The Patti Smith song that shaped Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore
In the mid-1970s, every musician in New York knew about Patti Smith. By 1977, that would extend out to rock fans worldwide as her co-write with the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, would make her a star when ‘Because The Night’ propelled her to mainstream success. But for Thurston Moore, he was locked in early, found in the crowd of some of her debut shows, and always holding a candle for her more niche, forgotten tracks.
In the 1970s, the punk scene was making real noise. After the rock and roll era had morphed into something darker and heavier, especially on the East Coast, NYC became the epicentre for a new genre, and the CBGB was at the heart of the storm. On the stage of that one single venue, countless legends were born. The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads; a whole class of new stars forged in the fire of the city’s scene. Their sound was different to any other city’s as the impact of The Velvet Underground seemed to foster a music scene that was as literary as it was loud, coloured by a kind of neurotic, poetic approach to lyricism that was matched in perfect balance with catchy, anthemic instrumentation.
But when though they all existed in one long lineage, Patti Smith was always something special, something different. That’s largely because she came into music through a whole different route. Like Lou Reed, who started out as an English student greatly inspired by his poetry professor, Smith had never really considered being a rockstar. She only wanted to be an artist in the grandest sense of the world. There will still be people out there who know her best for her poems or her novels, as her written work is just as vital to her reputation as any rock song. That literary streak was always there as poetry wasn’t just her inspiration but was her true origin.
Anyone who witnessed the earliest shows put on by Smith saw more of a poetry recital than a rock concert. Over time, as more band members joined her group and the punk scene inspired her more and more, the punk poet emerged as a vital and exciting part of the city’s musical leaders who would influence generations since.
Thurston Moore was one of those people who stood in the crowd when he first moved to the city in 1976, destined to become one of the leaders of the next class when Sonic Youth would form in 1981. “By 1976, I was well into what Patti Smith was doing in New York,” he told Rolling Stone about the impact Smith had on him. He was into it all as he watched her output morph and change as her reputation grew, stating, “I thought Horses was a masterpiece, Radio Ethiopia was great, but by and large, the Patti Smith Band was like a rocking bar band with this amazing poet as a lead singer.”
However, as a young poetry fan who also got to see William S Burroughs perform spoken word pieces, it was Smith’s wordier works that inspired him most. In particular, one lesser-known album cut has always stayed with him.
To him, ‘Godspeed’ sits on the exact opposite side of the spectrum to Smith’s more anthemic, radio-ready hits. “That song really floored me because it was so unlike most of their material. It was less straight-ahead and fist-in-the-air kind of Patti Smith style, and it seemed almost improvised,” he said. “It’s a very heavy song, very evocative, very strange, and very spiritual,” he added, still captivated by the song’s odd energy and unique build.
“It’s not a very verse/chorus/verse/chorus song, and hearing it was very formative to me because of that approach,” he concluded, talking about the impact of this song, of Smith and incorporating it into his band and artistry when his time came to lead the way.
