Comtesse
Starved Of Mirth
Re: What happened to Morrissey? Discuss
I completely understand where you're coming from as someone who credits the Smiths-era Morrissey with saving her depressed teenage life. But I think it really depends on where you're coming from and what you look for in the present-day Moz. If I look at the lyrics, I have to admit that they are nothing compared to what he used to write circa Meat Is Murder (but then again, he stole most of his lyrics back then from books and films so perhaps I should be thanking Shelagh Delaney and Elizabeth Smart for saving my life instead?).
However, as I've aged along with Mozzer, I don't look to songs to save my life anymore (I'm not sure if that's a sad thing or a good thing) - and I find that I enjoy modern Morrissey more for the melodies and the lovely singing voice than for the lyrical content. And the melodies - with a few exceptions - are still top-notch. And the voice? Well, it can't be touched.
And occasionally he can still pull off a lyric that makes me stop and think, "Wow - that's exactly how I feel" just like in the old days. From the new album there were a few of those moments: "Even now in the final hour of my life I'm falling in love again," "I've been shifting gears all of my life but I'm still the same underneath," "The future is ended by a long, long sleep," "Living longer than I had intended, something must have gone right". It's only natural that as he ages and confronts his own mortality that he should come up with revelations like this, rather than the adolescent angst of the old days.
So, yes, Morrissey has changed, but for those of us who have changed with him, he still has plenty to offer, when he tries.
I completely understand where you're coming from as someone who credits the Smiths-era Morrissey with saving her depressed teenage life. But I think it really depends on where you're coming from and what you look for in the present-day Moz. If I look at the lyrics, I have to admit that they are nothing compared to what he used to write circa Meat Is Murder (but then again, he stole most of his lyrics back then from books and films so perhaps I should be thanking Shelagh Delaney and Elizabeth Smart for saving my life instead?).
However, as I've aged along with Mozzer, I don't look to songs to save my life anymore (I'm not sure if that's a sad thing or a good thing) - and I find that I enjoy modern Morrissey more for the melodies and the lovely singing voice than for the lyrical content. And the melodies - with a few exceptions - are still top-notch. And the voice? Well, it can't be touched.
And occasionally he can still pull off a lyric that makes me stop and think, "Wow - that's exactly how I feel" just like in the old days. From the new album there were a few of those moments: "Even now in the final hour of my life I'm falling in love again," "I've been shifting gears all of my life but I'm still the same underneath," "The future is ended by a long, long sleep," "Living longer than I had intended, something must have gone right". It's only natural that as he ages and confronts his own mortality that he should come up with revelations like this, rather than the adolescent angst of the old days.
So, yes, Morrissey has changed, but for those of us who have changed with him, he still has plenty to offer, when he tries.