeats    [ Reply ]
Silly? SILLY? It's not silly! It's Seeeriooous...
Posted 17 years ago by jstrait    [ Reply ]
In a past life, I often dreamt it could be true...
Posted 17 years ago by Dior    [ Reply ]
BooKitty wrote:
This drek would put anyone into a coma.
Yep
Posted 17 years ago by jagdriver    [ Reply ]
Darlington wrote:
Agree. Like it for the same reasons. "Stop Me If You Think that You've Heard this One Before" is one of my favorite 2-3 Smith's songs, hands down.
Unfortunately, there is a crappy cover version doing the rounds at the moment...
Posted 17 years ago by Cruithne3753    [ Reply ]
Sing Me To Sleep...
Posted 18 years ago by djinnthespazz    [ Reply ]
the best lyricist ever!
Posted 18 years ago by exciter76    [ Reply ]
come on, morrissey, we know you've never in your life had a girlfriend.
Posted 18 years ago by daveesh    [ Reply ]
Short, but Sweet! Just what I needed right now.
Posted 18 years ago by savoyard    [ Reply ]
Posted 18 years ago by Kevstar    [ Reply ]
I think the Smiths are one of those bands that you just love more and more as you listen to them. Morrissey's lyrics are really funny, and not miserable at all; they're deliberately self-pitying and melodramatic.
Posted 18 years ago by kult    [ Reply ]
Helchat wrote:
Because these are sang in such a way that they're funny!
This is one of my favorite songs to make fun of...yet I really like it. So tragic yet totally laughable. It's just life after all.
Posted 19 years ago by seedy    [ Reply ]
This drek would put anyone into a coma.
Posted 19 years ago by BooKitty    [ Reply ]
fureanbode wrote:
Well, I've always loved 'Strangeways' - the house of cards that fell down and was glued back together again. It's a precious bird - 'the-album-they-made-while-they were-breaking-up' - but each song on it is hugely evocative and memorable. It's over-produced, for sure, but in comparison to the minimalism of the first two albums, I find that a real tonic - an unnecessary but hugely enjoyable jolly after years of parsimony. Morrissey's lyrics are characteristically brilliant, yet (here, more than ever) disjointed - each song is little more than a patchwork of arbitrary one-liners. The celebration of brilliance thrown into the gutter, for...well, for what? Love, peace and harmony - very nice, very nice... maybe in the next world?
Agree. Like it for the same reasons. "Stop Me If You Think that You've Heard this One Before" is one of my favorite 2-3 Smith's songs, hands down.
Posted 19 years ago by Darlington    [ Reply ]
Morissey always had the talent of breaking bad news, exquisitely. Lilting , sighing, wunnerful! 9.
Posted 19 years ago by trekhead    [ Reply ]
5:43 am - The Smiths - Girlfriend in a Coma 5:39 am - REM - Can't Get There From Here 5:35 am - The Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang Man - I'm having a severe 80's flashback right now - I mean, I like the songs, but I'd hate to have to go back to high school.
Posted 19 years ago by ninja_band    [ Reply ]
Well, I've always loved 'Strangeways' - the house of cards that fell down and was glued back together again. It's a precious bird - 'the-album-they-made-while-they were-breaking-up' - but each song on it is hugely evocative and memorable. It's over-produced, for sure, but in comparison to the minimalism of the first two albums, I find that a real tonic - an unnecessary but hugely enjoyable jolly after years of parsimony. Morrissey's lyrics are characteristically brilliant, yet (here, more than ever) disjointed - each song is little more than a patchwork of arbitrary one-liners. The celebration of brilliance thrown into the gutter, for...well, for what? Love, peace and harmony - very nice, very nice... maybe in the next world?
Posted 19 years ago by fureanbode    [ Reply ]
mxdcec wrote:
I wish The Smith's could have sung these lyrics: I was naked, butt, she didn't notice. (Why do such morose lyrics make us feel so damn good?)
Because these are sang in such a way that they're funny!
Posted 19 years ago by Helchat    [ Reply ]
I wish The Smith's could have sung these lyrics: I was naked, butt, she didn't notice. (Why do such morose lyrics make us feel so damn good?)
Posted 19 years ago by mxdcec    [ Reply ]
LLMikeJ wrote:
thanks for this set. Manic Street Preachers, Pretenders, REM (probably my fave REM song), and The Smiths... top notch!
Hmm seems like bill listens... The exact same order today! Don't know if i like it that much though.
Posted 19 years ago by uritsukidoji    [ Reply ]
A beautiful, weird, song. A great showcase for Morrissey. One of those songs that peole say, Oh, what a pretty song, then they listen to the lyrics... For some reason, one of my favorite Smiths songs. A solid 9
Posted 19 years ago by Zarba    [ Reply ]
stitzljq wrote:
Incredibly shallow. If you don't like, you don't like it, understandable. But don't flaunt your intolerance.
