The Smiths: Girlfriend In A Coma

Album: Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
Produced by Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Stephen Street
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 4: Girlfriend In A Coma
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr




Video: The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma


Lyrics: The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma

Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's serious
Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know-it's really serious
there were times when I could
have "murdered" her
(But, you know, I would hate
anything to happen to her)
NO, I DON'T WANT TO SEE HER
Do you really think
she'll pull through?
Do you really think
she'll pull through?
Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know - it's serious
there were times when I could
have "strangled" her
(but, you know, I would hate
Anything to happen to her)
WOULD YOU PLEASE
LET ME SEE HER !
Do you really think
she'll pull through?
Do you really think
she'll pull through?
Let me whisper my last goodbyes

I know - IT'S SERIOUS

"Girlfriend in a Coma" is a song by The Smiths. It was released as a single in August 1987, reaching #13 in the UK Singles Chart.

It was the first of three singles from the band's last studio album Strangeways, Here We Come. As such, it was the last single to include newly recorded material on the b-side. It holds the distinction of containing the last recorded Smiths song, "I Keep Mine Hidden". Also included — and recorded at the same session — is a cover version of a Cilla Black song, "Work Is a Four-Letter Word". Morrissey's insistence on recording this song incurred the wrath of Johnny Marr who left the band not long afterwards.

The single itself is a tongue-in-cheek, music hall inflected song that clocks in at a mere two minutes and two seconds. Though seemingly "lightweight" and catchy, the song features acidic, ambiguous lyrics. The song also contains peak guitar work by Johnny Marr.

The video, which featured clips from the film "The Leather Boys" (starring Rita Tushingham), was directed by Tim Broad.

The cover features playwright Shelagh Delaney from a 1961 edition of "A Taste of Honey". The photo was tinted grey for 7"s in all countries except in Australia where it was tinted green as for the 12"s. This was the second time Delaney appeared on a Smiths cover; she appeared as the cover star on the recently released Louder Than Bombs album.

Source: Wikipedia

The Smiths: Death Of A Disco Dancer

Album: Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
Produced by Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Stephen Street
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 3: Death Of A Disco Dancer
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr


Video: The Smiths - Death Of A Disco Dancer


Lyrics: The Smiths - Death Of A Disco Dancer

The death of a disco dancer
well, it happens a lot 'round here
and if you think Peace
is a common goal
well, that goes to show
just how little you know
The death of a disco dancer
well, I'd rather not get involved
I never talk to my neighbour
I'd just rather not get involved
Love, peace and harmony?
Love, peace and harmony?
Oh, very nice
very nice
very nice
very nice
...but maybe in the next world

The Smiths: I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

Album: Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
Produced by Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Stephen Street
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 2: I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr



Video: The Smiths - I Started Something I Couldn't Finish


Lyrics: The Smiths - I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

The lanes were silent
with nothing or no one around for miles
I doused our friendly venture
with a hard-faced
three-word gesture
I started something
I forced you into a zone
and you were clearly
never meant to go
hair brushed and parted
typical me, typical me
typical me
I started something
... and now I'm not too sure
I grabbed you by the guilded beams
that's what Tradition means
and I doused another venture
with a gesture
that was... absolutely vile
I started something
forced you to a zone
and you were clearly
never meant to go
hair brushed and parted
typical me, typical me
typical me
I started something
... and now I'm not too sure
I grabbed you by the guilded beams
that's what Tradition means
and now eighteen months' hard-labour
seems... fair enough
I started something
forced you to a zone
and you were clearly
never meant to go
hair brushed and parted
typical me, typical me
Typical me
I started something
and now I'm not too sure

"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" is a song by The Smiths. It was released as a single in November 1987, reaching #23 in the UK Singles Chart.

It was the second of three UK singles from the band's last studio album Strangeways, Here We Come, and was released after the band had announced their split. The record company had originally intended to release "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" as a single in the UK but felt this would be inappropriate following the Hungerford massacre (the lyrics contain a reference to "mass murder").

"Stop Me..." was still released as a single in other countries, but its promotional video - which featured Morrissey plus a large number of Morrissey lookalikes - was used in the UK to promote "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish".

The cover of the single features actress Avril Angers in a film still from the 1966 film The Family Way.

Source: Wikipedia

The Smiths: A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours

Album: Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
Produced by Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Stephen Street
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 1: A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr



Video: The Smiths - A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours


Lyrics: The Smiths - A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours

HELLO
I am the ghost of Troubled Joe
hung by his pretty white neck
some eighteen months ago
I travelled to a mystical time zone
but I missed my bed
so I soon came home
they said:
"there's too much caffeine
in your bloodstream
and a lack of real spice
in your life"
I said:
"leave me alone
because I'm alright, dad
just surprised to still
be on my own..."
Ooh, but don't mention love
I'd hate the strain of the pain again
a rush and a push and the land that
we stand on is ours
it has been before
so it shall be again
and people who are uglier than you and I
they take what they need, and just leave
Ooh, but don't mention love
I'd hate the pain of the strain all over again
a rush and a push and the land that
we stand on is ours
it has been before
so why can't it be now?
and people who are weaker than you and I
they take what they want from life
Ooh, but don't mention love
no-just don't mention love!
a rush and a push and the land that
we stand on is ours
your youth may be gone
but you're still a young man
so phone me, phone me, phone me
so phone me, phone me, phone me
Ooh, I think I'm in love
Ooh, I think I'm in love
Ooh, I think I'm in love
Urrgh, I think I'm in lerv

A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours is a song by The Smiths, from their album Strangeways, Here We Come. It is the first song on the album, and is notable for not featuring Johnny Marr's guitarwork. The title comes from a poem by Oscar Wilde's mother. The phrase "A rush and a charge and the land is ours", which is a traditional Irish battle cry, is very likely to have influenced Morrissey during the writing of the song.

Source: Wikipedia

The Smiths: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

Album: The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Produced by Morrissey and Johnny Marr
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 10: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr



Video: The Smiths - Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others


Lyrics: The Smiths - Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

From the ice-age to the dole-age
there is but one concern
and I have just discovered:
some girls are bigger than others
some girls are bigger than others
some girls mothers are bigger than
other girls mothers

As Anthony said to Cleopatra
as he opened a crate of ale:
some girls are bigger than others
some girls are bigger than others
some girls mothers are bigger than
other girls mothers

The Smiths: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Album: The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Produced by Morrissey and Johnny Marr
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 9: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr


Video: The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out


Lyrics: The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Take me out tonight
where there's music and there's people
who are young and alive
driving in your car
I never never want to go home
because I havent got one
anymore
take me out tonight
because I want to see people and I
want to see lights
driving in your car
oh please dont drop me home
because it's not my home, it's their
home, and Im welcome no more
and if a double-decker bus
crashes into us
to die by your side
such a heavenly way to die
and if a ten ton truck
kills the both of us
to die by your side
the pleasure and the privilege is mine
take me out tonight
oh take me anywhere, I dont care
and in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last
(but then a strange fear gripped me and I
just couldnt ask)
take me out tonight
take me anywhere, I dont care
just driving in your car
I never never want to go home
because I havent got one
I havent got one

there is a light and it never goes out

"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" is a song by the English rock group The Smiths, written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr. It was originally featured on their 1986 album The Queen Is Dead, but despite its enduring popularity it was not released as a single until 1992, after The Smiths split up. Morrissey re-released the song as a double A-side live single (with his cover of Patti Smith's "Redondo Beach") in 2005, which reached #11 in the UK singles chart.

The song lyrically utilises a first-person narrative concerning yearning, anxiety, and implied romance. Morrissey assumes the role of a person who has, one could infer from the lyrics, been kicked out of home, so seeks solace and company in the form of the person the song addresses - the car's driver.

Musically, the song begins with a staccato bridge similar to that heard on "Hitch Hike" by Marvin Gaye and "There She Goes Again" by The Velvet Underground, which recurs as a musical motif throughout the song. With synthesized strings, a balladesque arrangement and yearning lyrics, many listeners have viewed "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" as a straightforward love song despite some ambiguity in the lyrics themselves.

Source: Wikipédia

The Smiths: Vicar In A Tutu

Album: The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Produced by Morrissey and Johnny Marr
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 8: Vicar In A Tutu
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr



Video: The Smiths - Vicar In A Tutu
With Craig Gannon.


Lyrics: The Smiths - Vicar In A Tutu

I was minding my business
lifting some lead off
the roof of the Holy Name church
it was worthwhile living a laughable life
just to set my eyes on the blistering sight
of a vicar in a tu-tu
he's not strange
he just wants to live his life this way
A scanty bit of a thing
with a decorative ring
that wouldnt cover the head of a child
as Rose collects the money in a cannister
who comes sliding down the bannister
the vicar in a tu-tu
he's not strange
he just wants to live his life this way
The monkish monsignor
with a head full of plaster
said : "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
as Rose counts the money in the cannister
as natural as Rain
he dances again
vicar in a tu-tu
The next day in the pulpit
with Freedom and Ease
combatting ignorance, dust, and disease
as Rose counts the money in the cannister
as natural as Rain
he dances again
the fabric of a tu-tu
any man could get used to
And I am a living sign
And I'm a living sign.

The Smiths: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

Album: The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Produced by Morrissey and Johnny Marr
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 7: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr



Video: The Smiths - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side


Lyrics: The Smiths - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

The boy with the thorn in his side
behind the hatred there lies
a murderous desire for love
how can they look into my eyes
and still they dont believe me?
how can they hear me say those words
and still they dont believe me?
and if they dont believe me now
will they ever believe me?
and if they dont believe me now
will they ever believe me?

The boy with the thorn in his side
behind the hatred there lies
a plundering desire for love
how can they see the Love in our eyes
and still they dont believe us?
and after all this time
they dont want to believe us
and if they dont believe us now
will they ever believe us?
and when you want to Live
how do you start?
where do you go?
who do you need to know?

"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" is a song by The Smiths. It appears on their third album The Queen Is Dead but was released as a single (albeit in a different mix) several months before the album, reaching #23 in the UK Singles Chart in Autumn 1985.

This was the first Smiths single to be accompanied by a promotional video, something the band had previously resisted. Some of the Smiths' more purist fans at the time derided this as a sell-out.

The following year, the New Musical Express greeted the news that the band had signed a contract with EMI with the headline "The Boy With The Thorn-EMI On His Side".

The jumping man on the cover of the single release is a young Truman Capote.

The song was covered by Scottish band Bis on the tribute album The Smiths is dead. Music reviewer, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, trashed the cover, stating: "In particular, the Bis utterly disembowel 'The Boy with the Thorn in His Side' with a single-minded stupidity that is just bewildering."

The song has also been covered by Jeff Buckley, Belle & Sebastian and Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis in live performances. This song also shares its name with a book written by Pete Wentz, bassist of the band Fall Out Boy.

The song was featured in the third episode of the British drama musical series Blackpool.

Margi Clarke asked Morrissey if this song was inspired by Oscar Wilde and Morrissey replied: "No that's not true. The thorn is the music industry and all those people who never believed anything I said, tried to get rid of me and wouldn't play the records. So I think we've reached a stage where we feel: if they don't believe me now, will they ever believe me? What more can a poor boy do?

Source: Wikipedia

The Smiths: Bigmouth Strikes Again

Album: The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Produced by Morrissey and Johnny Marr
Label: Rough Trade Records

Track 6: Bigmouth Strikes Again
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr


Video: The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again


Lyrics: The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again

Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
when I said Id like to smash every tooth
in your head
Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
when I said by rights you should be
bludgeoned in your bed
and now I know how Joan of Arc felt
now I know how Joan of Arc felt
as the flames rose to her roman nose
and her Walkman started to melt
Bigmouth, bigmouth
bigmouth strikes again
and Ive got no right to take my place
with the Human race
bigmouth, bigmouth
bigmouth strikes again
and Ive got no right to take my place
with the Human race
and now I know how Joan of Arc felt
now I know how Joan of Arc felt
as the flames rose to her roman nose
and her hearing aid started to melt
Bigmouth, bigmouth
bigmouth strikes again
and Ive got no right to take my place
with the Human race