Morrissey A-Z: "I Couldn't Understand Why People Laughed"

[Trans]

A sweet song that resonates. The Spanish guitar does remind me of a couple of other songs but that’s ok. The importance of being Earnest indeed

 

[Famous when dead]

Of the two tracks that appeared at the same time, this is far closer to a finished product. It certainly sounds like there is post-production applied to it (unlike Brow... which had a click track - despite being uploaded twice and having most of it cropped out). I'd even suggest it was 'finished', but am happily open to be corrected should the 'controlling party' actually decide information is worth attaching to their uploads.
FWD.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Along with Forgive Someone and (especially) Blue Dreamer's Eyes, the best thing he's released the past 10+ years, in my opinion. It encapsulates everything I love about him and his music. I've mentioned it before, but the key ingredients are as always warmth, empathy, melancholy and melody.

Maybe for you.

But I prefer a well balanced Moz, so I also love it when he’s cold, cruel, angry, cynical, and to the point.

That’s why I think it’s really great that there are slightly different Morrisseys throughout his catalogue, we can dip in and out of any album or song according to one’s moods and desires. We are lucky.

This song, as well as the others I mentioned, checks all the boxes.

 

[GirlAfraidWillNeverLearn]

It may sound a little unfinished, yet I am not convinced that adding more production and perhaps some extra instruments would make it a better song. I love it for its simplicity and fragility, both the voice and the Spanish guitar are adorable. I suppose Gustavo is playing the Spanish guitar, not Jesse. Is this also a Manzur co-write?

I thought it was probably Boz playing the acoustic because it's his song but it could be Gustavo. Jesse's sound is unmistakable in the electric guitar parts (the 'twang' I referred to in my post, for lack of a better word. Instantly recognisable.)

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Maybe for you.

But I prefer a well balanced Moz, so I also love it when he’s cold, cruel, angry, cynical, and to the point.

That’s why I think it’s really great that there are slightly different Morrisseys throughout his catalogue, we can dip in and out of any album or song according to one’s moods and desires. We are lucky.

Of course for me. “It encapsulates everything I love about him and his music.”

I agree with what you say. It’s great that he has so many sides to his poetry and music. He has plenty of angry (etc) songs that I like. Just not on the last few albums.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Of course for me. “It encapsulates everything I love about him and his music.”

I agree with what you say. It’s great that he has so many sides to his poetry and music. He has plenty of angry (etc) songs that I like. Just not on the last few albums.

There may come a time when one of those last few albums are exactly what you need to comfort you.

Never say never.

 

[Johnny]

It's absolutely beautiful.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

There may come a time when one of those last few albums are exactly what you need to comfort you.

Never say never.

Definitely. Make no mistake, I like Dog a lot.

 

[Mayfly]

Ha! Gustavo couldn’t write a song this coherent and beautiful to save his life. 😁

Always open to be surprised

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

It's beautifully simple/simply beautiful.


The lyrics are essentially Morrissey and if sung by anyone else would probably seem a bit trite but he makes it sound so honest and personal.
To me it's a résumé of what defines him as a singer and he manages to express quite aptly what makes him so special in the eyes of many members of his audience:


I said I
Can rectify
Everything that's wrong

○

I sang loud and proud in time
I said I look into animal's eyes
And I see mine
I see mine

○

For the whole world to see
I sang I am she
And he is me
He is me

In less poetic words: He makes you feel it's gonna be okay, he speaks for the outsider because he is the outsider.

And he also tells us something about himself and his own motivation:

I sing it because I
Could never speak it

The part I like the most is at the end when even the hearts of his detractors can't escape his spell

I froze upon the stage
The soul open wide
And people laughed so hard
That they cried

That’s more of a positive take on those last lines.

I see it as Morrissey vulnerable opening up offering his truth and the world because it is cold or ignorant to certain subjects, they can’t understand or refuse to try an understand someone like him.

So, in the end, he tries but he fails to make most others see and feel the way he does. But that is the usual unfortunate fate of an artist/person like Morrissey and their place in society. And I get the feeling that there may be an acceptance of that fact by him that comes through in the general melancholy questioning mood of the song.

The instrumentation is suitably sparse, the Spanish guitar sounds very wistful and Jesse's sonorous twang gives it the required depth.

It reminds me a lot of Comeback To Camden, because both have the same stage musical feeling to them (in a good way!).

Yes, I think the band were really trying to make this one work. I like the vibes and the cello. It does sound a bit incomplete, and I wish
they would have added some heavy low end or bass on the louder sections, I hear it in my minds ear, and really think it would have supported the songs structure better
emphasizing the dynamics and giving the song a little more weight.

And of course... that voice is everything.

as always.

 

[Mayfly]

I thought it was probably Boz playing the acoustic because it's his song but it could be Gustavo. Jesse's sound is unmistakable in the electric guitar parts (the 'twang' I referred to in my post, fof lack of a better word. Instantly recognisable.)

I thuoght about Gustavo because he always played the flamenco guitar part at the end of “Staircase at the Université” live. Bos is almost certainly playing accoustic guitar here. Agree that Jesse has his own recognisable sound on electric guitar. The good thing is that Jesse’s specific qualities have been used better more recently, this one being a nice exemple.

 

[GirlAfraidWillNeverLearn]

That’s more of a positive take on those last lines.

I see it as Morrissey vulnerable opening up offering his truth and the world because it is cold or ignorant to certain subjects, they can’t understand or refuse to try an understand someone like him.

So, in the end, he tries but he fails to make most others see and feel the way he does. But that is the usual unfortunate fate of an artist/person like Morrissey and their place in society. And I get the feeling that there may be an acceptance of that fact by him that comes through in the general melancholy questioning mood of the song.

You're probably right. It's also more realistic than my take.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

You're probably right. It's also more realistic than my take.

sorry for being realistic.

It’s really not like me to.

 

[GirlAfraidWillNeverLearn]

sorry for being realistic.

It’s really not like me to.

Reality is not your fault. 🙂

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Always open to be surprised

True. He did write One of Our Own!

 

[The.Truth.]

There are a few artists who have unreleased work that is amazing. Prince and Neil Young come to mind. Both of them were very prolific and would sometimes just change course artistically. They suddenly get the urge to release something stylistically different and the material they were working on gets shelved no matter how good it is.
But almost every Morrissey and Smiths song that was "unreleased" is just not as good as the songs they did release. Morrissey did sometimes leave great songs off of the album and put them on b-sides. I don't know why. Maybe it's part of the mythology to release classic and essential singles and maybe it's a way to boost sales and have a better chance of topping the charts.
I think "Kit" and "Honey, You Know Where To Find Me," are great but I can't think of another one.
And this one is really not very good.

 

[Ryan]

There are a few artists who have unreleased work that is amazing. Prince and Neil Young come to mind. Both of them were very prolific and would sometimes just change course artistically. They suddenly get the urge to release something stylistically different and the material they were working on gets shelved no matter how good it is.
But almost every Morrissey and Smiths song that was "unreleased" is just not as good as the songs they did release. Morrissey did sometimes leave great songs off of the album and put them on b-sides. I don't know why. Maybe it's part of the mythology to release classic and essential singles and maybe it's a way to boost sales and have a better chance of topping the charts.
I think "Kit" and "Honey, You Know Where To Find Me," are great but I can't think of another one.
And this one is really not very good.

Wait until we’re blessed with more unreleased Maladjusted era tracks and I’m sure the likes of Nightmare and I Know Who I Love will be added to your list. One day.

 

[That's Enough For Me]

From a period where anything half decent is deemed as 'good' because the standard had dropped so far.

 

[skull]

This is just thrown away trash for me. It seems improvised, with such weak lyrics. I think the same for all the unreleased tracks of Low in high school.