The Zombies – Care Of Cell 44

• 0
  General Comment:I used to think this was an incredibly witty song about letter sent *from* a person in a cell to someone who they knew would be rejoining them soon--in prison! (or a mental institution). Of course, upon a real inspection of the lyrics, it isn't supportable. Too bad! It's such a bouncy, overly blithe song and using that idiom/style in such a tragic setting could have been a **brilliant** take on the modern whitewashing of life. Oh well.

  Flag meinerHeldon August 07, 2012   Link

  • 2 Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
    0

    LOL...about a deluded man who lacks balls, but not lies and games. And he ends up alone in the next few years, the way he intends.

    Flag NooContacton August 07, 2012  

    0

    I found the perfect word! Subsitute "saccharine" for "blithe."

    Flag meinerHeldon August 12, 2012  
• 0
  General Comment:oops.. the end to the senttence missing an object in my post was "tey told me to look it up on the web..." !

  Flag carmienon November 14, 2010   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  Song Meaning:I saw them do this song last night in San Sebastian Spain - for a 65 year old guy Colin has an amazing set of pipes! I asked the geezers in the merch table about the song and they said it *was* about a guy writing to a girl and when I pushed them to tell me more - it gives so many confusing gender cues "Watching the laughter play around your eyes" is so much a description that a woman typically would make of man - "Kiss and make up and it will be so nice..." almost sounds like the thing a woman would say to her abusive partner. So the authoritative answer - shy of asking chris white - who was not playing with them last night. So the delightful sexual ambiguity of the zombies continues - tell her no, she's not there, time of the season....
  BTW the merch guys had not heard of Matthew Sweet and Suzanna Hofs excellent cover of it recently - with a much more ordinary (but great) female lead vocal.

  Flag carmienon November 14, 2010   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:I think the song is definitely a letter being received by someone in a lock-up of some sort, possibly a mental hospital, though "I hope you're feeling better, baby" could be a reference to another letter wherein the 'baby' in question mentions feeling depressed or somesuch. Anyway, this is a letter I'm hoping to receive.

  Flag sweetadeleiiineon August 09, 2010   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:if it was jail, why would the narrator ask if he/she were feeling better ?
  
  couldn't the "about your prison stay" line be just gently kidding ?

  Flag TheNipperon December 11, 2009   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:I'm not sure if it's relevant, but in A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, Alex stays in Cell 44 after killing a woman.
  
  The song seems to have nothing to do with the book, though.

  Flag pandanessson August 09, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:One of my favourite things about the song is the ambiguity of the gender roles. It could be anybody in that cell, and the Zombies totally leave it open to fit whatever jailbird occasion one might have.

  Flag Havenspearon May 15, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:I actually think that the singer is the man in jail, reading a letter from his girl.
  
  "Care of" is a postage thing. C/O, Care Of. I used to work in a mail room. If you were addressing it, you would write the name of the prison, then "C/O Cell 44." Care Of Cell 44.
  
  This song always makes me think of the movie "Con Air" with Nicholas Cage; in the movie he was imprisoned for killing two men that were attempting to rape his pregnant wife.
  So the woman is writing to the man, counting the days until they set him free again.

  Flag Breedabieon April 11, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• +1
  General Comment:I am intrigued by hoitsmith's take on this. I do have one ciomment, though. I believe an earlier "working" title for the song was Care of Cell 69 (from Odessey & Oracle liner notes)....and NO I didn't make this up...lol
  
  Regardless, after having heard a few of these songs over the years I finally went and got the CD and WOW is about al I can say. O&O is a true hidden treasure. I can't believe how fresh this music sounds today!

  Flag akronzipfanon February 25, 2008   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.
• 0
  General Comment:glad i could have helped!

  Flag hoitsmithon December 15, 2007   Link

  • No Replies Log in to reply
    
      There was an error.

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!