Songs that have directly inspired Smiths/Morrissey tracks

[King Leer]

I remember before Maladjusted came out, the official PR (?) mentioned Papa Jack as being like The Who live at Leeds.

Regarding Daddy's Voice, the keyboards seem to come from Magazine's Light Pours Out of Me but overall there are probably other influences. Anybody?

The side-by-side Youtube clips are very cool.

 

[Jamie]

Sorry, no time to link to YouTube offerings.

The keyboard intro to "Virginia Plain" by Roxy Music influenced "Mute Witness." Similarly, the intro of "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us" by Sparks seems to have influenced both "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" AND the keyboard part at the end of "Sorry Doesn't Help."

From the Bowie/Ronson wing: as recounted many times before, the coda of "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" is informed by "Rock and Roll Suicide." The groove of "Glamorous Glue" is similar to "The Jean Genie." More obscurely, compare the guitar "stutter and start" at the beginning of "Cracked Actor" to the beginning of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish."

Out of left field, the opening of "My Friend Jack" by The Smoke appears to have influenced the guitar intro on the live version of "Jack the Ripper." Certainly seems like a group that Boz would have been familiar with - of the same period as John's Children.

The chord progression of "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" borrows heavily from "Kimberly" by Patti Smith.

 

[Orson Swells]

The New York Doll's "Subway Train" being recycled into "My Love Life" is another, of course.

 

[Maurice E]

And the most obvious one of them all.
The chorus melody to Meatloaf's 'I Would Do Anything For Love' almost lifted wholesale for Morrissey's The More You Ignore Me.
Also, he was also clearly heavily influenced by Abba's 'When I Kissed The Teacher' when writing 'I'd Love To' - both songs rhyme 'chance' with 'trance'.

 

[Jamie]

Another oblique one that I find particularly clever because the two songs involve trains: Morrissey mimics the rhyme schemes in some of the lyrics in "Down at the Tube Station at Midnight" by the Jam in "Heir Apparent.

E.g., from the former: "I fumble for change/and pull out the Queen/smiling, beguiling" AND "Whispers in the shadows/gruff blazing voices/hating, waiting"

C.f., the latter: "You were there/departing, starting" AND "You were still there/gleaming and leaving"

 

[goinghome]

When Last I Spoke to Carol - Morrissey


There's something about Carol, been around, this from wiki -

Oh! Carol", sometimes just "Oh Carol" is an international hit written by Neil Sedaka in 1958 about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. The song was co-written with Howard Greenfield. The song reached #9 in the American charts in 1959. It also earned Sedaka his first #1 ranking when it went to #1 on the Italian charts for four weeks in January 1960. After release of single, it was included in the album Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits. The song is noted for Neil's spoken recitation of the verse, the second time around.

In 1963, Carole King released a humorous answer to "Oh! Carol" entitled "Oh Neil".[1]

Sedaka also recorded a Hebrew-language version of "Oh, Carol!"' which was written by Chaim Kaynan. It has been covered by other artists in other languages as well.

Here's the Neil Sedaka version -

I'm fond of this one by The Blue Diamonds

 

[King Leer]

Another good find.
Although the music is different, it's in the same genre and obviously has the crooning "Carol" link.
It makes me even more fascinated about the process. Did Morrissey listen to it (or recall it) and think "This gives me an idea for a Latin/spaghetti western feel song about my relationship with Kristeen [my interpretation!]", give Alain a 45 or, God forbid, send him a Youtube link and say "go crazy"?

I know I keep banging on about this but it's the difference between Morrissey "directing" his albums before demos are even submitted, which is a pretty big difference.
I guess he had similar conversations with Johnny before Johnny got to work on certain songs, but it's never been really clear.

When Last I Spoke to Carol - Morrissey


There's something about Carol, been around, this from wiki -


Here's the Neil Sedaka version -

I'm fond of this one by The Blue Diamonds

 

[Nikita]

Etienne Daho's "Bleu Comme Toi" clearly inspired Alan when he wrote :

 

[goinghome]

A post by Raphael Lambach in another thread about the NY Dolls' Lonely Planet Boy inspiring There Is A Light (other than perhaps the time signature a couple other details, I don't hear it) made me think a thread comprising Smiths and Morrissey songs directly influenced by previous rock classics might be interesting...

Besides Marvin Gaye and The Rolling Stones' also being likely suspects for There Is A Light..., there's the Velvet Underground's There She Goes Again -

 

[egosheep]

Johnny's inspiration for the intro to Bigmouth was from the Stones I think, as he was a huge Stones fan, and I'm sure he knew that the Stones nicked it from Marvin Gaye. I remember him saying in an interview that he was amused when reviewers accused him of ripping off the Velvets when they themselves were ripping off the Stones.

Although Bo Diddley's version of Mona is mentioned as one of several inspirations for HSIN?, you can clearly hear it in intro to the Stones version:


Another note: Johnny was NOT influence by James Taylor's version of Handy Man. It was Jimmy Jones' version.

 

[herzeleid]

The Simon Smith lyric is dripping in Mozzerisms -

I may go out tomorrow if I can borrow a coat to wear
Oh, I'd step out in style with my sincere smile and my dancing bear
Outrageous, alarming, courageous, charming
Oh, who would think a boy and a bear
Could be well accepted everywhere
It's just amazing how fair people can be

Seen at the nicest places where well-fed faces all stop to stare
Making the grandest entrance is Simon Smith and his dancing bear
They'll love us, won't they?
They feed us, don't they?
Oh, who would think a boy and a bear
Could be well accepted everywhere
It's just amazing how fair people can be

Who needs money when you're funny?
The big attraction everywhere
Will be Simon Smith and his dancing bear
It's Simon Smith and his amazing dancing bear


Plus musically Shoplifters is a T.Rex 'Children Of The Revolution' re-write.

 

[Orson Swells]

Certainly "I may go out tomorrow if I can borrow a coat to wear" inspired "I would go tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear".

 

[herzeleid]

Clearly the 'borrow a coat' is a lift, but look at the rest of these little pearls -

Outrageous, alarming, courageous, charming

Seen at the nicest places where well-fed faces all stop to stare

They'll love us, won't they?
They feed us, don't they?

Could be well accepted everywhere
It's just amazing how fair people can be

Who needs money when you're funny?


Change the 'fair' to 'cruel' and you wouldn't need much more to cut and paste a Mozzer lyric that could be from any time from 1983 to the present day.

 

[King Leer]

Fascinating. Never heard of Daho, but I can imagine our kid being interested in him back in the day. Oh, yes.
Alain is fairly eclectic in his tastes, but I just can't see him ever having heard of this bonhomme.
No, I can picture Morrissey handing Alain a record and saying "Can you do something like this?"
I can picture Morrissey hoping Daho hears NFD and sends him a postcard.

This thread is very enlightening in how it's bringing the solo songwriting process into clearer focus. At least in my own mind.

Etienne Daho's "Bleu Comme Toi" clearly inspired Alan when he wrote :

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

Oh I was so sure I would have at least one to add to these lists, but all of the ones I knew have already been mentioned, good job people.
As for the ones I had not thought of, they pretty much fell into two catergories:
I already knew them and liked them.
The others I have been listening to today and guess what?
I like almost all of them!
Once again, thanks for directing me towards such songs...

 

[Orson Swells]

Oh, and I've always thought Alain based First of the Gang... on Suede's Trash.

 

[Worm]

From Pitchfork's review of "Complete" I found this:


Reparata and the Delrons' "Shoes"



Pretty amusing ripoff.

 

[Maurice E]

I recently heard Adele Atkins' version of the Cure's 'I will always love you' (from Disintegration).
Reminded me what a great song the original was so I looked up the chords and have been strumming it quite a bit and realised the sequence is very similar to the main part of When Last I Spoke to Carol (Am, G, F, E).
Maybe that's why Morrissey and Alain fell out (assuming they did) - Alain surreptitiously got Morrissey singing a Cure song!

 

[egosheep]

From Pitchfork's review of "Complete" I found this:


Reparata and the Delrons' "Shoes"



Pretty amusing ripoff.

What Smiths song is being referenced here?

 

[egosheep]

Oh, I get it... A Rush And A Push.