Chances are the single will probably get ignored by most radio stations. And if there aren't enough new songs (i.e. not live versions) to fill two CDs, the single will probably fail to make the top 20, which will be Morrissey's worst chart position since the Maladjusted era, and we know how much Moz cares about chart positions!

There's a small chance X and Virgin will play it (and it might sneak onto the R2 C-list) but they hardly played 'In the Future' so it's not looking that likely.

Ideally, Moz would have had a brand new single at this point which would easily go top 10 and the December tour would have had a forward looking and celebratory air about it...
Oh well!
Maurice

any news on B-sides? I hope the folks at the Chicago show get a sneek preview of at least one of the new songs!!

what is the point - how indulgent can you be seriously, who will buy this not me that's for sure the sing isn';t even good

...perhaps now it will get released? The Janice Long session version, as no other version seems to exist.

How could he not possibly pick "Life is a Pigsty" as a 4th single?

It seems to me that this release is timed to coincide with the excitement of Mozzer's December shows. I am sure they are hoping this excitement with translate into radio play and record sales, and it might just do it. I think "Boy" has enough umpf to take it to the top of the UK charts, or at least top 10. Whereas the last single, and perhaps also the one before it came at a time when all of Europe was saturated with things Moz. Here's hoping!

Finn

it is the only good song on the album.

Is this his MTV show? Or his "Russell Brands Got Issues" show? Or his radio show? Ehh... just want to know so I can tape the blessed thing...

I saw the video for the last single. He looks like a very very old drag queen. And don´t get me wrong: I love drag queens. But this is just plain pathetic - another single? Who is he kidding?

Another gig in Amsterdam and a new single!

Now all that remains is a decent setlist... yes, I know... it's not gonna happen... but one can dream, can't one?

A very compelling, heartfelt choice. The trombone solo is very effective, as well. I cannot wait!

With love,
Ken S.

ps- see you all at the Chicago show!

How lazy can Morrissey get? Well, hope the B-sides are great :)

In a recent Moz-solo poll, 43% of respondents said that there is, "No real point in releasing any more singles from the album". At the same time only 10% indicated that, "See the Boy Happy" should be a new single.

Moz, the people have spoken! (But if you have a juicy b-side, you'll make THIS boy happy!)

I just want to be happy. Here's hoping for some joy this xmas (near the peaks) and another great single.

At least there will be B-sides, the album tracks are pointless. Obviously, true to form, Morrissey steadfastly refuses to release the album's only worthy song; 'Pigsty.' Perhaps because too many people would be happy with him if he did.

broken

Please this is so pathetic - Another track and a desperately poor track off the album as a single? - morrissey you are shaming yourself. was it not you who as a smith said how much you treasured singles and how they shouldnt just be songs off an album?

it should be over. ANOTHER single???

first time no buy for me since 1922.

What a grand way to end a triumphant year!

I'm sure there will be more info to follow, for I'd be very interested to learn more about this release, its b-sides as well as this upcoming interview.

I accidently said out loud "Oh God!"...not the best choice I think.

Do you understand the music business at all?

Whether or not Pigsty is a good song, it is not a single worthy song. It would seem absolutely awkward on the radio.

It's like wondering why The Smiths didn't release "I Know It's Over" as a single.

This furthers my theory that many Morrissey fans believe that world is truly meant to serve their wishes no matter how absurd those wishes seem.

Arrested Development.

With that being said, Morrissey dropped the ball entirely with this album. He's merely running on
the fumes created by Quarry's hype, and a long absence.

The carnival appears to be over, so now he will likely disappear for another seven years before showing up in Vegas to fulfill a life-time performance contract.

Thanks God morrissey didn't choose "life is A pisgsty" this song is SOOOOOOO boring!!!

I'm glad he chose the boy happy

They're taking the piss now. We are all expected to hand over our hard earned money to the bastards just so we can hear some b-sides. Fuck them, they aren't getting another penny off me. I love Mozza's music but enough is enough, I'll find a free download somewhere, Top of the Pops is finished, so I won't worry about the charts.

I would have prefered "The Father who must be killed", it would have been a better single

Another stupid song. This single sucks and it's not even out yet.

Surely in the time since the album sessions were recorded, Moz must have thought of a song better than this which could now be recorded and released as a non-album single. In my opinion ROTT was the a side You Have Killed Me with a load of b sides. Actually not even b sides, as Moz's b sides used to be good.

So all four singles co-written by Jesse. Favouritism? ;)

how difficult is it to write one decent song, keep it back after the album, and release that as the single instead? or even to go and do a new song. he'd have been smarter in a sense if he had any uptempo b-sides to simply release it as the a-side as a new single and people would've been far happier to think of a new song coming out and there'd have been more press interest i'd have thought.

morrissey wants to be unique in theory i think, in terms of how he presents himself and his 'product' but he fails by going along with this idea of yet another single that everyone has heard. what's the point of anyone who has the album of actually playing the single? you'd just skip to the b-sides, cos you don't need to hear the same version of the same song again. he could at least do a slightly different version of 'boy happy' but i'm sure he won't.

i am already trying to visualise the video.

'Boy Happy' might be a bit unnecessary as a fourth single but it has to be said that the song really took off during the tour. It became one definite highlight of the set as the guys turned it into an exciting, vibrant showcase of all their abilities (Matt's drumming especially).

It seemed to act as a pivotal point in the show, too. Often positioned towards the end of the set, it signalled them entering the home straight, neatly segueing into songs like Pigsty, HSIN or Panic.

I hope they give us a good B-Side for Christmas though!

i fear that the momentum is over now, end of stories. just cant believe he has a glimpse of hope with another single. can he make it?, i dunno but i hope this new single conclude and finalize everything he achieved with ROTT.

get over it MOz, make my day with a new album, please

Probably the weakest track on ROTT. Should have been buried away on a b-side. And as a single?!?!

: |

Boy with a Thorn in His Side
Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before
I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
Suedehead
We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get

Are obvious, up beat, and recognisable choices. First of the Gang is the most recent release that would work which also fits into his story of moving to LA, his Latino following and years without a recoreding contract when he only played it live.

Hairbrusedandparted

This is definitely one of my favorite songs on Ringleader .....

around his first love...
Some nice lyrical touches in this song; better than kegs between legs and being entered with a key at least!

The music's pretty good (better live) but perhaps not quite good enough to get Virgin and Xfm playlisting it I don't think.

As for the sleeve, how about a still from the Suedehead video featuring Moz and his nephew, Sam?

Maurice

I agree that ‘Life is Pigsty’ wouldn’t be an obvious choice for a single and it’s too long for radio, which would give them a perfect excuse for not playing it. But if you think back to when we first heard ‘Pigsty’, when Dave Fanning played it on his radio show. Fanning receiving comments from listeners saying that they weren’t really into Moz’s music but they liked this song. I think if it could have been edited down, without weakening it, then I think it would have been a great opportunity for Morrissey to widen his audience.

I love ROTT and although it’s not one of my favourite songs on the album I do like ‘Boy happy’, but I just don’t think it has the potential to draw in any new fans or to convince people to go out and buy the album, which is surly the whole point of realising singles from an album.

But I suppose it’s his album, his choice :)

I can't help but feel that this song is the weakest on an otherwise well crafted album. It just seems to stick out as being lyrically half-hearted and musically 'rock by numbers'. I have to admit that it did come alive somewhat on the tour (I do like the trumpet at the end), but if this and 'On The Streets I Ran' were removed from ROTT, in my opinion the album would gel better as a piece, rather than a collection of songs.
That said, I'll buy the single in both formats, hoping for some rather beautiful b-sides. And I'm hardly incensed that he's releasing it because, a) it's still better than 99.9% of stuff in the charts and b) it's Morrissey. But, I can't help wondering what he's thinking releasing this one and not something like 'Life Is A Pigsty'. Even if 'I Just Want To See The Boy Happy' did get lots of airplay, it wouldn't chart very well, because it's not what the general public want in a single. And I know he'd say, stuff the 'general public' (as do I) but they are the only market who matter for a good chart position, and it goes on criteria such as:
Is the tune a ballad for young teenage girls and 'sensitive blokes' (Coldplay), rock with kiddy punk riffs for the emo generation (Panic At The Disco), repetitive dance / RnB beats for the one hit wonder / novelty single buying generation (Gnarls Barkley), mainstream rock/pop with glossy over-production for the 'look at me, I'm with it' record buyer (Robbie Williams, Lilly Allen, et al), mama we're all crazy now DIY bands for the 14+ indie kids (Arctic Monkeys), or smug crooning for the over 50's (Cliff Richard). I know they're fairly sweeping generalisations but Great Britain (god rest her haggard soul) currently appears to be one sweeping generalisation, should you be unfortunate enough to switch on a radio.
Here's hoping Moz has released this single somewhat under duress to appease the record company. I know he wants acclaim beyond the army of fans he already has, but life in music just isn't the way it was when he started out. Most people have the attention span of a f**king gnat and some poor people remain ignorant of him (but then those same people struggle to name every member of The Beatles).
Morrissey, please don't worry your pretty head about anything other than your album chart position. In a world where a singer from a reality tv show can be top of the charts one year and playing to an audience of 120 people the next (Steve Brookstein please give up before you hurt yourself) the single chart truly doesn't matter any more.
All this aside, I look forward to seeing (or hearing) Russell Brand interview his hero. The crazy haired, tight trousered loon is likely to make it interesting (and I guess Russell won't be bad either).

yeah, maybe not the best ever Moz song, but by no means the worst. If it charts cool, if not cool, does it matter?

the tours sell well (if not sell out), the albums do good, and we all get some more b sides if we're lucky,

stop complaining peeps, this is not a bad thing.... it's a good thing!

I don't know why it gets so much flak from fans.

It's a vital, in-the-moment song about wanting happiness so desperately before death. The music and vocals make the whole song sound like someone punching up at the sky to be happy. What I love is that there's no sense of resignation from the narrator but the opposite - struggle and anger at life's cruel blows.

I don't know if the persona is someone's father or someone talking about themselves finding happiness. My guess is a father because there are other sons and fathers and deaths mentioned or alluded to in ROTT. A bit like Shakespeare's Sister but from the parent's perspective.

Don't know how anyone can characterize it as half-hearted. It's a lot tighter than Life is a Pigsty, with lines bordering on vacuous that you could slot in just about any Morrissey song: "And if you don't know this/ then what do you know? / Every second of my life / I only live for you."

Anyway rant over ... the message is, I really like this song.

I think it is a better song than "I want to see..." bla bla bla.
It would have been a better choice for the next single.
So I am truly disappointed, cause IWTSTBH sucks.

Any chance someone could confirm the Brand interview? It's mentioned as being Friday December 1st but Brand's new BBC Radio 2's show is on Saturday evening.

Sadly, if we're going by dates, it will surely air on the Saturday, this being the night of the SECC gig and a night where the radio is of more attraction than all the idiots there. But alas, I suppose real flesh is better than cold words in a darkened room.

I just don't want to miss this historical event.

Can someone please find out? I can't phone up the BBC, as I have a ladies' voice!