Morrissey A-Z: "Used To Be a Sweet Boy"

[BookishBoy]

We start - and finish - the U section with this Morrissey/Whyte composition from Vauxhall and I.

What do we think?

 

[Deleted member 30524]

A bit tame for me and probably the weakest song on a classic album, it’s not a bad song by any means . The only time I listen to this one is when the album is playing start- to end.

 

[Light Housework]

I must be to blame.

 

[Flibberty]

A very strong song, even if it's not one of the absolute key tracks on Vauxhall and I. It always struck me as slightly odd that it appeared as a b-side on The More You Ignore Me before also being included on the album.

Typically strong lyrics for that era, a lush arrangement and a good tune.

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 116th from 264 solo songs.

 

[BookishBoy]

A very strong song, even if it's not one of the absolute key tracks on Vauxhall and I. It always struck me as slightly odd that it appeared as a b-side on The More You Ignore Me before also being included on the album.

Typically strong lyrics for that era, a lush arrangement and a good tune.

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 116th from 264 solo songs.

Oh good point, I totally forgot about that, it being a B-side first. That was strange, wasn't it?

 

[Gregor Samsa]

A bit tame for me and probably the weakest song on a classic album, it’s not a bad song by any means . The only time I listen to this one is when the album is playing start- to end.

Exactly this.

 

[BookishBoy]

I have such a soft spot for this song, it's such a tender little thing. Nothing life-changing or revolutionary but it feels like being wrapped up in a blanket of melancholy and nostalgia for a childhood long gone. And I love that subtle shift at the end from "I'm not to blame" to "can't be to blame"...

 

[gordyboy9]

very soothing for a saturday morning,like the music as the track comes to an end.
the U section came and went,if M covered va va voom or olivia newton john xanadu we would have had the whole set.
8 blazers/10 ties.

 

[This Charming Bowie]

A nice little song in the middle of Vauxhall that I never really appreciated until relatively recently. It’s actually a little gem of a song, with some simple chord changes and melancholy textures fitting exquisitely with Moz’s mournful lyrics looking back over his childhood (hence the title). The build at the end is also magnificent, with Alain’s harmony vocals melting into the mix to create a sweet, gooey texture that’s great on headphones.
That said, maybe it’s a little too sweet, with little melodic movement in its short runtime, and can tend to overlap into the background of you’re not listening attentively. It brings the album back down to formula too after the more experimental and haunting “Lifeguard Sleeping...”.
Still, it’s a pretty great formula, so all criticism is relative - a good song all round.
7/10

 

[Phranc & Open]

This is the story of my life. Quite personal, I know. But it is. My father died when Vauxhall was released and we hadn't got a good father/son relationship, although I tried to be a "sweet boy". Therefore alone, I love this little, very sentimental pastiche.

 

[Mozzer1980]

Lovely . lovely , lovely ....

 

[Bluebirds]

For reasons beyond the realms of words on the worldwide web and the complexity of MY life this song will always have a special place in my heart....

Used to be a sweet boy
I'm not to blame
But something went wrong
Something went wrong
And I know I'm not to blame. Something went wrong,
Can't be to blame.

 

[Phranc & Open]

I still wonder why the second version is called "orchestrated"? It dosen't sound as full as the original, with more spaces inbetween, even more acoustic guitars + bass and nearly no effects, but "orchestrated"?

 

[Mayfly]

Alain’s sad and melancholic tune superbly fits the subject matter and sorrow expressed in M’s voice.
It’s a sincère and heartfelt song. Even if it positions itself as one of the weaker songs on V & I, I’d still rate it as a minor classic in his song catalogue.
8/10

 

[Janice]

A period in time the music spoke words.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Butley already brought this question up back in 2008 with no answer, and hearing that ‘orchestra’ version, those backing vocals sound so much like Kirsty, uncredited for some reason if it is her.


Anyway, a dreamy song for a dreamy album, perfect.

 

[No 27]

This song is horribly insipid and the tune's shit.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Well, the right people like it.

 

[Mike Rourke]

I like Vauxhall a lot but for me, too many compositions are not quite top-tier Morrissey e.g. Spring Heeled Jim, Lazy Sunbathers, Hated for Loving.
However, this one is an absolute beauty. Love everything about it. The pace, the words, the singing/guitar melodies and the arrangement. I really hope the new Morrissey/Whyte compositions (should we ever hear them) are of this quality.

 

[Deleted member 30524]

Well, the right people like it.

Who are the “right people”

And are you one ?