He was the lead singer of The Smiths, one of the most influential alternative bands in the 1980s. The group split up in 1987 and Morrissey started a successful solo career.
His first solo album, Viva Hate was released only six months after The Smiths split, in March 1988. The album's first single "Suedehead" peaked at #5, a higher position than any Smiths single had ever achieved. In 1990, Bona Drag, a collection of his solo singles and b-sides, including popular songs such as "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" and "Everyday is Like Sunday" (which also appears on "Viva Hate")
His second album 1991's Kill Uncle was not as well received as his first, with neither single achieving the Top 20. In 1992, the Mick Ronson-produced Your Arsenal was released and included singles such as "Tomorrow" and "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful". A live album, Beethoven Was Deaf, followed in 1993.
In 1994, Morrissey released Vauxhall and I, which contained "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get", his biggest hit in the United States, where it peaked at #46. Later that year, Morrissey also recorded a one-off project with Siouxsie of Siouxsie and the Banshees: they sang in duet on the single Interlude.
After "Vauxhall and I", Morrissey released Southpaw Grammar (1995) and Maladjusted (1997), both of which failed to produce a UK Top 20 single.
A period of musical inactivity followed in the late 90s and early 2000s, which was due to failure in finding a suitable label, according to a 2004 interview with Jools Holland. After seven years without a new album release, You Are the Quarry was released on May 17, 2004 (but one day later in the USA). The first single, Irish Blood, English Heart, was released internationally on May 10, 2004. The single reached number three in its first week of sales in the UK singles chart. To date, this is the highest placing chart position for Morrissey in his entire career as both a solo artist and the lead singer of The Smiths (the 2006 release You Have Killed Me also debuted at number three in its first week in the charts). It has sold over a million copies, making the album his most successful, solo or with The Smiths.
Ringleader Of The Tormentors, produced by former David Bowie producer Tony Visconti, was released in April 2006. The album went straight to the top of the UK Album charts.
Morrissey released a new Greatest Hits collection in February 2008, including two new songs: All You Need Is Me and That’s How People Grow Up, both released as singles. Morrissey is now signed to Decca Records.
In 2009, Morrissey released his latest album, Years of Refusal, which was produced by Jerry Finn, his final production credit before his death. Later in the year, Morrissey released the B-sides collection Swords.
2009 also saw the re-releases of Maladjusted and Southpaw Grammar, two of his most critically maligned albums. The Maladjusted re-release ditched two of its singles, Papa Jack and Roy's Keen, in favour of several other tracks from the period, such as I Can Have Both. Sorrow Will Come in the End, written about Morrissey's vicious legal battle with Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, was also re-instated to the UK edition. Southpaw Grammar retained all of its original tracks, albeit re-sequenced, but recieved the addition of other tracks from that time period, including the new album closer Nobody Loves Us.
Two other Morrissey releases came in 2009; The HMV/Parlophone Singles '88-'95 and Swords, the former a 3 CD compilation of singles and B-sides from Viva Hate through to Vauxhall and I, the latter a compilation of B-sides from You Are The Quarry, Ringleader of the Tormentors, and Years of Refusal.
A new Very Best Of collection was released in 2011, accompanied by a UK tour.
Morrissey's eleventh solo album, 'Low in High School', was released on November 17th, 2017. ' Low in high School' was produced by Joe Chiccarelli same producer as Morrissey’s ‘World Peace is None of Your Business’.
Morrissey's twelth studio album "California Son" is released on 24 May 2019 on the singer's label étienne and licensed on BMG, the album is a collection of cover versions. It is recorded in 2018 by Joe Chiccarelli, a frequent collaborator of Morrissey.
Morrissey's new studio album, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain, is scheduled for March 2020 release by BMG. The album was recorded in St-remy, France, with producer Joe Chiccarelli.
You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side
Morrissey Lyrics
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Resting on your shoulder
You're gonna need
Someone on your side
You can't do it by yourself
Any longer
You're gonna need
Someone on your side
Someone kindly told me
That you'd wasted
Eight of nine lives
Oh, give yourself a break
Before you break down
You're gonna need someone on your side
And here I am
And here I am
Well, you don't need
To look so pleased!
Day or night,
There is no difference
You're gonna need someone on your side
Day or night,
There is no difference
You're gonna need someone soon
And here I am
And here I am
Well, you don't need
To look so pleased
The lyrics to Morrissey's "You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side" address the idea that we all need support and companionship to get through life's trials and tribulations. The first lines of the song describe a heavy burden being placed on the listener's shoulders, suggesting that they are under immense pressure to succeed or make a significant change in the world. The repetition of the phrase "you're gonna need someone on your side" emphasizes the importance of having a support system to help tackle these challenges.
Morrissey goes on to acknowledge that sometimes it's challenging to ask for help, and we might feel like we should be able to handle everything on our own. However, the song suggests that this is not the case, and we need to let ourselves be vulnerable and seek out the support we need to thrive. The line "you can't do it by yourself any longer" is a critical moment in the song, as it directly challenges the idea of self-sufficiency as a measure of success.
In the second verse, Morrissey sings about the consequences of not taking care of ourselves and how this can lead to burnout or even death. The line "someone kindly told me that you'd wasted eight of nine lives" suggests that the listener has struggled to manage their resources and has not been taking adequate care of themselves. The subsequent lines urge the listener to "give yourself a break before you break down" and to seek out someone to help them.
Overall, "You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side" is a song that acknowledges the importance of relationships, support systems, and vulnerability. It reminds us that success is not about doing everything on our own but about accepting that we need others to help us along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
With the world's fate
Resting on your shoulder
You're gonna need
Someone on your side
You have a great responsibility and the fate of the world depends on you. You cannot handle this alone and you need someone to support you.
You can't do it by yourself
Any longer
You're gonna need
Someone on your side
Whatever task you have been doing alone has become too difficult for you to handle and you need someone to assist you from now on.
Someone kindly told me
That you'd wasted
Eight of nine lives
I heard from a reliable source that you have been wasting your life and have only one life left.
Oh, give yourself a break
Before you break down
You're gonna need someone on your side
Relax and take some time off before you suffer an emotional breakdown. You need someone by your side to help you overcome your problems.
And here I am
And here I am
Well, you don't need
To look so pleased!
I am available and willing to support you, but there is no need to act surprised or happy about it.
Day or night,
There is no difference
You're gonna need someone on your side
Regardless of the time of day, you will always need someone to help and support you.
Day or night,
There is no difference
You're gonna need someone soon
Time is running out and you need someone soon to help and support you in whatever situation you are in.
And here I am
And here I am
Well, you don't need
To look so pleased!
I am still available and willing to support you, but there is no need to express excessive gratitude or happiness about it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, MARK EDWARD CASCIAN NEVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind