King Leer & Driving Your Girlfriend Home

[jilla]

I've always found it interesting to compare the two songs.

written in different time periods of his life, one seems to be about morrissey yearning but not being able to get his friends girl friend (whether she actually be female or male...doesn't matter) a bit sausy and ironic (you get the feeling the girl wants more too) and the other written latter about what i would say was at least someone what capturing the attention of another persons "boyfriend" (lover whatever, gender again doesn't matter)

anyone think that in someways maybe its a conversation that speaks to his growth/change...

i don't know am i weird for thinking the two have a connection?

what do you think?

 

[Dave]

I've always found it interesting to compare the two songs.

written in different time periods of his life, one seems to be about morrissey yearning but not being able to get his friends girl friend (whether she actually be female or male...doesn't matter) a bit sausy and ironic (you get the feeling the girl wants more too) and the other written latter about what i would say was at least someone what capturing the attention of another persons "boyfriend" (lover whatever, gender again doesn't matter)

anyone think that in someways maybe its a conversation that speaks to his growth/change...

i don't know am i weird for thinking the two have a connection?

what do you think?

Not weird. Write more. I have a similar theory about a couple of other songs.

 

[jilla]

o.k i'm going to keep this as neutral as possible from the is he or isn't he "queer" or whatever label you want to use.

I think when i write i write to claim my "erotic" sometimes, not like sex...but what makes me feel good. I sort of think of King Leer as a song written to embrace the playfull, erotic, whatever you want to call it...you know when you get into a spunky feel good mood...whether the story was based on one real event or multiple ones, it seems to be a response to perhaps who he was before, someone a little less aware, someone a little less confident, less coneccted to his body...less "erotic"

and i wonder if it was intentional or one of those funny subconscious things.

I like listening to morrissey's music in part because i feel you can see a change, you can see the confused, smart person who had a difficulty perhpas connecting with people mentally, emotionally and physically get a little bit closer to being the person he wanted to be.

its not to say that the latter songs are better, just different.

 

[Dave]

My guess is that any connection between songs is not conscious, at least at first. I like your image of "claiming your erotic".


I've read a bunch of Philip K Dick and the same characters and situations appear repeatedly, slightly different, bur obviously based on real life. Most obvious is a girl that sets him up, who appears several times, who I believe is his ex-wife or girlfriend. I'd have to make notes to prove my point, but trust me.

Anyway, this is probably pretty common with fiction writers, but I was studying his work at the time and reading everything I could find so I was confronted with these images and it was just obvious I was reading about the same person.

You say that the sexuality doesn't matter, and the gender doesn't matter, and I mostly agree. But the voice (protagonist) of "I'm Driving Your Girlfriend Home" is talking to the boyfriend. He also sings as the woman/girlfriend. I've wondered before why he doesn't say something to her. He clearly has something to say. And why "your girlfriend" instead of "his girlfriend". Why is he telling the boyfriend these things?

King Leer is also about not getting the girl. Surprise. And the boyfriend is again not treated as a person of much substance, but at least this boyfriend is stupid in a fun way, and not stupid in a way that causes emotional distress.

 

[jilla]

My guess is that any connection between songs is not conscious, at least at first. I like your image of "claiming your erotic".


I've read a bunch of Philip K Dick and the same characters and situations appear repeatedly, slightly different, bur obviously based on real life. Most obvious is a girl that sets him up, who appears several times, who I believe is his ex-wife or girlfriend. I'd have to make notes to prove my point, but trust me.

Anyway, this is probably pretty common with fiction writers, but I was studying his work at the time and reading everything I could find so I was confronted with these images and it was just obvious I was reading about the same person.

You say that the sexuality doesn't matter, and the gender doesn't matter, and I mostly agree. But the voice (protagonist) of "I'm Driving Your Girlfriend Home" is talking to the boyfriend. He also sings as the woman/girlfriend. I've wondered before why he doesn't say something to her. He clearly has something to say. And why "your girlfriend" instead of "his girlfriend". Why is he telling the boyfriend these things?

King Leer is also about not getting the girl. Surprise. And the boyfriend is again not treated as a person of much substance, but at least this boyfriend is stupid in a fun way, and not stupid in a way that causes emotional distress.

Good Points. I think obviously morrissey has been conserned with an asthetic, well more then a few for a while. He's a bit of a geek when it comes to the things he loves, so its no suprise there should be common themes...and certainly a lot of common images.

I think as artist we tell the same stories over and over again...hopefully we do it in away that eventually helps us and helsp those around us. obviously morrissey writes about longing, but its more specific then that isn't it. Anybody can write generally about longing. I'll have to think of how to characterize morrissey's writting about longing.

i mean morrissey's characters often don't "say anything" to their love interest...i often thing of "driving your girlfriend home" and there is a light...both of which he's in a car wanting to say something but never saying it.

in the case of morrissey's longing in the three above cases anyways, its not the object or even the boyfriend/girlfriend of the object of his desire thats stopping him so much as himself....i guess maybe not as visibly so in King Leer but lets face it, the song doesn't come off as a serious attempt to win someone over does it?

i still feel as though there is a timeline...maybe morrissey doesn't grow up and get what he wants but he seems to me to make strides...which at the young age of 23 i'd like to see myself do...well see is pretty passive, its something i am trying to do

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Not to get weird, but this is what Driving Your Girlfriend Home is about.

The sphynx is at the wheel and is traditionally a woman who "drives" the up or the down motion of the annubis and the typhon. When he sings about driving, he's talking about spiritually becoming the woman (while remaining a man) and driving the progress of "their" mutual girfriend who is trapped acting as one of the men of either the annubis or the typhon because she has to play both roles. He says "your" girlfriend alluding to YOR, or the new album, but also only one of the men wins the girl, the other one who is still attached to the trinity is singing the song, the loser who while lamenting his defeat still helps to beckon in the new age with new and fresh drivers. It's actually kinda cool but not easy to understand.

 

[justme]

I like listening to morrissey's music in part because i feel you can see a change, you can see the confused, smart person who had a difficulty perhpas connecting with people mentally, emotionally and physically get a little bit closer to being the person he wanted to be.

its not to say that the latter songs are better, just different.

Great comment. I agree with you 100% - that's one of the reasons he is such a fascinating artist (at least to me).

 

[yesitis]

Not to get weird, but this is what Driving Your Girlfriend Home is about.

The sphynx is at the wheel and is traditionally a woman who "drives" the up or the down motion of the annubis and the typhon. When he sings about driving, he's talking about spiritually becoming the woman (while remaining a man) and driving the progress of "their" mutual girfriend who is trapped acting as one of the men of either the annubis or the typhon because she has to play both roles. He says "your" girlfriend alluding to YOR, or the new album, but also only one of the men wins the girl, the other one who is still attached to the trinity is singing the song, the loser who while lamenting his defeat still helps to beckon in the new age with new and fresh drivers. It's actually kinda cool but not easy to understand.

no, you're wrong. it's about a guy driving a girl home.

 

[mcrickson]

Not to get weird, but this is what Driving Your Girlfriend Home is about.

The sphynx is at the wheel and is traditionally a woman who "drives" the up or the down motion of the annubis and the typhon. When he sings about driving, he's talking about spiritually becoming the woman (while remaining a man) and driving the progress of "their" mutual girfriend who is trapped acting as one of the men of either the annubis or the typhon because she has to play both roles. He says "your" girlfriend alluding to YOR, or the new album, but also only one of the men wins the girl, the other one who is still attached to the trinity is singing the song, the loser who while lamenting his defeat still helps to beckon in the new age with new and fresh drivers. It's actually kinda cool but not easy to understand.

I've always found it interesting to compare the two songs.

written in different time periods of his life, one seems to be about morrissey yearning but not being able to get his friends girl friend (whether she actually be female or male...doesn't matter) a bit sausy and ironic (you get the feeling the girl wants more too) and the other written latter about what i would say was at least someone what capturing the attention of another persons "boyfriend" (lover whatever, gender again doesn't matter)

anyone think that in someways maybe its a conversation that speaks to his growth/change...

i don't know am i weird for thinking the two have a connection?

what do you think?

They were both written in the same time period. So obviously there is a connection.

 

[EPbabe]

no, you're wrong. it's about a guy driving a girl home.

Are you kidding? That's so boring. That's not like Morrissey at all. There has to be a hidden meaning somewhere in that song. It may be about alien abduction, I think.

(In other words: I agree with Jilla's initial post. Edit: Apart from the two songs written in different periods of his life. They were on the same album, they could've been written with a few months of difference maybe.)

 

[Pokey]

Whilst I too think he is wanting the girl he is driving home, ive sometimes thought the fact that he's specifically addressing the boyfriend of the girl that he is not really expressing his feelings for the guy's girl, but more so just telling him how she feels and that she is upset and losing faith in the relationship .. that it's more of a "heads up mate, you need to take better care of your girl".

 

[lainey]

the clue may be in the title. Why is he driving someone else's girlfriend home? maybe the boyfriend and girlfriend had an argument.
I think he is too embarassed to interfere or maybe sides with boyfriend or the girl wishes she was with Morrissey and is hinting at her current unhappiness and is waiting for him to show interest or make a move.

 

[Dave2006]

I never understood how he could go down on one knee when he only had one knee.

And, Morrissey, I'm sorry, but you cannot rhyme "knee" with "knee" - go to the back of the class.

Dave

 

[mcrickson]

I never understood how he could go down on one knee when he only had one knee.

And, Morrissey, I'm sorry, but you cannot rhyme "knee" with "knee" - go to the back of the class.

Dave

but I find that line particularly hilarious!

 

[jilla]

thanks for the info...written at same time i should have thought about that! sorry youngin here- digital downloads, you know you don't buy the album so sometimes you forget.