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 Youngest Was the Most Loved
Morrissey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The youngest was the shielded
We kept him from the world's glare
And he turned into a killer
Retroussé nose
Turned up and mischievous
Forget-me-not eyes that cried if we ever left his side
There is no such thing in life as normal
The youngest was the most loved
The youngest was the cherub
A small boy from a poor house
Who turned into a killer
A blushed rose if he had to say 'hello'
A lopsided grin strained to keep the shyness in
There is no such thing in life as normal
There is no such thing in life as normal
The youngest was the most loved
The youngest was the cherub
The look was all before him
With a lovely wife beside him
The youngest was the most loved
The youngest was the cherub
We kept him from the world's glare
And he turned into a killer
There is no such thing in life as normal
There is no such thing in life as normal
In Morrissey's song "The Youngest Was the Most Loved," there is a theme of how protecting and sheltering a child too much can have unforeseen consequences. The youngest child is described as being shielded from the world's glare, and his end result is turning into a killer. This interpretation suggests that by keeping children too protected or sheltered from the world, it can cause them to have negative outcomes as they grow older, and their ability to deal with reality and ordinary life may not be fully developed. The lyrics, "There is no such thing in life as normal" emphasizes that normalcy is a facade, and the youngest, like everyone else, is susceptible to life's challenges and struggles, despite being sheltered from them.
The lyrics go on to describe physical attributes of the youngest child, such as his retroussé nose and forget-me-not eyes, that make it clear he is loved and cared for. Yet, he turns into a killer, a fact that shows the complexity of humanity and how parental love and sheltering can darken due to the world. The line, "The look was all before him, with a lovely wife beside him," hints that the youngest child was able to grow and mature, but the damage was already done. Overall, "The Youngest Was the Most Loved" explores the idea that too much protection can lead to unforeseen and unfortunate consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
The youngest was the most loved
The youngest child in the family received the most affection and attention from their parents and siblings.
The youngest was the shielded
The youngest child was protected and sheltered from the outside world by their family.
We kept him from the world's glare
The family made a conscious effort to shield the youngest child from societal pressures and expectations.
And he turned into a killer
Despite being loved and sheltered, the youngest child ended up becoming violent and dangerous.
Retroussé nose
The youngest child had an upturned nose, possibly considered a desirable physical attribute.
Turned up and mischievous
The youngest child had a playful and impish personality.
Forget-me-not eyes that cried if we ever left his side
The youngest child had a sensitive and emotional nature, becoming upset when separated from their family.
There is no such thing in life as normal
The song emphasizes that there is no universal definition or standard of what is considered normal, and everyone's experiences and perspectives differ.
The youngest was the cherub
The youngest child was considered innocent and angelic by their family.
A small boy from a poor house
The youngest child came from a low-income background.
A blushed rose if he had to say 'hello'
The youngest child was bashful and would blush when greeting others.
A lopsided grin strained to keep the shyness in
The youngest child would force a half-smile to hide their social discomfort.
The look was all before him
The youngest child had their whole life ahead of them, with endless potential and opportunities.
With a lovely wife beside him
As an adult, the youngest child found love and companionship with a partner.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JESSE ALEJANDRO TOBIAS, STEVEN MORRISSEY, STEVEN PATRICK MORRISSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind