The Moz/Smiths Top 100, Part 244: WHEN LAST I SPOKE TO CAROL

[Houdini]

In 2007, and early 2008, we put up polls for all 234 then released Morrissey and The Smiths-songs. More than 25,000 votes were cast and the result was The Morrissey/Smiths Top 100, or indeed, The Morrissey/The Smiths Top 234. This year many people have asked me to continue with the polls as 18 new Morrissey-songs have been released since. With the release of 'Swords' now seems as good a time as any to start them.

Song 244: WHEN LAST I SPOKE TO CAROL


Voting should be something along these lines:
10: Perfection
9: Near perfect, brilliant
8: Really good Moz/Smiths song
7: Good Moz/Smiths song
6: OK, Nothing special
5: Uninspired
4: Poor
3: Bad
2: Should never have been released
1: He should be ashamed

Previous polls (voting will remain open):

Part 243: Black Cloud
Part 242: Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed
Part 241: Something Is Squeezing My Skull
Part 240: Because Of My Poor Education
Part 239: Shame Is The Name
Part 238: I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Part 237: My Dearest Love
Part 236: Drive-In Saturday
Part 235: Children In Pieces
Part 234: That's How People Grow Up
Part 233: All You Need Is Me
Part 232 and previous

[The Griffith Underground]

This is a very good latter-day Morrissey song and certainly a high point on YOR.

I'd go with a solid 7.

The Spanish guitars initially put me off as gimmicky but I've got to say, this track has grown on me immensely.

And the lyric is interesting because it forms a link to "November Spawned a Monster" where he is actually stepping outside of himself, as it were, to articulate the plight of a female in existential distress. But all her woes are basically his own, it's just that for once he places the conflict externally rather than within. As William Burroughs said, "ALL writing is autobiographical."

Interesting that YOR features two songs specifically about suicide; this one and Mama. And both are about women.

[GlasgowChivas]

It's a 9 for me. Lyrically and musically interesting as well as outside of the "typical" Morrissey sound it is one of the few YOR tracks that I can stick on as background music and my friends & family don't immediately all turn and moan "not that moaner Morrissey!"

I've even caught my father-in-law whistling along to it.

Here's hoping the next album continues this trend of experimentation.

[MyDoppelganger]

I'll give it a 7. It's a good song.

[CrookedLittleVein]

7 from me. A good, solid little song. And one (as GlasgowChivas points out) that gets non-Moz fans tapping their toes -- a remarkable achievement in itself.

Mozmic's video gets a 9.

[Maurice E]

With its wonderful melodies, unusual arrangement, and gorgeously melancholic lyric, this really could be prime-time Smiths. Fantastic stuff. A nine. Easily the second best song on the album.

[Qvist]

Seven. Good song, good lyrics. Not one of the key tracks on the album, but decidedly a contributor. The hispano-factor was jarring at first, but it grows on you.

cheers

[kyleleonard]

best song on the album, and imo, the best song from the Refusal tour live.

[mcrickson]

9

Mostly because of all that's been said so far.

And I'm really loving this video which I hadn't previously seen by our very own Mozmic_dancer! I'm going to pretend to myself that it is an official video

[celibate]

a 10

best song he made , with crahing bores, since vauxhall&I

havent YOR in reach of me now, but I bet it's one of ALAIN'S
[mentally ill sleeping]

It's fresh, there's variation in the songwriting, lyrics maybe 1 point less,but
with the few poll songs , no ones better than Carol

IMHO

[Suedebread]

A good 7. Good driving beat, uptempo. Also love the lyrics, despite the subject being shrouded in mystery.

[Voodoo Doll]

I cant remember the last time I instantly loved a new Moz song this much. And the growls when he sings it in concert tipped me right over the edge
Its a 10 from me

[justme]

Ahh... I LOVE CAROL!! I was so happy to hear it live

It's a 9

EDIT: BRILLIANT Video!!

[Dothatagain?]

A beauty! Possibly the best song on the album, and one of his best of the decade.

[Vauxhall Vixen]

An 8 from me. One of the best songs on YOR and it sounded great live, though it would have been even better with the horns on it. Fantastic video too, Mozmic...he should have released this instead of I'm throwing my arms around Paris.

[leedoggpimp]

8... love the spanish vibe to it, one of the best off the album.

[DIRTYHARRY]

seven for me. the guitar sounds so tacky.

it's not bad, but not the best on years of refusal.

[lottie]

When I first heard Carol, I was mortified, I thought it was awful and I got this silly idea in my head relating it to bad western musical scores, then of course i saw the above vid *points up to 1st post* and It sealed my dislike...
then I saw it live, and was blown away by the magnificence of it, and as Voodoo has already pointed out the way he growls through it is too delightful for words..
i'd now give it a 10.

[King Leer]

When was Mozmic Dancer's video first posted? Amazing job!

As a great fan of Leone, Morricone, and spaghetti westerns in general the song (and the video!) capture that cinematic world perfectly.

If you wanted to be really cheeky you could re-edit the shots of the woman's eyes to be Kristeen Young's. Surely that's who the song is about. It was Morrissey's way of saying "this town ain't big enough for the both of us" after they had their falling out.

[nogodsnomasters85]

Another track that should be skipped.