I really don't like this song. What's happening to our number one guy? The lyrics, melodies, instrumentals; all of them just aren't good.
I mean reading words like these - 'Set me aside, you'll find People are the same everywhere. Hoist me from the herd and People are the same everywhere' - they could easily be mistaken for the teenage egocentric lyrics of some amateur school rockband... 'the herd', 'the group' - what are these tiresome cliches? And what kind of message even is this? People are the same everywhere? Really? That's such a heartfelt, beautiful observation, I just connect so deeply with his words... Where's the poetry gone? Admittedly the third verse gets better, but really, these are just bitter rants that perpetuate a laughably false idea, and make morrissey look pretty past-it by singing them. You can't try to cling to notions of alienation and disillusionment being explored, when this comes from such a voice of contempt and authority in the song. And don't even get me started on the god damned guitars... talk about making a bad thing worse.
I guess my main point is that were this exact song written and sung by another current artist, people, im pretty sure, would be quick to disregard it as dull and grating. I feel like people are just liking it for the fact that its a morrissey song. Especially with such exciting music constantly being produced at the moment (despite whatever moz says about so-and-so being the ONLY promising band he's heard in years amongst such repetitive dreariness -such an ignorant claim), this really shows the weakness and unoriginality of these songs in contrast. As I discover more and more great new stuff, I found myself losing more and more interest with the current morrissey - it pains me to say, but I just feel he is barely relevant to me anymore. Yes, the live experience will always be enthralling, and yes scandinavia is definitely more promising, but again I feel a large part of my fondness for the song trying to cling to morrissey, looking only for the positives and deluding myself to the negatives.
Even to claim PATSE should be more of a b-side is an insult to moz. Let us not forget such great songs as Jack the Ripper and I Used to be a Sweet Boy were both b-sides, and are utterly incomparable to this current stuff. I know it's absurd to expect a consistency of such greatness, but I know, and i think we all know, that morrissey definitely has far greater potential within him. It all boils down to the issue of stubornness - I know his self-asuredness and belief are characteristics that make contribute to his brilliance, but they also mean he gets entirely stuck in his ways and won't listen to any constructive feedback he receives from his most loyal fans (see moz vs. moz-solo case). It seems so paradoxical that he can at the same time lament the repeated chart-failings of his singles and also dismiss the opinion of those telling him why they are not buying them. But then I guess people must just be the same everywhere, unable to comprehend the brilliance of his current vision...
I'm not calling for a 'stick to what you're good at', manufacturing album after album of mindless vauxhal and I variations (although that certainly wouldn't be scoffed at
), but rather a sensitivity to his obvious fortes, and an appreciation of what gained him such devotion in his career to this point. Whilst evolution is undoubtedly a positive force, I feel morrissey is regressing, simply changing his artistry for the worse, rather than evolving it into an exciting synthesis of old and new. Come on Moz, we know you have it in you, shake yourself out of your mindset, bring back the beauty (and yes, im sure he will be reading this post... its not a pointless address... lol)
end rant.