Isn't it a fascinating, magnificent world where the word "intolerant" is used to describe both people who foster racial prejudices AND people who don't like the Smiths? I for one think two songs from the same artist is more than enough to decide if you want to hear anything from them ever again. It certainly was for Maroon5, Lifehouse and Britney.
Posted 19 years ago by Trustocity    [ Reply ]
For those that are not tickled by the smith's rendition. ...Must hear Joshua Radin's version. For that matter anything from "First Between 3rd and 4th"
Posted 19 years ago by jhorn3    [ Reply ]
psycholynx wrote:
I'm so glad I heard this song. Now I've heard 2 Smith's songs and can finally say: "I hate the Smiths"
ha ha ... poor you ....
Posted 19 years ago by tony99    [ Reply ]
I like The Smiths, and this song totally cracks me up. I'll give it an 8.
Posted 19 years ago by serendipity_blue    [ Reply ]
What a sad, awful situation these lyrics describe. I like the song, though.
Posted 19 years ago by ploafmaster    [ Reply ]
thanks for this set. Manic Street Preachers, Pretenders, REM (probably my fave REM song), and The Smiths... top notch!
Posted 19 years ago by LLMikeJ    [ Reply ]
psycholynx wrote:
I'm so glad I heard this song. Now I've heard 2 Smith's songs and can finally say: "I hate the Smiths"
Incredibly shallow. If you don't like, you don't like it, understandable. But don't flaunt your intolerance.
Posted 19 years ago by stitzljq    [ Reply ]
totally hilarious.
Posted 19 years ago by rah    [ Reply ]
beelzebubba wrote:
By this album, the Smiths no longer interested me in any of their new stuff. They lost it.
Not their best album for sure, but still with a couple of great songs... and Msrs. Marr & Morrissey were not on the best of the terms at that time...
Posted 19 years ago by R_P    [ Reply ]
Is this just an impression of mine or are most of the Smiths songs about people (nearly) dying in all kinds of ways (getting run over by cars, smashed by trucks and exploding by bombs)? :? Nevertheless, pretty good song although I can't really seem to decide about the whininess of this guy's voice.
Posted 19 years ago by DrLex    [ Reply ]
I'm so glad I heard this song. Now I've heard 2 Smith's songs and can finally say: "I hate the Smiths"
Posted 19 years ago by psycholynx    [ Reply ]
One of my TOP 5!
Posted 19 years ago by Shesdifferent    [ Reply ]
imabubblygirl wrote:
Please make it stop!!!! The Smiths are terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i've been TRYING to like them, but they are SO, like, WHINEY. will morrisey (sp?) ever sing a song that i can relate to? has he ever had a girlfriend, in a coma or otherwise? what i've heard is that he rejects relationships completely and that he's asexual. does anyone here on rp know the didge on this juicy but admittedly pointless and silly bit of gossip?
Posted 19 years ago by bluedot    [ Reply ]
Please make it stop!!!! The Smiths are terrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 19 years ago by imabubblygirl    [ Reply ]
By this album, the Smiths no longer interested me in any of their new stuff. They lost it.
Posted 19 years ago by beelzebubba    [ Reply ]
8)
Posted 19 years ago by R_P    [ Reply ]
Trustocity wrote:
Sometimes, the movie is better than the book. That's life.
and speaking of the book, i really enjoyed the Douglas Coupland novel by the same name song good too ;)
Posted 20 years ago by pilgrim    [ Reply ]
I'm a Smiths fan, they're great, kisses for everyone. Having said that, Mojo Nixon OWNS this song. Am I a Mojo fan? No. Do I have a love of parody songs? No. Can I listen to the Smiths version and NOT long to hear Mojo's instead? No. It's a similar situation to the way Tori Amos stole "Bonnie and Clyde" from Eminem. Sometimes, the movie is better than the book. That's life.
Posted 20 years ago by Trustocity    [ Reply ]
I know, I know it's seriously good!!
Posted 20 years ago by Mozart    [ Reply ]
I was thinking about this song just yesterday as I was crossing the street, same street where someone almost ran me over a few weeks ago (idiot ran a red light). Some great tracks on this CD.
Posted 20 years ago by resonator    [ Reply ]
Excelllent!!!!!
Posted 20 years ago by warderblu    [ Reply ]
Someone upload mojo nixons version. please it would be sooooo much better.
Posted 20 years ago by ralpki    [ Reply ]
:D
Posted 20 years ago by the_circe    [ Reply ]
Yea! Bill: Please play this after/before Joe Strummer's Coma Girl (?)
Posted 20 years ago by drH    [ Reply ]
Mmmmm...Johnny Marr's delicate and lovely guitar work. Love the Smiths...
Posted 20 years ago by Alexandra    [ Reply ]
PLAY MORE SMITHS!!!!!!!
Posted 20 years ago by Darlington    [ Reply ]
great song. hope to hear it more :)
Posted 20 years ago by agoston    [ Reply ]
This is my favorite Smith's song: it actually deserves a 1.
Posted 20 years ago by ksb    [ Reply ]
Sounds serious...
Posted 20 years ago by Gregorama    [ Reply ]