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Small Faces - The Universal

Small Faces - The Universal Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: All Or Nothing
Released: 1968

The Universal Lyrics

There's such a lot of good ways to be bad
And so many bad ways to be good, haven't paid my rent yet
I tell them "sorry but I haven't got the money anymore"

Just for today I thought I'd leave home alone, hold hands with day
And if I'm so bad, why don't they take me away?

Just like what you hear with a shell pressed to your ear
That's the sea in the trees in the morning
Hello, The Universal
Good morning Steve, well you won't believe me today

Working doesn't seem to be the perfect thing for me so I'll continue to play
And if I'm so bad why don't they take me away?

Well, a hippy-trippy name-dropper came through my door
He said "I just bumped into Mick he told me you know where to score?"
No, not me friend, I mind my own and my own minds me

Well, my love is at the foot of your hand, come what may
But if June comes first please won't you take me away?

Writer/s: Lane, Ronnie / Marriott, Steve
Publisher: EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

The Universal

This was partly tape recorded by Marriott in the garden of his Essex home at the time, Beehive Cottage. The song was further enhanced and other instruments added later in the recording studio. Drummer Kenney Jones recalled to Uncut magazine: "He brought it into the studio, we overdubbed drums and stuff onto it... And that was basically it."

Keyboardist Ian McLagan wasn't happy. "I'm not even on this," he told Uncut. "The drums and bass are so clear on at that they've obviously just been stuck on top of Steve's cassette recording."

He added; "I quit around this time. Steve started telling me what to play will stop as soon as I left he phoned Nicky Hopkins and got him to play on some tracks. I came back but it hurt me."

This was the final official song released by Small Faces before they disbanded in 1969. It's chart position of #16 on the UK was a disappointment following three consecutive Top Ten hits. McLagan told Mojo magazine: "When it flopped he (Marriott) told the press he felt he was dragging the group down. I'm not sure he meant that. I thought he was moving away from us the whole time."

Marriott's dogs can clearly be heard barking in the background. One of the singer's pooches, Seamus, was also recorded howling in the studio for the Pink Floyd track titled after him from their 1971 album Meddle. (The band's guitarist Dave Gilmour was looking after Seamus at the time).