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.
Hold On To Your Friends
Morrissey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has been abused
Something of value
May be lost
Give up your job
Squander your cash, be rash
Just hold on to your friends
To fight and oppose
Why waste good time
Fighting the people you like
Who will fall defending your name
Oh, don't feel so ashamed
To have friends
But now you only call me
When you're feeling depressed
When you feel happy I'm
So far from your mind
My patience is stretched
My loyalty vexed
Oh, you're losing all of your friends
Hold on to your friends
Hold on to your friends
Resist or move on
Be mad, be rash
Smoke and explode
Sell all of your clothes
Just bear in mind
Oh, there just might come a time
When you need some friends
The lyrics to Morrissey's Hold On To Your Friends revolve around the theme of the importance of friendships and how they should be treasured. The first two lines of the song, "A bond of trust has been abused. Something of value may be lost," suggest that a once-strong relationship between two people has become strained and that it may be at risk of falling apart. However, the chorus of the song reassures listeners to hold on to their friends, no matter what happens.
The second verse of the song takes on a more melancholic tone as the singer laments about how the person he once knew now only calls him when he is feeling down. It suggests that the person has drifted away from the singer, and his loyalty has been tested. The message conveyed by the song is the importance of retaining good bonds and friendships, even when times get tough. The chorus repeats this, emphasizing that friends are crucial and that one should resist at all costs fighting those they cherish.
Line by Line Meaning
A bond of trust
A connection built on mutual reliance and confidence
Has been abused
Has been taken for granted, mistreated or broken
Something of value
Somethings that should be cherished and protected
May be lost
Could potentially slip from your grasp and be beyond your reach
Give up your job
Abandon what you're doing for the moment
Squander your cash, be rash
Do everything in your power to get through whatever you're facing and indulge yourself if you need to
Just hold on to your friends
Stay loyal to those who stand by you no matter what
There are more than enough
There are plenty of other people who can be your adversaries if you need to challenge someone else
To fight and oppose
To provide a provocation, obstacle or impediment to someone or something
Why waste good time
Why spend any more of your precious time on someone who doesn't deserve it
Fighting the people you like
Engaging in disputes or confrontations with the ones that you care about
Who will fall defending your name
Who will not hesitate to come to your support and stand up for you
Oh, don't feel so ashamed
There is nothing to be embarrassed about
To have friends
There is nothing more valuable than true friendship
But now you only call me
Your behavior has changed dramatically
When you're feeling depressed
You only reach out when you are feeling down
When you feel happy I'm
When things are going well for you, you forget about me
So far from your mind
I am not even remotely in your thoughts
My patience is stretched
My capacity to tolerate your behavior is being tested
My loyalty vexed
My commitment to you is being questioned
Oh, you're losing all of your friends
Your behavior is causing you to lose the people that care about you
Hold on to your friends
Don't let go of the people that have always been there for you
Resist or move on
Either continue to fight your battles or move on from the situation altogether
Be mad, be rash
Give your impulses free reign and act without regard for the consequences
Smoke and explode
Indulge in anything that might help you of vent your frustrations
Sell all of your clothes
Release yourself from anything that ties you down
Just bear in mind
Remember
Oh, there just might come a time
There may be a moment in the future
When you need some friends
When you will wish you had the support of those that you've lost
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAIN WHYTE, STEVEN MORRISSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind