Morrissey ranks #166 in Rolling Stone's Updated List Of 200 Greatest Singers

He's 166 in the Rolling Stones Best Singers list.

If all Morrissey aspired to be was the voice of Eighties teen misery, he would’ve sealed the deal in the early days of the Smiths. But he wanted more. He quickly bloomed into one of pop’s most emotionally articulate singers, flaunting his wit in classics like “Cemetry Gates” and “Suedehead,” sending high notes to heaven with an ironic kiss. Moz grew up a literary recluse in Northern England, worshipping female singers like Dusty Springfield and Joan Armatrading, but punk rock led him to his own voice. Nobody can top Morrissey when it comes to flamboyantly melancholy ballads, in the grandeur of “I Know It’s Over,” “Now My Heart Is Full,” or his signature song, “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.” —R.S.

The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time

Best Singers. Beyonce, Prince, Adele, Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey

www.rollingstone.com

UPDATE Jan. 3:

Umm... - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - Umm...

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

 

[Mr knows everything]

He's 166 in the Rolling Stones Best Singers list.

The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time

Best Singers. Beyonce, Prince, Adele, Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey

www.rollingstone.com

And he is in a slightly lower position of Robert Smith who is dubbed the goth sade.
Morrissey's once partner in duet, Siouxsie, is royally absent where as she is arguably a far better and more influential singer than Poly Styrene, Karen 0, Debbie Harry, Courtney Love, Florence Welch, Marianne Faithfull, who are all in.

This type of lists is an insult to good taste.

 

[suburbanskies]

Morrissey ranked #166 in Rolling Stone's list of "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time" published on Jan 1., 2023. He had previously ranked #92 in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list.

STEVE RAPPORT/GETTY IMAGES
If all Morrissey aspired to be was the voice of Eighties teen misery, he would’ve sealed the deal in the early days of the Smiths. But he wanted more. He quickly bloomed into one of pop’s most emotionally articulate singers, flaunting his wit in classics like “Cemetry Gates” and “Suedehead,” sending high notes to heaven with an ironic kiss. Moz grew up a literary recluse in Northern England, worshipping female singers like Dusty Springfield and Joan Armatrading, but punk rock led him to his own voice. Nobody can top Morrissey when it comes to flamboyantly melancholy ballads, in the grandeur of “I Know It’s Over,” “Now My Heart Is Full,” or his signature song, “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.” —R.S.

Link: The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time

 

[ThePoliticalRevolution]

This is ridiculous. RS should actually just do features on politics and leave music behind. The quality of their features reporting has certainly shot up since Noah took over, but the music writing leaves little to be desired, imo.

 

[Thewlis]

About time he would enter the rock and roll hall of fame.

 

[ACTON]

Robert Smith at 157. Sorry off-topic but I think some Moz fans like myself are also interested in The Cure.

157

Robert Smith​

ROB VERHORST/REDFERNS/GETTY IMAGES
Robert Smith is the goth Sade. With the Cure, he’s a master of breathy intimacy and erotic wit, as if he’s confiding secrets by candlelight, even when he’s singing about cats and spiders. He works his mopey voice into a powerfully expressive instrument, whether he’s going for sexy misery (“Close to Me”), self-mocking misery (“Let’s Go to Bed”), or miserable misery (“One Hundred Years”). “Just Like Heaven” is rightly his most famous vocal showcase, hitting emotional extremes from romantic bliss to alone-alone-alone despair. And damn, the way he purrs the line “Must have been asleep for daaaays” — the whole Robert Smith philosophy in one moment. —R.S.

 

[ThePoliticalRevolution]

Robert Smith at 157. Sorry off-topic but I think some Moz fans like myself are also interested in The Cure.

157

Robert Smith​

ROB VERHORST/REDFERNS/GETTY IMAGES
Robert Smith is the goth Sade. With the Cure, he’s a master of breathy intimacy and erotic wit, as if he’s confiding secrets by candlelight, even when he’s singing about cats and spiders. He works his mopey voice into a powerfully expressive instrument, whether he’s going for sexy misery (“Close to Me”), self-mocking misery (“Let’s Go to Bed”), or miserable misery (“One Hundred Years”). “Just Like Heaven” is rightly his most famous vocal showcase, hitting emotional extremes from romantic bliss to alone-alone-alone despair. And damn, the way he purrs the line “Must have been asleep for daaaays” — the whole Robert Smith philosophy in one moment. —R.S.

this is madness. i usually don't care about these types of stupid lists, but this, this is unacceptable.

 

[Thewlis]

this is madness. i usually don't care about these types of stupid lists, but this, this is unacceptable.

Why, you don't like Robert Smith?
Or angry because he is ranked higher than Moz?

I think both deserve to be on that list, and to be on such a list is more important than the actual position.

 

[ACTON]

Why, you don't like Robert Smith?
Or angry because he is ranked higher than Moz?

I think both deserve to be on that list, and to be on such a list is more important than the actual position.

100% agree. The numbering position is a joke - Ozzy Ozbourne, Courtney Love etc rated closer to number 1 than Moz or Robert Smith, among others.

 

[typicalgenius]

All rankings of music and art are silly: nibblets meant for easy consumption and maximum umbrage. Their only contributions are sales and clicks. Let's move on.

 

[Erik]

The top 10 are a shock !

 

[ACTON]

this is madness. i usually don't care about these types of stupid lists, but this, this is unacceptable.

I tell you what is unacceptable.... Kraftwerk not being on the list for their excellent vocal on 'we are ze robotz'. I mean come on!!

 

[Was I ever any good]

Mozz at 166. We must alert Fiona so she can put her magical spin on things and get Mozz into the top ten.

 

[Was I ever any good]

I tell you what is unacceptable.... Kraftwerk not being on the list for their excellent vocal on 'we are ze robotz'. I mean come on!!

Agree... and no sign of the Dolls either

 

[Was I ever any good]

Aretha and Whitney in at numbers 1 and 2. Jesus when they sing it sounds like finger nails going down a chalk board.
I despise their kink of warbling, yelping.... totally hideous.

 

[Emotional Guide Dog]

If I could be bothered to put together a list of 200 singers, I'd probably put Morrissey in the top 100. Albeit I've heard far fewer singers than Rolling Stone's editorial staff probably have.

 

[eugenius]

Rolling Stone lists traditionally hold no value. It could be #1, it could be #166 -- their rankings mean nothing.

 

[suburbanskies]

Mathematically he isn't so far from the list published in 2008. I also like the write-up. They could have gone for a falling-from-the-grace sort of narrative or made snarky comments about his recent -and not so very recent- struggles with record labels and managers but they chose to keep it simple and complimentary.

But the list is in shambles. "Singer" is such a broad term to use. They have included iconic and legendary singers that single-handedly represent a whole genre of Eastern music, such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Lata Mangeshkar and Umm Kulthum among Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Rod Stewart. And they ranked lower than them despite the fact that they compete in completely different fields. Or even planets. A different bloody universe.

That cultural division is baffling, but the list wouldn't be methodically correct anyway, even if it was strictly confined to Western pop/blues/jazz/rock 'n' roll. Take French singers for example. No Edith Piaf on the list. Jacques Brel is nowhere to be seen. Charles Aznavour apparently never even existed for RS. Yves Montand? Juliette Gréco? No sight of them at all. What nonsense.

 

[ThePoliticalRevolution]

Michael Stipe? Lol. Kill me now, Steve. Throw my body in the Thames. Don't think about me again.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

Rolling Stone hasn't been a serious music mag in decades. I used to buy it in the 80's and it was pretty decent with serious journalism...can't believe how bad it is these days.