John Squire has named song titles after famous works of art. Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica' (1937) and Jackson Pollock's 'Full Fathom Five' (1947) are two such examples. These are evidence that Squire, on occasion, interprets a song to embody a particular painting. This close relationship between Art and song was most evident when he based the entirety of his second solo album, 'Marshall's House' (2004), on the paintings of American Realist Edward Hopper (1882 - 1967).
In July 2007, John Squire announced that he was quitting music to concentrate full-time on his art.
How Do You Sleep is written about the beheading of John the Baptist and the subsequent presentation of his head on a plate.* Squire stated in 'Jack' magazine (an issue from 2002) that he felt a certain affinity with John the Baptist, whom Jesus identified as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament era. This is perhaps because Ian Brown usually adopts the 'role' of Jesus in the band's art - see the Francis Bacon painting entitled Crucifixion (on the Ten Storey Love Song video analysis page ) and the photo where Ian positions himself corresponding to the shadowy figure of Christ. Also, Ian sings the part of Christ on I Wanna Be Adored, I Am The Resurrection, etc. In the first photo below, we see Ian adopting a Messianic pose live. The accompanying photos, from The Face magazine (March 1995), show the most blatant use of religious imagery by the band for a photoshoot.
How Do You Sleep, the penultimate song on Second Coming, I propose is based almost entirely on a painting by Fra Filippo Lippi (1406 - 1469) entitled 'The Feast Of Herod: Salome's Dance' (AKA 'Herod's Banquet') (c. 1452 - 1465).
The song documents the beheading of John the Baptist, executed at the request of Salome, King Herod's stepdaughter ("I've seen your severed head at a banquet for the dead"). Salome danced before King Herod on his birthday, and pleased him such that he offered her anything she wanted, even up to half his kingdom. Salome's request for John's head was prompted by her mother, Herodias, who wanted revenge on the prophet who had condemned her incestuous marriage to Herod. Without any other choice after making the promise, John was beheaded, and his head was presented on a plate ("Your shining silver salver") to Herodias. Perhaps the song is also asking the question "How Do You Sleep" to Gareth Evans, The Stone Roses' former manager, whose split with the band was far from amicable. In his solo career, Squire would pen lyrics in 15 Days towards Gareth, again making the accusation that he shouldn't be able to sleep at night ("The country boy with 33.3 recurring nightmares"). Containing a stinging message towards an old acquaintance (Gareth Evans), the song has parallels with the John Lennon-penned track 'How Do You Sleep ?'.
The opening verse refers to the presentation of John's head to Herod:
This was the line that made me think the song was using imagery from a painting. That the last four (all Squire-penned) songs on the second LP have references to the word 'picture' is illustrative of how dominant the world of Art is in John's lyrical output:
One only has to look to The Beatles' 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' ("Picture yourself in a boat on a river") to see how the word "picture" is indicative of a painting being the source of inspiration for the song. Julian Lennon's painting 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds' inspired his father John to write the song. Note also the lyric from Going Down, "Yeah she looks like a painting - Jackson Pollock's Number 5".
It is interesting to note that the penultimate tracks (This Is The One, How Do You Sleep) on each of the two Roses albums thematically cover John the Baptist. The two tracks act as a harbinger to the last, Christ-dominated track (I Am The Resurrection, Love Spreads) on each respective album.
The two figures on the right of the painting are portrayed as if embracing. Perhaps the two figures kissing are Herod and Salome however. In this Salome opera from 2003, "Greager's Herod is a fat, bejewelled clown whose idea of vice is to suggest that Salome share an apple with him." Squire's lyric here perhaps is, like Margaret Medlyn of the Salome opera, imagining a carnal Salome. The apple has religious connotations with Adam and Eve; the apple passing between the mouths of the two is symbolic of a sharing of sin.
As I have stated in my photoshoots essay, I think that Squire recreates works of art in some photo sessions. In my opinion, he is using a section from the far right of the aforementioned Filippo Lippi painting in the following Pennie Smith photo:
The likeness is even more noticeable if you mirror the photo of Ian and John:
Note the hand vertically on the other person's shoulder and the direct look towards the camera by one of the figures.
This is a reference to those feasting, some oblivious to events unfolding around them. The orchestra playing the sweetest serenade may be a brief diversion to another depiction of the presentation John's head, e.g. Giotto's (1267 - 1337) 'The Feast of Herod' (c. 1313 / 14).
"Their ghosts" coming back "to haunt you and tell you how they died", I think, is a reference to the apparitions that can be seen throughout the picture. For example, above Herod's head.
Herod's eyes in the painting are almost shut, not from lethargy, but rather in an attempt to avoid acknowledging the sinful act that has been carried out.
The "angel of death" coming to "your door" has strong biblical connotations. The night the Hebrews were set free from slavery in Egypt, God sent the angel of death to claim the first-born of every household. The Lord promised, however, that death would 'pass over' (hence the term Passover) His chosen people if they put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts:
The figure approaching Herod from the left of the painting is perhaps meant to represent an angel, with the tassels representative of wings. Does Squire see this figure as an 'angel of death' ? As Herod failed to adhere to the word of God, Squire is perhaps asserting that the ‘angel of death’ will not be passing over his door.
The following lines, criticizing the hunting of animals, drift away from the song’s theme:
"How Do You Sleep" is also being asked of those that hunt and kill animals, displaying their captures.
Salome is on her knees presenting the head on a plate. She is being told to get off her knees as "the party's" (i.e., feast) over. Already there is commotion to the left of her, with one woman in particular seemingly in disgust at what has taken place.
The format of some of The Stone Roses' earlier work is continued here, with a sweet musical sound combined with stinging lyrics. Even this format can be found within the name of the band itself. Asked about the origin of the band's name in an NME interview from 12 November 1988, Squire's answer was:
* The Stone Roses were certainly familiar with the story of Salome and John The Baptist; at one time, their debut LP was going to be entitled 'Bring Me The Head Of James Anderton On A Plate' (Anderton was the Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police Force).
Bibliography:
Davies, Hunter. The beatles: the illustrated and updated edition of the bestselling authorized biography (London: Cassell Illustrated, 2002).
Forty, Sandra The world of art (London: Parkgate books, 1999).
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/welcome.html
http://www.terraingallery.org/Jackson-Pollock-Ambition-DK.html
http://www.time.com/time/80days/480105.html
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Paul McAuley
http://www.thisisthedaybreak.co.uk
Email: Paul@thisisthedaybreak.co.uk
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