Imperfection: noun (uncountable) Those qualities or features that are imperfect; the characteristic, state, or quality of being imperfect, (countable) Something that makes something else less than perfect; a blemish, impurity, error, etc.
Now and then I’ve suffered imperfection
I’ve studied marble flaws
And faces drawn pale and worn
By many tears
I am that I am from out of nowhere
to fight without a cause
Roots strain against the grain
With brute force you’d better
Hold out when you’re in doubt
Question what you see
And when you find an answer
Bring it home to me.(Roxy Music, ‘Manifesto’)
The title track from Roxy Music’s 1979 album Manifesto, this track opened the album with an electric fanfare and set the scene for the two hit singles that appeared on the album: Dance Away and Angel Eyes. Rolling Stone reviewer Greil Marcus wasn’t impressed with the track at the time:
[T]he record has its moments—moments few bands even know about—but as with the brazenly (and meaninglessly) titled “Manifesto,” they add up to little. Ferry announces he’s for the guy “who’d rather die than be tied down”; he’s rarely traded on such banality, and he mouths the lyrics as if he hopes no one will hear them. The sound may be alive, but the story is almost silent.
Oh well, you can’t please everyone. Here’s a performance of the song from the Manchester Apollo in 1979. (Nice pink suit, Mr Ferry).
Rock Vocab 