Are Morrissey's lyrics just not that good anymore?

[Anaesthesine]

Hmmm, like it or not, 'That's How People Grow Up' was a hit. And I don't see how Morrissey can be considered to have 'musical gifts' seeing as he's never wrote any music & can't play an instrument.

I'm not having a go, I'm just saying.

As an aside: how cool would it be if Morrissey learned some guitar, wrote some music & made a real 'solo album'?

"That's How People Grow Up" may have charted, but it was not a true "hit." Moz fans bought it, that's all.

Imagine if he had released the far, far superior (and more relevant) "My Dearest Love." It would not have been so perfunctory a success. He may even have captured the hearts of people who did not already like him - that's how you expand your fan base, which is what he seems to want.

As for his musical gifts - he's one of the greatest singers on the planet; you don't achieve such longevity by taking your shirt off and fighting with the press - you get that by seducing people with your voice. He has a great inborn sense of musicality, and it's unique - no one else sounds like him. It's his gift.

I do agree, it would be brilliant if he picked up a guitar and started writing his own songs, but I think he's more than a bit lazy. He once said that he intentionally avoids writing for instruments, that they get in his way.

 

[raincoated lover]

"That's How People Grow Up" may have charted, but it was not a true "hit." Moz fans bought it, that's all.

Imagine if he had released the far, far superior (and more relevant) "My Dearest Love." It would not have been so perfunctory a success. He may even have captured the hearts of people who did not already like him - that's how you expand your fan base, which is what he seems to want.

As for his musical gifts - he's one of the greatest singers on the planet; you don't achieve such longevity by taking your shirt off and fighting with the press - you get that by seducing people with your voice. He has a great inborn sense of musicality, and it's unique - no one else sounds like him. It's his gift.

I do agree, it would be brilliant if he picked up a guitar and started writing his own songs, but I think he's more than a bit lazy. He once said that he intentionally avoids writing for instruments, that they get in his way.

I think it all comes back to this question:

Is Morrissey a poet that sings or a musician that writes poetry?

I like to think he is foremost a poet but his voice is just getting better and better and better as he ages.

 

[Worm]

Is Morrissey a poet that sings or a musician that writes poetry?

I think this is a great question, but I also think it's too precise. The answer from these choices is "musician that writes poetry", but really I'd just label him a "pop star"-- in the best sense, not meaning the Jessica Simpsons of the world-- because that's the only term that is vague enough to capture all the mystery and allure Morrissey has. Yes, when I listen to him, I hear that his voice is better (much) than ever. And it's interesting to reflect on the relationship of "poetry" to "pop songs". But in the end I can't separate the singing from the photographs, the lawsuits, the stage persona, the interviews, the record sleeves, and the incredible aura that surrounds him. He'll never be a voice; he'll always be the Voice, and the difference between those terms happily escapes definition.

 

[Anaesthesine]

I think it all comes back to this question:

Is Morrissey a poet that sings or a musician that writes poetry?

I like to think he is foremost a poet but his voice is just getting better and better and better as he ages.

Lyrics are so different from poetry. That's what I mean by saying that Morrissey has an inherent musicality. Writing words that scan vocally is a whole different discipline than writing poetry. Great poets find just the right word that scans on the page and resonates in your head and moves or enlightens you. Great singers find just the right word that hits your ear at the right point in the phrase - and it haunts you. Again, it's not exactly what Morrissey says, but the way he says it. His voice is certainly more complex than his lyrics these days.

He'll never be a voice; he'll always be the Voice, and the difference between those terms happily escapes definition.

Nail. Hammer. Bang.

 

[raincoated lover]

I would say Morrissey is a great singer, but he isn't one of the best in the world. I mean, we all know he struggles with hitting notes and tuning.

But he does have a pleasent voice, and whilst I can think of technically better singers, Morrissey's persona and lyrical excellence go hand in hand with his vocal style and we wouldn't want it any other way.

But I still think the quality of his lyrics, not the inspiration or focus, has slipped from 1995-.