Is Morrissey too political?

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Are modern Morrissey lyrics too political?


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Since his 2004 comeback with Quarry, Morrissey has increasingly become more political in his lyrics.

Has the growing inclusion of references to monarchies, governments, militaries, courts of law, the media and law enforcement dampened your enjoyment of his music?

For example, I don't have a problem with "Spent the Day in Bed" until he starts going on about watching the news...and it isn't so much that I disagree with the sentiments, I disagree that a line like that has a place in what the song is about. The chorus takes me out of the song and that is the opposite of what a chorus is supposed to do.
 
I'd argue he's not political enough. In the sense of actually knowing, having a knowledge of, what he's talking about.
 
Since his 2004 comeback with Quarry, Morrissey has increasingly become more political in his lyrics.

Has the growing inclusion of references to monarchies, governments, militaries, courts of law, the media and law enforcement dampened your enjoyment of his music?

For example, I don't have a problem with "Spent the Day in Bed" until he starts going on about watching the news...and it isn't so much that I disagree with the sentiments, I disagree that a line like that has a place in what the song is about. The chorus takes me out of the song and that is the opposite of what a chorus is supposed to do.

What about The Queen Is Dead?
 
No I don’t think so. I’m pretty happy to see him not singing about his and other love lives and loneliness etc so much. I also disagree about the news line. To me it just represents the horrible worry people have today about imminent catastrophe. This and the endless grind of work are two large pieces of stress to average people today and I think everybody he could use a day off from both. I don’t read it as never watch or read the news again in the same way I don’t read it as never work again. Just take a day off from both before it’s to late
 
He's not too political per se, just not very good at it.

It don't think he understands formal politics on an intellectual level. Virtually not at all. His politics, such as it is, strikes me as being not much more than a confused mess of emotional responses to various things he doesn't fully understand.

This is exemplified, for example, by his pronouncement at his recent BBC gig that we should "Free cattle owner from Spain". I make no comment about whether this is a good or a bad stance. But Morrissey doesn't appear to know enough about the situation in Catalonia to be able to remember what the place is actually called. He just gets the impression that someone over there is doing something that's in some way rebellious, so why the hell not spout an opinion about it?
 
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I'd argue he's not political enough. In the sense of actually knowing, having a knowledge of, what he's talking about.

I must agree with this even though everyone including P will probably hate me for doing so. Moz cherry picks topics to make himself controversial or to shock his own fans.

I suspect he gets bored with politics but still just cannot stay away from it. I'd love to know where he stands politically away from all the bullshit he throws to the public when bored or mad at something or anything.
 
He's not too political per se, just not very good at it.

It don't think he understands formal politics on an intellectual level. Virtually not at all. His politics, such as it is, strikes me as being not much more than a confused mess of emotional responses to various things he doesn't fully understand.

This is exemplified, for example, by his pronouncement at his recent BBC gig that we should "Free cattle owner from Spain". I make no comment about whether this is a good or a bad stance. But Morrissey doesn't appear to know enough about the situation in Catalonia to be able to remember what the place is actually called. But he gets the impression that someone over there is doing something that's in some way rebellious, so why the hell not spout an opinion about it?

You probably put it in the words I failed to find.
 
I have no objection to mixing pop and politics, but I object to Morrissey's ham-fisted attempts. It's just so much juvenile posturing and sloganeering, with all the depth of a sixth-form dropout: "Down with This Sort of Thing" etc. I can't stomach the fact that he's an inexcusably rich celebrity (albeit to a relatively minor degree), living an unjustifiably comfortable life while simultaneously ranting incoherently about royalty and "the rich". [Yes, the royals are born into it, but don't try to say that cobbling together some (increasingly poor) song lyrics and poncing about on a stage amounts to an actual job.] His wealth and privilege are unearned. He's a hypocritical c***.

The only aspect that seemed sincere was the animal-rights stuff, but even that's been shown repeatedly to be a lie.
 
Since his 2004 comeback with Quarry, Morrissey has increasingly become more political in his lyrics.

Has the growing inclusion of references to monarchies, governments, militaries, courts of law, the media and law enforcement dampened your enjoyment of his music?

For example, I don't have a problem with "Spent the Day in Bed" until he starts going on about watching the news...and it isn't so much that I disagree with the sentiments, I disagree that a line like that has a place in what the song is about. The chorus takes me out of the song and that is the opposite of what a chorus is supposed to do.

I don't necessarily dislike political music but I don't look to Morrissey for political views. And if you compare "stop watching the news because the news contrives to frighten you" with "But last night the plans for a future war was all I saw on Channel Four" it seems that he isn't as inspired or isn't working as hard as he once was.
I agree that a songs chorus is supposed to draw you in and if he wanted to write about watching the news he should have put that in the bridge, which is where a song takes a little break and gets a fresh perspective. But I'm sure no one that works with him could tell him that.
His best songs are about lusting after the one he can't have but if he wrote about that now it might sound too creepy.
 
I won't vote yes or no, because he has every right to write about whatever he wants.
I will say that I think he's hurting his own career with all of it, not attracting new fans with it, and alienating a lot of his long time fans.
The prevailing opinion among people I know personally is that he's better without banging on about politics in every song, and I'm inclined to agree, based on my tastes. But, he's not writing for me, and if he wants to go out with a final chapter of old Uncle Soapbox, it's his right. But people will vote with their money.
 
Since his 2004 comeback with Quarry, Morrissey has increasingly become more political in his lyrics.

Has the growing inclusion of references to monarchies, governments, militaries, courts of law, the media and law enforcement dampened your enjoyment of his music?

For example, I don't have a problem with "Spent the Day in Bed" until he starts going on about watching the news...and it isn't so much that I disagree with the sentiments, I disagree that a line like that has a place in what the song is about. The chorus takes me out of the song and that is the opposite of what a chorus is supposed to do.
too political for what? i dont know what that means. it's like when karl lagerfeld called adele "too fat". what does that mean? too fat for what? too fat to walk around the block? maybe. too fat to spend the day in bed? probably not.

i think the line about stop watching the news absolutely belongs in "spent the day in bed". it's a song about it being okay to live in your own world, to take care of yourself and your well being, and not to let in things that are disturbing or diminishing to your psyche.
 
... i think the line about stop watching the news absolutely belongs in "spent the day in bed". it's a song about it being okay to live in your own world, to take care of yourself and your well being, and not to let in things that are disturbing or diminishing to your psyche.

'A world war
Was announced
Days ago
But they didn't know
The lazy sunbathers
The lazy sunbathers

The sun burns through
To the planet's core
And it isn't enough
They want more

Nothing
Appears
To be
Between the ears of
The lazy sunbathers
Too jaded
To question stagnation
The sun burns through
To the planet's core
And it isn't enough
They want more

Religions fall
Children shelled
"... Children shelled? That's all
Very well, but would you
Please keep the noise
Down low?
Because you're waking
The lazy sunbathers... "
Oh, the lazy sunbathers
The lazy sunbathers'​
 
Since his 2004 comeback with Quarry, Morrissey has increasingly become more political in his lyrics.

Has the growing inclusion of references to monarchies, governments, militaries, courts of law, the media and law enforcement dampened your enjoyment of his music?

For example, I don't have a problem with "Spent the Day in Bed" until he starts going on about watching the news...and it isn't so much that I disagree with the sentiments, I disagree that a line like that has a place in what the song is about. The chorus takes me out of the song and that is the opposite of what a chorus is supposed to do.

But if the songtitle would've been "Stop Watching The News" it would all make sense.
And he would get critised for that too as being sloganeering.
By the way, does it really have a political meaning?
Is all news political? Just asking.
 
I'd like to know since when being political is a bad thing. Of course people caring about politics is a bad thing por politicians and monarchs, otherwise being political is part of human nature, as Aristotle said. People not caring about politics are dehumanized beings who tolerate everything from their governments and they see as normal the most horrendous actions. I'm glad Morrissey cares.
 
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People only think he is too 'political' because he is more right leaning now and it upsets them.

On 88's Viva Hate he called for a living Prime Minister to be murdered. Nobody cared though because it was anti-Tory and the lefties loved it.

In 2017, he makes a few comments about Brexit and suddenly people can't handle it. :rolleyes:
 
It's also worth noting that politics change. In the sixties and eighties it was many on the left criticizing the news media as being corporate liers who wouldn't report the truth
 
I'd like to know since when being political is a bad thing. Of course people caring about politics is a bad thing por politicians and monarchs, otherwise being political is part of human nature, as Aristotle said. People not caring about politics are dehumanized beings who tolerate everything from their governments and they see as normal the most hofrendous actions. I'm glad Morrissey cares.

It depends on what the word politics means to you.
And of course in which country you live.
It's not without reason many people distrust politics due to the professional politicians deceiving their voters and not representing their interests but only their own.

Promising everything just to get their votes so they have a well paid job, paid by those same voters through taxes and the voters can go f*** themselves.
Promising a lot and not keeping their promises makes the fools happy until they get dissapointed again but than the whole circus starts again.

I once had some informal, off the record conversations with some politicians, from different parties, socialists, liberals, conservatives, right-wing, left-wing, and one thing stroke me and was insightful to me.
They were ALL very cynical and downright defeating about the voters.
The attitude was like, "can't they just get off their fat asses once in four years" and give me or my party the votes"? Why do I have to go to all this trouble to represent people I just loathe?
They won't tell you that openly, and publicly, that's for sure.
 
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