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.
Come Back To Camden
Morrissey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's so funny you'll kill yourself laughing
But then I, I look around
And I remember that I am alone
Alone
For evermore
The tile yard all along the railings
Here you'll find, despair and I
Calling to you with what's left of my heart
My heart
For evermore
Drinking tea with the taste of the Thames
Sullenly on a chair on the pavement
Here you'll find, my thoughts and I
And here is the very last plea from my heart
My heart
For evermore
Where taxi drivers never stop talking
Under slate grey Victorian sky,
Here you will find, despair and I
And here I am every last inch of me is yours,
Yours
For evermore
Your leg came to rest against mine
Then you lounged with knees up and apart
And me and my heart, we knew
We just knew
For evermore
Where taxi drivers never stop talking
Under slate grey Victorian sky
Here you'll find, my heart and I
And still we say come back
Come back to Camden
And I'll be good, I'll be good, I'll be good, I'll be good
The lyrics of Morrissey's song "Come Back to Camden" express the deep sense of loneliness and longing for a lost love that the singer is experiencing. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer wants to tell something funny to their beloved, something that will make them laugh until they die. But as they look around, they realize that they are alone and will be alone forevermore. The loneliness is further emphasized in the chorus where the singer describes the place they are in - a desolate tile yard, a discolored dark brown staircase, and a sullen chair on the pavement. Here the singer is calling out to their lost love with what's left of their heart, knowing that they can never be together again.
The second verse emphasizes the depth of the singer's despair. They are drinking tea with the taste of the Thames, another reminder of where they are and what they are feeling. The last plea from the singer's heart is for their lost love to come back to Camden. The third verse is again a description of the place where the singer is, under a slate-grey Victorian sky, surrounded by taxi drivers who never stop talking. But despite the despair, the singer's heart is still holding on to hope, hoping that their lost love will come back to them.
"Come Back to Camden" is a poignant portrayal of unrequited love and the longing for a lost love that can never be fulfilled. The lyrics are beautifully written and Morrissey's soulful voice adds to the emotive impact of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
There is something I wanted to tell you
I have something important to confess to you
It's so funny you'll kill yourself laughing
It's amusing to the point where you won't be able to stop laughing
But then I, I look around
But then I come back to reality
And I remember that I am alone
And I become aware of my loneliness
Alone
Completely by myself
For evermore
Forever and always
The tile yard all along the railings
The area covered with tiles beside the fence
Up a discolored dark brown staircase
Climbing a dirty dark brown stairway
Here you'll find, despair and I
Here you'll find me, along with my deep sense of hopelessness
Calling to you with what's left of my heart
Desperately trying to get your attention and affection with my remaining heart
My heart
My emotional center
For evermore
Forever and always
Drinking tea with the taste of the Thames
Having tea with flavor resembling that of the Thames river
Sullenly on a chair on the pavement
Sad and gloomy while sitting on a street seat
Here you'll find, my thoughts and I
Here you'll find me, along with my thoughts and emotions
And here is the very last plea from my heart
And this is my final request from the deepest part of my heart
Where taxi drivers never stop talking
Where the taxi drivers never cease their conversations
Under slate grey Victorian sky,
Under the dark and gloomy sky typical of Victorian times
Here you will find, despair and I
Here you'll find me, along with my deepest feelings of hopelessness
And here I am every last inch of me is yours
And here I am, completely yours in every possible way
Yours
Completely your own
For evermore
Forever and always
Your leg came to rest against mine
Your leg came into contact with mine
Then you lounged with knees up and apart
Then you relaxed with your knees up and separate
And me and my heart, we knew
And both I and my heart were aware
We just knew
We both just realized
For evermore
Forever and always
Where taxi drivers never stop talking
Where the taxi drivers never cease their conversations
Under slate grey Victorian sky
Under the dark and gloomy sky typical of Victorian times
Here you'll find, my heart and I
Here you'll find me, along with my deepest feelings and emotions
And still we say come back
Yet we still plead for you to return
Come back to Camden
Come back to the place where we were together
And I'll be good, I'll be good, I'll be good, I'll be good
And I promise to be good to you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, MARTIN JAMES BOORER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind