Johnny Marr and actress Maxine Peake teamed up for a socially conscious new song titled "The Priest," which debuted today. The song is a narrative depicting a homeless girl's experiences on the street.
Marr tells The Guardian the song was inspired by the mounting homelessness in London
"I would notice the youngish to middle-aged man who just seemed to be on his first or second step towards the great downfall. I don’t know any other way of putting it … It was like seeing a homeless man in training. There might be a few homeless men together, who’d obviously been on the street for a while. And you’d notice the guy who’d obviously not been on the street that long, who had just joined the fray. And you’d think: ‘Where’s this going to end?’"
The lyrics for "The Priest" were taken from the diaries of a writer named Joe Gallagher who documented his experiences living on the street for a Scottish paper in Edinburgh. Though the words were written by a man, they opted to use Peake's voice to give the song "a gender-less universality."
Marr was intent on making a social statement, but also wanted the song to be a "good listen." He told The Guardian:
"As a musician, that’s my priority, no matter what the subject matter is. I always want to honour that. Ultimately, that’s my job."
The striking video for "The Priest" was shot on the streets in Manchester and is available to view below via The Guardian.
Published December 11th, 2017