Every Song I Love — 2. Robert Wyatt: Shipbuilding

As I wrote about the song which gave this series its name last week, it probably makes sense to write about my favourite song of all time this time round. But “what’s your favourite song of all time?” is a surprising difficult question to answer. At different times of my life I would undoubtedly have answered differently. At age 21 it would probably have been ‘Debaser’ At age 13 it certainly would have been ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. At age 8 ‘Stop’ by Erasure, which I doubt even Erasure would try to claim is the greatest song of all time. At age 6, even more bizarrely, ‘Burning Bridges’ by Status Quo.

Even if you asked me now you might get a different answer depending on the time of day, the time of year, or what kind of mood I’m in. However, when I sit down and really think about it, I return to Shipbuilding more often that not. The first version of the song I heard was by Suede on a charity compilation album called ‘Help’ ( that album had a remarkable story itself, recorded, released and number one in the album charts within in a week, back in the days when all of those things were much more difficult to achieve than they are now). Most of the songs on that record are long forgotten, although it did mark the first appearance of Radiohead’s ‘Lucky’ as well as an excellent version of ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ by Sinead O’Connor.

Shipbuilding was the one that really stood out. I didn’t really think too deeply about lyrics in those days, unless I could directly relate them to my own teenage woes, but I recognised a well crafted song when I heard one and it was by far my favourite on the record. Suede performed it in a very Suede way, cinematic, dramatic even. I was surprised to find the song had been written by Elvis Costello, whose music I hadn’t really fallen for at the time (not sure I still have in fact, although I appreciate him more now than I did then)

Somewhere along the way, the CD was lost, or lent or maybe even sold, and I didn’t think too much about Shipbuilding again until another compilation, this time from Rough Trade record shop, celebrating the best songs of the first 25 years of their existence. This include Robert Wyatt’s ‘Shipbuilding’ the original and definitive version.

Unlike Suede’s version, Wyatt’s is fragile, delicate, subtle. If it is cinematic, it’s a kitchen sink film, rather than Hollywood glamour. This interpretation fits the lyrics and mood of the song perfectly. Because, whilst Shipbuilding is a political song, it is far from a preachy one. I still at this time though of political music as being Sixties folk singers calling out the powerful, John Lydon attacking the monarchy or Rage Against The Machine, well, raging against the machine. I didn’t realise political songs could express doubt, examine a situation from more than one side.

The song is about how the Falklands war bought prosperity back to ravaged former shipbuilding cities like Liverpool, Belfast & Glasgow, briefly reversing years of decline. But, those ships were then being sailed across the world to kill Argentinian soldiers.

Was it worth it?
A new winter’s coat and shoes for the wife
and a bicycle on the boy’s birthday

The doubt the song expresses is clear from the opening line “Was it worth it?”, the song itself is unsure. The following lines cleverly combine the personal and the political, addressing those sacrifices, those difficult choices that parents face when it comes to putting the needs of their family above their moral values. The song doesn’t judge and doesn’t condemn, just describes beautifully an impossible situation.

Costello claimed these were the best lyrics he ever wrote, but I would go further and say these are the best lyrics anyone every wrote. It also helps dismiss the absurd idea that singers need to be singing songs they wrote themselves for those songs to be meaningful. Wyatt imbues this song with such meaning, such emotion that the fact the words are not his are irrelevant. If the existence of Elvis Presley and Dionne Warwick were not sufficient proof that “they don’t even write their own songs” is not a valid criticism, the fact that my favourite song of all time is not sung by the person who wrote must be.

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Originally published at http://markjwray.com on February 6, 2024.