No You Didn’t, No You Don’t // Courteeners
From their inarguable debut record St Jude, The Courteeners provide a witty answer to people “looking down their noses” in ‘No You Didn’t, No You Don’t.’ Staccato guitars entertain a Smithsian sway accompanied by a whimsical Morrissey-like arrogance in the lyrics. The track is a response to members of society who hold a predetermined misanthropy on you and your friends based on rumours and social hierarchy. The majority of people can relate to going to school with certain people who talk about your friends when in reality they don’t actually know much about you at all. It’s easy to see why it holds such devotion with the fans.
Liam Fray points out that different members of society carry strong judgements based on nothing more than personal dichotomy. “Just because my newspaper pages haven’t been The Times in ages / Does this mean that I don’t know as much as you?” provokes the question of whether you have to be from a certain class and read The Times to be accepted and be valued as an intelligent person. Of course the answer is no. However between social classes there still stands a paradigm scorn from the more privileged. The NME labelled them “a bunch of gobby Mancunian dickheads” needing to prove people wrong with their music – ironically that was likely to have been written by a middle class music journalist. Like a joshing northern troubadour Liam pokes fun at aristocracy by asking them if they “remember us lot doing keys?” Indubitably no. They don’t participate in such proletariat acts. However just because they don’t, does it mean they are better and far more articulate? Do they even see why? No It Doesn’t and No They Don’t.
Words by Aaron Spencer