Morrissey Turns 52

Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in 1959, on this day- May 22^nd.

I remain a great fan of his bull’s eye baritone & the perfect poetry of his bleak & witty lyrics. Usually a pop star has to be dead before they can become an icon of his stature. The Smiths enjoyed 10 top 10 hits. Morrissey waited an entire 6 months after The Smiths broke up to release his first solo album- Viva Hate.

Like me, Morissey is a vegetarian & animal rights advocate. Unlike me he claims to be celibate. Morrissey frequently tells interviewers who ask him about his sexuality that the question is irrelevant to his music, or he gives an evasive or ambiguous response. He has been hinting lately that he has just had a late blooming sex life.

My favorite Morrissey song is Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before:

Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've
Heard this one before
Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before

Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
Only slightly, only slightly less than I used to, my love

I was delayed, I was way-laid
An emergency stop
I felt the last 10 seconds of life
I crashed down on the crossbar
& the pain was enough to make
A shy, bald, buddhist reflect
& plan a mass murder
Who said I'd lied to you ?

Oh, who said I'd lied?  Because I never! I never !
Who said I'd lied because I never ?
I was detained, I was restrained
& broke my spleen
& broke my knee
& then he really lays into me
Friday night in Out-patients
Who said I'd lied to you ?

Here & instead of
& ,so I drank 1
It became 4
& when I fell on the floor
I drank more
Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've
Heard this one before
Stop me, oh, stop me
Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before

Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
Only slightly, only slightly less than I used to, my love

Morrissey/Mars
1986