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.
How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
Morrissey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Which means
She must be insane
I've had my face dragged in
Fifteen miles of shit
And I do not, And I do not
And I do not like it
So how can anybody say
The only one around here who is me
Is me
They said they respect me
Which means
Their judgement is crazy
I've had my face dragged in
Fifteen miles of shit
And I do not And I do not
And I do not like it
So how can anybody say
They know how I feel
When they are they
And only I am I
He said he wants to befriend me
Which means
He can't possibly know me
The voices of the real
And the imagined cry:
"The future is passing you by
The future is passing you by"
So how can anybody possibly think they know how I feel?
Everybody look, see pain and walk away
And as for you in your uniform
Your smelly uniform
You think you can be rude to me
Because you wear a uniform
A smelly uniform
And so you think you can be rude to me
But even I, as sick as I am, I would never be you
Even I, as sick as I am, I would never be you
Even I, sick and depraved, a traveller to the grave
I would never be you
I would never be you
Morrissey's song "How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?" is a powerful expression of frustration over the impossibility of others understanding and empathizing with one's personal experiences. Throughout the song, Morrissey expresses his disillusionment with those who claim to understand or respect him, suggesting that they are "insane" or "crazy" for believing such things. The repeated refrain of "And I do not like it" underscores the feeling of helplessness and frustration that comes from being unable to make oneself understood. Morrissey paints a vivid picture of his isolation and alienation in the lines, "The only one around here who is me/Is me."
The third verse contains some of the most powerful imagery in the song. Morrissey confronts a person, possibly a police officer or other authority figure, who has treated him rudely because of his perceived lack of worth or value. Morrissey takes the opportunity to assert his own moral superiority, proclaiming that "even I, as sick as I am, would never be you." This idea, that Morrissey's personal struggles have given him a kind of moral clarity and insight that others lack, is a recurring theme in his music.
Overall, Morrissey's song is a deeply personal and emotional expression of his struggle to be understood and respected. The song is at once raw and vulnerable while also being defiant and unapologetic. Morrissey is unafraid to confront those who judge him and dismiss his experiences, and he refuses to compromise his vision in order to conform to others' expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
She told me she loved me
Which means She must be insane
I've had my face dragged in Fifteen miles of shit
Refers to the difficult times he had to go through
And I do not, And I do not And I do not like it
Expresses his discontent towards the situation
So how can anybody say They know how I feel
Questions how anyone can truly understand what he's going through
The only one around here who is me Is me
Affirms that nobody else can feel exactly what he feels
They said they respect me
Which means Their judgement is crazy
When they are they And only I am I
Emphasises his uniqueness and individuality
He said he wants to befriend me
Which means He can't possibly know me
The voices of the real And the imagined cry The future is passing you by The future is passing you by
Highlights the sense of urgency and pressure he feels
So how can anybody possibly think they know how I feel?
Reiterates the impossibility of anyone else truly understanding him
Everybody look, see pain and walk away
Critical of how others are quick to judge and ignore his pain
Your smelly uniform You think you can be rude to me Because you wear a uniform A smelly uniform And so you think you can be rude to me
Notices the prejudices and mistreatment he faces because of his appearance
But even I, as sick as I am, I would never be you Even I, as sick as I am, I would never be you Even I, sick and depraved, a traveller to the grave I would never be you I would never be you
Confirms the difference between him and others, and his refusal to stoop down to their level
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAIN GORDON WHYTE, STEVEN PATRICK MORRISSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind