Morrissey A-Z: "This Is Not Your Country"

BookishBoy

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member



Today's song is this Morrissey/Whyte composition, released as a B-side to "Satan Rejected My Soul" and later included on the reissued of Maladjusted in 2009.

What do we think?
 
One of my favorites. It's a very complex subject handled honestly but also with sensitivity. I don't think it's my place to go into the politics he's singing about but he approaches it as a human situation that almost anyone should be able to understand. 10/10
 
I can admire this song’s lyricism, and how it deals with the public view on Northern Ireland, especially in the Troubles, but this song just doesn’t have enough melodic and instrumental substance in order to warrant a 7 minute plus runtime.
Unlike other lengthy songs Moz has released, this has less melodic and compositional development, preferring to remain fixated on one solemn riff and repeat that into eternity. You forget about the lyrics because the tune becomes so grading by the end (unlike, say, “Teachers” or “Southpaw” or “I’m Not A Man” - hell, even “The Secret of Music” tries some different things throughout!).
Further, the production from this era is pretty anonymous as a whole, but especially with songs like this (and possibly “Ambitious Outsiders”) any grandiose, pseudo-Classical compositions are stifled at birth by blandness.
I’m sorry but this one’s never clicked with me: maybe in the future something will change or make more sense.
5/10
 
For the longest time, this was my favorite political Moz song. I think it’s great. Love the subtlety and tastefulness of both the lyrics and the music. He really could write strong yet subtle political lyrics back in the day.
 
great song about the troubles in ireland,being from the west of scotland protestant v catholic has been going on for over a hundred years,shocking in this day and age,great lyrics especially about the bbc.
10 bbc/10 scum.
 
Great song, written (apparently) in 1997, storying the NI 'troubles' & delivered superbly by Moz.

From PJLM: "In the 2009 expanded and redesigned edition of the "Maladjusted" album, Morrissey said that this song is "...a ramble through the innoculation blotch of Ireland's North, now so changed, but then so seemingly unchangeable.""
 
Fantastic song. Amazing how many times times this song title is used as 'proof' of Morrissey's racism by people unable or unwilling to listen to the lyrics.
 
One of the Maladjusted session pieces that causes me some problems. A bit too sluggish and self-comforting, the piece with the working title "Belfast" also drags along a bit too long and monotonously. I tried it several times but it remains the weakest of the 6 strong B-sides.
But what do I know, I zip up me mouth now.
 
I remember buying the CD single and then listening to this at home. I thought it was awful at the time and one of Morrissey's worst songs. I have warmed to it ever so slightly since then, but it is still desperately weak.

The production sounds very cheap, it drags on forever and the repeated "Zip up your mouth" is embarrassing. Morrissey has written quite a few unsubtle political songs, and this is one of the weakest.

Sorry for the people who like it, but a couple of the reviews when Maladjusted was re-released tickled me.

From Uncut: "Moz’s ballad about the Northern Ireland troubles, “This Is Not Your Country”, somehow manages to be worse than Spandau Ballet’s “Between The Barricades”; written before the Good Friday Agreement, it now sounds about as relevant as a song about the repeal of the Corn Laws."

From Drownedinsound: "Chief culprit is the astonishingly bad ‘This Is Not Your Country’, a one-time B-side which is roughly as useful a comment on The Troubles as Band Aid II was on world hunger. And it goes on for seven and a half bloody minutes."

I'm sure there might be good reviews around somewhere, too.

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 235th from 264 solo songs.
 
I am glad to know that it is about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The opening lines
Roadblocks and gunshots
Barbwir upon barbwire
This is not your country.
could mean something entirely different in another era or context..

It is a mournful tune, beautiful at first but becoming tedious after 5 minutes.
 
Obscure reference on Morrissey's part, but relevant to include here:
www.morrissey-solo.com

Question - Peugeot ad

What Peugeot ad is spinning around in his head, in This Is Not Your Country? Somebody knows.
www.morrissey-solo.com www.morrissey-solo.com

Regards,
FWD.
 
I like this song and don’t mind the length. It helps the mood of the song like an unsettling mood that won’t lift. Vocals sound great here to. Not always my fav type of morrissey song but it’s a good example of the form
 
Good song. Hope that Rick roll Blossoms will cover it someday.
 
Flibberty said:
I remember buying the CD single and then listening to this at home. I thought it was awful at the time and one of Morrissey's worst songs. I have warmed to it ever so slightly since then, but it is still desperately weak.

The production sounds very cheap, it drags on forever and the repeated "Zip up your mouth" is embarrassing. Morrissey has written quite a few unsubtle political songs, and this is one of the weakest.

Sorry for the people who like it, but a couple of the reviews when Maladjusted was re-released tickled me.

From Uncut: "Moz’s ballad about the Northern Ireland troubles, “This Is Not Your Country”, somehow manages to be worse than Spandau Ballet’s “Between The Barricades”; written before the Good Friday Agreement, it now sounds about as relevant as a song about the repeal of the Corn Laws."

From Drownedinsound: "Chief culprit is the astonishingly bad ‘This Is Not Your Country’, a one-time B-side which is roughly as useful a comment on The Troubles as Band Aid II was on world hunger. And it goes on for seven and a half bloody minutes."

I'm sure there might be good reviews around somewhere, too.

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 235th from 264 solo songs.
Click to expand...
lazy journalism again,spandau ballets song was called Through The Barricades not Betweem The Barricades.
 
This one's a beauty - the music is really pretty, some great singing melodies and really powerful imagery.
'British soldier pointing a gun and I'm only trying to post a letter.
A short walk home becomes a run, And I'm scared, and I'm scared, I am scared'.
One of his best long songs and a really unusual arrangement (for him) with the acoustic guitars, synths and no drums at all.
Not a big fan of the BBC scum, 'zip up your mouth' lines but otherwise this song has much to recommend it.
If you can't see any worth in it, I'm not sure that you understand music very well.
 
I like it - also I understand the mixture of repressed rage & bewildered sorrow.

I missed the troubles but they still cast a terrifying shadow over my childhood. It wasn't - & still isn't - over, so it's an incredibly ignorant thing to claim it was irrelevant in 1996.

Also it reminds me of this wee folk song:

 
The reference to "BBC scum" is, of course, a criticism of black porn stars. "I look at yours, you laugh at mine", and so on. His racism, self-loathing sounded tired even by 1997.
 
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