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.
Do Your Best And Don't Worry
Morrissey Lyrics
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With the worst of your days
You won't win
With your standards so high
And your spirits so low
At least remember...
This is you on a bad day, you on a pale day
Don't worry, oh
The way you hang yourself is oh, so unfair
See the best of how they look
Against the worst of how you are
And again, you won't win
With your standards so high
And your spirits so low
At least remember...
This is you on a drab day, you in a drab dress
Just do your best and don't...
Don't worry, oh
The way you hang yourself is oh, so unfair
Just do your best and don't...
Don't worry, oh
The way you watch yourself is oh, so unfair
Just do your best and don't...
Don't worry, oh
The way you hang yourself is oh, so unfair
Just do your best and don't...
Don't worry, oh
Do your best and don't...
The lyrics to Morrissey’s “Do Your Best And Don’t Worry” are a reminder that comparing oneself to others can be a dangerous game. The song encourages us to stop comparing the best of “their” days to the worst of “our” days, stating that we won’t win with such a high standard for ourselves and low spirits. Morrissey tells listeners to remember that this is them on a bad day, or a pale day, or a drab day, in a drab dress, and to just do their best and not worry. The line “the way you hang yourself is oh, so unfair” could be interpreted as a warning against self-destruction and those negative thoughts that we can all get caught up in.
Line by Line Meaning
Compare the best of their days
Don't compare the best days of others with your own worst days
With the worst of your days
Don't compare the worst days of others with your own worst days
You won't win
Comparing yourself to others won't make you happy or successful
With your standards so high
You set very high standards for yourself
And your spirits so low
But you often feel discouraged and sad
At least remember...
Try to keep in mind that this is just how you feel on a bad day
This is you on a bad day, you on a pale day
You're not always going to be at your best, and that's okay
Just do your best and don't...
Don't worry too much or stress about it
Don't worry, oh
Relax and don't stress
The way you hang yourself is oh, so unfair
Being too hard on yourself is not fair to yourself
See the best of how they look
Only seeing the best in others can be misleading
Against the worst of how you are
Especially when you only see the worst in yourself
Just do your best and don't...
Focus on doing your best and don't worry about others
This is you on a drab day, you in a drab dress
Sometimes you'll feel dull and unimpressive, but that's just a moment
The way you watch yourself is oh, so unfair
Being too critical of yourself can be unfair
Do your best and don't...
Strive to do your best without the added pressure of worrying too much
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAIN WHYTE, STEVEN MORRISSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind