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.
The Ordinary Boys
Morrissey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Happy being no-one but themselves
Ordinary girls, supermarket clothes
Who think it's very clever to be cruel to you
For you were so different
You stood all alone
And you knew
Avoiding ordinary boys
Happy going nowhere, just around here
In their rattling cars
Ordinary girls
Never seeing further
Than the cold, small streets
That trap them
But you were so different
You had to say no
When those empty fools
Tried to change you, and claim you
For the lair of their ordinary world
Where they feel so lucky
So lucky, so lucky
With their lives laid out before them
They are lucky
So lucky, so lucky
So lucky, so...
In Morrissey's song "The Ordinary Boys," he describes the societal pressures to conform to the norm and fit into the expectations of others. He first introduces "ordinary boys" who are content with being what society deems as "normal" and not questioning anything around them. These boys are represented as being happy with their lack of knowledge and ambition, and not seeking anything outside of their mundane routine. Morrissey then shifts his focus to "ordinary girls" who, like the boys, are content with fitting into the mold society created for them. These girls believe it is clever to be cruel to those who dare to be different from them.
In the chorus, Morrissey reveals that the singer of the song is someone who is different from these "ordinary" people. This protagonist "stands alone" and recognizes that they don't fit into this cookie-cutter lifestyle. They are someone who knows it has to be this way and chooses to avoid "ordinary" people who don't understand them. Morrissey draws attention to the importance of being true to oneself and says that our protagonist refused to let anyone change who they are. He highlights the importance of non-conformity and individuality and reveals the joy that comes with standing up for who you are, even though it may mean separating from the rest of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Ordinary boys, happy knowing nothing
Boys who are content to remain in ignorance and are happy to remain so. They do not seek knowledge or growth.
Happy being no-one but themselves
These boys find joy in simply maintaining the status quo and not changing themselves.
Ordinary girls, supermarket clothes
The girls are unremarkable, dressing in clothes that lack individuality and are easily found in any supermarket.
Who think it's very clever to be cruel to you
These girls think that being mean to someone who is different from them is an intelligent thing to do.
For you were so different
The subject of the song was unique in some way, and stood out from the ordinary.
You stood all alone
Because of their uniqueness, the subject was isolated from others and had no peers.
And you knew
The subject was aware of their uniqueness and isolation.
That it had to be so
The subject believed that their uniqueness and isolation were necessary or unavoidable.
Avoiding ordinary boys
The subject actively avoids spending time with ordinary boys who share nothing in common with them.
Happy going nowhere, just around here
The ordinary boys are content with their stagnant lifestyle and lack of personal growth or exploration.
In their rattling cars
These boys have no aspirations beyond their cars and the freedom it provides them.
Ordinary girls
Like the ordinary boys, these are unremarkable girls who lack individuality.
Never seeing further
These girls are not capable of looking beyond their immediate surroundings and are content to remain where they are.
Than the cold, small streets
The environment they occupy is limited and small. They lack the imagination to see beyond it.
That trap them
Their lack of imagination keeps them confined to their small world.
But you were so different
The subject is once again singled out for their uniqueness.
You had to say no
The subject refused to conform to the expectations of others and stood up for themselves.
When those empty fools
The people who try to change and claim the subject are described as fools, emphasizing their lack of understanding and empathy.
Tried to change you, and claim you
Others attempted to force the subject to conform to their expectations and make them a part of their ordinary world.
For the lair of their ordinary world
The ordinary world is described negatively, as a trap or lair.
Where they feel so lucky
Despite a lack of personal growth, these ordinary people feel fortunate for their unremarkable lives.
With their lives laid out before them
The ordinary people have a predetermined path with no room for exploration or individuality.
They are lucky
Once again, the ordinary people are described as feeling fortunate despite their lack of uniqueness.
So lucky, so lucky
The repetition of the word lucky reinforces the irony of their situation.
So lucky, so...
The song ends abruptly, emphasizing the main themes of the ordinary world and the subject's isolation from it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, STEPHEN STREET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeffmorse645
This was one of the best songs on that original album. Its actually one of the best Morrissey songs period.
@AlsatianCousin
Its definitely one of my favorites. Someone once asked me a long time ago......what my favorite song was and I named this song. Itszzz GREAAT!
@forgivemejesus1409
I agree, but I find alot of bside and non album songs are better than some a side and even some singles.
@fightsforrights9744
Such a beautiful song, my teen memories with my brother.
@xnslrzn
what makes you say this?
@jonlacey316
I agree 100 percent
@nolava88able
I love the way he sings " in their rattling car".
@CharlesFlahertyB
My wife and I were at the same Morrissey concert about a decade before we met.
@aronlenaerts8549
All the memories of being 14. Man, I love this. The Smiths changed my life 💛
@paulgenta4819
Icried for years listening to the music of The Smiths and the words of Morrissey. Lucky so lucky so...