"Bigmouth Strikes Again" was released as the lead single from the album, bypassing Rough Trade's preferred choice, "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out". The single reached number 26 in the UK Singles Chart and has since seen critical acclaim along with several version recorded by other artists.
"Bigmouth Strikes Again" began as a lyric written by Morrissey in the summer of 1985. The lyric was the final one of three written about Morrissey's frustration with the music industry, the previous two being "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" and "Rubber Ring." "Bigmouth Strikes Again" specifically reflects Morrissey's negative experiences with the music press. When asked by the NME about the song, Morrissey replied, "I can't think of one sentence . We're still at that stage where if I rescued a kitten from drowning, they'd say: 'Morrissey Mauls Kitten's Body'. So what can you do?"
Morrissey intended the lyrics of the song to be humorous; he explained, "I would call it a parody if that sounded less like self-celebration, which it definitely wasn't. It was just a really funny song". Drummer Mike Joyce commented, "What a fantastic title – one of Mozzer's better ones. And with this song, you can see why he made journalists cream their pants. Listen to the lyrical content. He was a one-off."
Johnny Marr based the song's music on a guitar riff he had written during a soundcheck of the band's 1985 tour. Marr later claimed that he had been inspired by The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", stating, "I wanted something that was a rush all the way through, without a distinct middle eight as such. I thought the guitar breaks should be percussive, not too pretty or cordial". Marr described the song as being "as close as getting to the sound of my heroes as we came".
Bigmouth Strikes Again
The Smiths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I said I'd like to
Smash every tooth in your head
Oh, sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
When I said by rights you
Should be bludgeoned in your bed
And now I know how Joan of Arc feltNow I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race, oh, oh, oh-oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her hearing aid started to melt
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh
Bigmouth, oh-oh-oh, ha-ha
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh
Bigmouth, oh-oh-oh, ha-ha
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
The lyrics to The Smiths' "Bigmouth Strikes Again" are wry and self-deprecating, with Morrissey gently poking fun at himself and his tendency to get carried away with his own opinions. The opening verses refer to violent fantasies about smashing someone's teeth in, but the chorus takes a more philosophical turn. Morrissey acknowledges that he has no right to take his place with the human race, suggesting that his shortcomings, particularly his tendency to speak before he thinks, make him unworthy of full membership in humanity.
The reference to Joan of Arc is particularly interesting, as it draws parallels between Morrissey's own struggles with self-expression and the legendary French heroine's battles with patriarchal society. Joan of Arc famously faced condemnation and execution for her unconventional beliefs and behavior, and Morrissey may be identifying with this outsider figure as someone who himself often feels at odds with societal expectations.
Overall, "Bigmouth Strikes Again" can be read as a self-aware critique of Morrissey's persona as a cantankerous, self-righteous provocateur. By acknowledging his own shortcomings, Morrissey is able to connect with his audience on a deeper level and suggest that perhaps we are all struggling with similar insecurities and contradictions.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said I'd like to smash every tooth
In your head
Oh oh oh
I didn't mean any harm when I said that I would like to use physical violence towards you.
Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
When I said by rights you
Should be bludgeoned in your bed
When I talked about doing terrible things to you, I didn't mean it literally.
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt
I can sympathize with the pain and suffering that Joan of Arc experienced as she was burned alive, even as my own personal struggles seem trivial in comparison.
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
All my careless words and actions make me feel ashamed, and I realize that I don't deserve to consider myself part of humanity.
Bigmouth, oh oh oh oh, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
I keep making the same mistake of saying and doing things that hurt others, and I'm starting to question whether or not I even belong among other people.
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
I'm frustrated with myself for being so thoughtless and cruel, and I know that I need to change if I want to be a part of society.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Steven Morrissey, Johnny Marr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vindictivevillain
[LYRICS]
Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said I'd like to smash every tooth
In your head
Oh oh oh
Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
When I said by rights you
Should be bludgeoned in your bed
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her hearing aid started to melt
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, oh oh oh oh, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
@mitskismos
Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said I'd like to smash every tooth
In your head
Oh oh oh
Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking
When I said by rights you
Should be bludgeoned in your bed
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her Walkman started to melt
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her hearing aid started to melt
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, oh oh oh oh, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Oh oh oh oh oh
Bigmouth, la-da-da-da-da, bigmouth, la-da-da-da
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
With the human race
Fonte: LyricFind
Compositores: Steven Morrissey / Johnny Marr
@Peepee-eu5ck
Lyrics: Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said I'd like to smash every tooth
In your head
Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said by rights you should be
Bludgeoned in your bed
And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her Roman nose
And her walkman started to melt
Bigmouth
Bigmouth
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
To the Human race
Bigmouth
Bigmouth
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
To the Human race
Bigmouth
Bigmouth
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
To the Human race
Bigmouth
Bigmouth
Bigmouth strikes again
And I've got no right to take my place
To the Human race...
@RiverdudeCovers
And here we go...
@CarbonMonoxideBag
they can’t escape us
@justinn8541akaDrPokemon
The Jojo cycle continues.
@rockyjmoon3
No escape
@Hamuel
We ain't leaving the psychward with this one folks
@OB.x
Gotta love it.
@QuazukMSM
this song really gets the BLOOD pumping... helps you to really LOOK inside the HEART of that special someone...
@ilieirimia3612
You made the 3 JoJoLands fans happy😂
@dj-um7el
Lol
@boundlesstrap
@@ilieirimia3612 *four