In Our Different Ways We Are The Same

At Amber
Words by Morrissey, Music by Stephen Street

room.jpg (29773 bytes)
"Oh my invalid friend - in our different ways we are the same"

I'm calling you
from the foyer
of the Sands Hotel
where the men
and the women
are acquainted quite well
and the drunkards
keep on drinking
and oh my room is cold
I'm disputing the bill
I will sleep in my clothes
and you, my invalid friend
you slam the receiver when you say
"If I had your limbs for a day
I would steam away!"
I'm calling you
from the foyer
of this awful hotel
where the slime
and the grime gel
and I cannot
or I do not
and oh my room is cold
and I'm envying you
never having to choose
and you, my invalid friend
you slam the receiver when you say
"If I had your limbs for a day
I would steam away!"
I'm calling you
from the foyer
of the Sands Hotel
it's not "low life"
it's just people
having a good time
and oh, my invalid friend
oh, my invalid friend
in our different ways
we are the same

Players
Best guess:
Andy Rourke (Bass Guitar)
Kevin Armstrong (Guitars)
Andrew Paresi (Drums)

Officially Released Versions
Studio Version: Piccadilly Palare single (October 1990) - Produced by Stephen Street. This version was also included on the "centenary" re-issue of the Viva Hate album and the compilation My Early Burglary Years.

Live History
Morrissey surprised his fans by playing this song in Phoenix on August 9, 2002. He then disappointed his fans by refusing to play it since.

Sundry
An early demo of this song, entitled "The Bed Took Fire," circulated on the internet in 2001.

Comtesse Review (as if you care)
Here's my interpretation of the title 'At Amber': Moz is talking to an invalid friend on the telephone, complaining about all the minor inconveniences of his life - the cold room, the slime & grime, the low-life tenants - when his friend gets frustrated and tells him that he's ungrateful and he shouldn't complain all the time about such pathetic little things because at least he can walk and go places and do things! And then Morrissey reminds his friend that there's more than one way to be an invalid - there's the psychological as well as the physical - and that, in a sense, they are the same. Hence the title 'At Amber' - at a yellow light, neither moving quickly forward nor fully stopping. Rather like an invalid - somewhere between living and dying.

As far as the relative merits of the song are concerned, I think it's safe to say that this is a b-side that rightfully deserved its position. The last song to be released by Morrissey that was co-written by Stephen Street, this is musically so minor as to almost be non-existent, and the vocal melody is only marginally better. The song is saved by the superior lyrics.