Morrissey A-Z: "He Knows I'd Love to See Him"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member



Our song for today is this one, originally a B-side on the "November Spawned a Monster" single and also rounded up on Bona Drag.

What do we think?
 
A superior b-side, this is one of three songs from the failed Bona Drag sessions that I think would actually have been good enough to make a studio album. Of course, the fact that Morrissey could emerge from said sessions with so few decent songs says a lot about how patchy his creativity had become.

One big issue was that he was writing so few songs with autobiographical elements, so it's a relief to have the police reference and to know that he was singing about his own life. The balance at this point was skewed too far in favour of 'themed' songs, and the quality of the lyrics certainly dipped as a result. This is one of his better songwriting efforts of the period.

A neat bassline from Andy perks things up.

In the poll on the other board it ranked 137 from 264 solo songs.
 
A superior b-side, this is one of three songs from the failed Bona Drag sessions that I think would actually have been good enough to make a studio album. Of course, the fact that Morrissey could emerge from said sessions with so few decent songs says a lot about how patchy his creativity had become.

One big issue was that he was writing so few songs with autobiographical elements, so it's a relief to have the police reference and to know that he was singing about his own life. The balance at this point was skewed too far in favour of 'themed' songs, and the quality of the lyrics certainly dipped as a result. This is one of his better songwriting efforts of the period.

A neat bassline from Andy perks things up.

In the poll on the other board it ranked 137 from 264 solo songs.
You say all this as if Morrissey actually writes the songs. He really doesn't. He is provided with a completed piece of music and sings some words over the top. This is indeed a superior b-side but mainly because the songwriter wrote a great piece of music and not a bog standard piece of generic indie guitar pop. Morrisseys musical contribution is the icing on the cake - not the cake itself.
 
A great song, continuing Bona Drag’s winning streak even into its last few tracks. A moonlight, jazzy feel is swept across this track, with the prominent bassline and the brushed drums. Morrissey also shows off his voice to dazzling effect, illuminating even some of the weaker lyrics (he did seem more comfortable writing autobiography in this period, or at least songs that sounded like autobiography).
8/10
 
Love it. He sounds very Northern. And how often does a pretty heartache song have 'arse of the world' in it?

And his name does conjure up deadly deeds!
 
always liked this,perfect for a sunday morning,no rush to the finish line on this one,takes its time.
as close as possible,as close as is allowed---how apt with covid.
your just another person in the world,your just another fool with radical views,your just another who has maddening vews---M dont ever change.

if anyones interested,the more you ignore me is on itv 3 tonight at 10pm.written by jo brand and starring sheridan smith,thinks its the tv premiere,not seen it on anywhere before,i quite liked it when it first came out,deals with mental health issues which seem very apt in todays lockdown.
 
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"As close as is allowed" says so much about the Morrissey of 1990. A wonderful and fragile track, that I still could hear on a daily basis. I know I do!
 
One of my least favorite ones on Bona Drag which isn’t saying much as it is my favourite album, or rather collection of songs, by Moz.

The ‘he’ was of course rumoured to be Johnny, as always in those days, and the police interrogation actually took place when the police questioned Moz on his beliefs after Margaret on the Guillotine.
Definitely his best song about the police ;)

Who would have thought the police of 1988 would be social media of today.

8,3
 
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Gotta love a song where the drummer uses brushes, something that I can't recall on any other Morrissey song.
 
I remember loving this one, and yet it slipped out of my memory. Posts above have already touched upon the various elements that make this song relevant and adorable.
 
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Love it - both musically and lyrically great. Can't fault this on any level. Also - how about a big shout out to session musician Danny Thompson for providing one of the best bass lines on any Morrissey record, only to not even get a credit on the sleeve at all.
 
Write to Andrew Paresi, he might send you a photo of his brushes.
knowing andrew paresi he will send a photo of some paint brushes,ever the joker.
 
Always liked this song. Never been a huge favorite of mine, but there's not much to dislike about it. I love it when Moz is subtle, atmospheric and fragile.
 
Andrew Paresi played them on some other songs, including King Leer, but said that he considered them to be the "kiss of death" for some tracks.
That's interesting. Brushes do rather take the energy out of the drums, which is fine for acoustic jazz but less so for pop and rock.
 
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