Morrissey A-Z: "Get off the Stage"

Much maligned and derided, I always felt that this song was much better than most people make out. Appraising it against his entire canon of work, to me this song, thirty years on, still stands up. However, when it is compared to other B-sides from those wonderful first few solo years, Get Off The Stage does sink somewhat. How can this compare to the other B-sides of 1990, such as He Knows I'd Love To See Him, or Girl Least Likely To? It cannot. The flash and its gone cameo from Suggs is, of course, a bonus.

And, on that note, I will take my misguided trousers and Get Off The Stage.
 
I listened to it about five times in a row this morning for the first time in a long time and it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. Probably the worst from that era, but that's not saying much. The bar was just extremely high at that time.

Cause I've given you enough of my time
And the money that wasn't even mine


... is a reasonably funny line.

The cajun influence doesn't really work. I'd love to know how that was communicated between Moz and Andy because it must have been M's idea.
Apparently, he originally wrote the lyric for a Street tune in 1988.

It's like the annoyingly camp little brother of Frankly, Mr. Shankly and Vicar In A Tutu.

It's pretty high on my list of songs I'd love for him to include on future setlists.
 
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For once this is a b-side that very much deserves to be a b-side. It's jolly enough but as Morrissey said about this song's a-side, it is "a student work of novelty that wears off before noon".
 
A bit of a stretch to call it ‘underrated’, perhaps, but at least it’s better than it’s reputation. The music and melody are fun, and almost carnival-esque, and the lyrics, albeit very silly, are not without wit. Compared with some of his other lightweight, frivolous numbers, I’d rather listen to this one than Fatty or Kiss Me a Lot.

I almost hit the like button but then I read the last line. We're gonna have a word about those two, my friend.
 
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I listened to it about five times in a row this morning for the first time in a long time and it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. Probably the worst from that era, but that's not saying much. The bar was just extremely high at that time.

Cause I've given you enough of my time
And the money that wasn't even mine


... is a reasonably funny line.

The cajun influence doesn't really work. I'd love to know how that was communicated between Moz and Andy because it must have been M's idea.
Apparently, he originally wrote the lyric for a Street tune in 1988.

It's like the annoyingly camp little brother of Frankly, Mr. Shankly and Vicar In A Tutu.

It's pretty high on my list of songs I'd love for him to include on future setlists.

He could do it as a bit - like No One Loves A Fairy When She's Forty.



In his earnest style. That brings out the underlying horror.
 
He could do it as a bit - like No One Loves A Fairy When She's Forty.



In his earnest style. That brings out the underlying horror.


I think it could be grand. And people would probably hate it :lbf:

Too bad he disowned the song a long time ago.
There's a lot of irony in it - even before he got old.

Oh I know that you say
How age has no meaning

quote-age-shouldn-t-affect-you-it-s-just-like-the-size-of-your-shoes-they-don-t-determine-stev...jpg


(An easy thing to say when you're 24 and marvellous..)

And it was written with the Stones in mind - a criticism he deeply regretted later in life

"In New York, Mick Jagger arrives backstage and extends the hand of friendship. It is a big moment for Johnny, but I, of course, am a nightmare of judgment, and it takes me years to understand the genius secret of the Rolling Stones. Dismissal can be a secret form of arrogance, and I held this proudly against the Stones until the light shifted and I caught myself being utterly wrong. The in-built censorship can also often be a substitute for not actually knowing any better, and I now agonize over my criticisms of the Stones – with blather that was anything but a true reflection of the facts."
 
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Of all Morrissey's many accordion-based songs, this is my favourite. He really ought to use it as a set-closer.
 
I think it could be grand. And people would probably hate it :lbf:

Too bad he disowned the song a long time ago.
There's a lot of irony in it - even before he got old.

Oh I know that you say
How age has no meaning

View attachment 69545


(An easy thing to say when you're 24 and marvellous..)

And it was written with the Stones in mind - a criticism he deeply regretted later in life

"In New York, Mick Jagger arrives backstage and extends the hand of friendship. It is a big moment for Johnny, but I, of course, am a nightmare of judgment, and it takes me years to understand the genius secret of the Rolling Stones. Dismissal can be a secret form of arrogance, and I held this proudly against the Stones until the light shifted and I caught myself being utterly wrong. The in-built censorship can also often be a substitute for not actually knowing any better, and I now agonize over my criticisms of the Stones – with blather that was anything but a true reflection of the facts."

I would love it!

Ever contrary.
 
Fair play to him, I guess, for basically disowning this song with the benefit of hindsight. (Although now of course he'll include it in a "Best Of" album next year...)
Or a one-off single with more obscure instruments added by Boz. B-side: Bed took fire (not the original abandoned 1996 version)
 
Alongside with Journalists Who Lie and The Kid's a Looker, this is one of the three very worst songs Morrissey has ever released. Bitter and pointless songs about truly trivial subjects, with terrible music to boot.
Darling, don't be so harsh, with your mascara and your Fender guitar.
 
I always heard this as an Irish drinking song. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not.

It has a sprinkling of lines I like,

'But then applause ran high
But for the patience of the ones behind you
As a verse drags on like a month drags on
It's very short, but it seems very long'

Overall, I think it was intended to be somewhat of a throwaway song and to that end, it achieves its aim.
 
I can't really see any overly harsh comments for this song and it deserves its reputation imo.

Bona Drag was a very fine compilation but, in some ways, it papers over the cracks of that era. A couple of the singles weren't exactly great, and the b-sides had grown patchier after the high point of Everyday is Like Sunday. But we can return to that theme in a couple of days...
 
I don’t mind this song. Maybe it’s spot at the end of bona drag helped it ingratiate itself to me. I thought it was funny in a novelty kind of way with its out dated music all vaudeville styled music
 
I love the comparison to an Irish drinking song. I can see it as a wink to the Pogues, with a drunk Mozzer onstage instead of the drunk Shane MacGowan.
 
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Much maligned and derided, I always felt that this song was much better than most people make out. Appraising it against his entire canon of work, to me this song, thirty years on, still stands up. However, when it is compared to other B-sides from those wonderful first few solo years, Get Off The Stage does sink somewhat. How can this compare to the other B-sides of 1990, such as He Knows I'd Love To See Him, or Girl Least Likely To? It cannot. The flash and its gone cameo from Suggs is, of course, a bonus.

And, on that note, I will take my misguided trousers and Get Off The Stage.

Do I smell the next titled single from Moz being called, "Misguided Trousers" ? He's done worse!
 
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