Looks like I'm a little less enamored with this one than most. Don't get me wrong, I like it... but it probably wouldn't appear on my list of top 10 Smiths songs. I enjoy Morrissey's playful lyrics and vocals... seems like he was having fun. While I like Strangeways I've always found it a bit disappointing. Hard to explain why, but I'll try...
Someone above said for a band that was about to split they sound fresh and full of life. Maybe that's it. It doesn't sound that way to me. While still brilliant, it sounds like they were running thin creatively. Maybe the disconnected way they wrote songs was starting to wear on them? Didn't Johnny mention in that uncut article that he was getting frustrated with only writing music for a 'recluse'... something like that? Rather than unity, I hear more discord in Strangeways (this song included) than I do in TQID and MIM.