Morrissey A-Z: "King Leer"

Nice little song, this. A pleasant tune, veering dangerously close to elevator Muzak, but with some well placed minor chords and dexterous playing, it’s salvaged. The lyrics...are lacking, but their camp simplicity helps intertwine with and evoke the kitsch atmosphere generated. A fine piece: is it one I got back to often though? Maybe not, but it certainly doesn’t ruin the album for me (unlike one other track...).
6/10
 
Fits in quite respectably on Kill Uncle. Like most songs on there, they don’t stand alone as strong as they do within their album position 🥰🥰🥰👨🏼‍⚖️
 
This is another one of those songs that's aged surprisingly well, for me. At the time (being in my early 20s and taking life way too seriously) it seemed like such a silly little bit of music but now I find it catchy as all hell and they lyrics make me smile every single time. To be able to sing something as dumb as "Your boyfriend he got down on one knee / Well could it be, he's only got one knee?" with a straight face takes some kind of balls.
 
always been a fan of this,echo effect on the voice gives it that dreamy effect that M does so well.nice and relaxing for a friday morning.
8 homeless/10 chihuahuas.
 
If I had to pick one song to represent "Kill Uncle," I think it would be this one. I love that it doesn't take itself too seriously. While Morrissey seems overall embarrassed by "Kill Uncle," this one, "Mute Witness," and "Driving Your Girlfriend Home" all deserve a revisit in the live setlist, IMHO.
 
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Another substandard song and the opening lines have rightly often been included in "Worst ever lyrics" lists.

Musically it is very thin and it sounds like one of the songs that Mark Nevin was referring to when he talked about coming up with basic sketches that he expected to bulk out later. The bulking out never happened.

Lyrically it is also a very basic sketch and Morrissey seemed to be really lacking in direction with this album

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 215th from 264 solo songs.
 
As long as I only hear this song once every 18 months, I actually think it is ok...any more than that and I reach for the skip button pronto.

The 'Ks' really are struggling...
 
It's not very good, but it's early-Morrissey-not-very-good, meaning it's actually better than some good-later-Morrissey songs.
 
This song was always fun. It's like something a band on the original Twin Peaks series might have played. Not meant to be treated that seriously but almost like an exercise in a different genre. Morrissey as 50's pop star.
The homeless chihuahua line is a classic and raises this from a 7 to an 8/10.
 
Endlessly frivolous and silly, but that’s the point, obviously. All in all a fun, sweet pop song about the troubles with courting. The rockabilly arrangement during the KU tour worked great, as well.

I’d also like to echo what @BookishBoy and @This Charming Bowie said.
 
"It's got to be perfect" (and it has to have that nostalgic 50s sound) was his master's voice wish and Mark E. Nevin did as he was told. I still prefer the sound of Kill Uncle to Morrissey's half-baked latter-day work. I will always stand up for Nevin, like a homeless Chiwawa would. Now let me swing my tight hips to this feathery 50s groove.
 
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A gentle little plod, King Leer is unlikely to be in anyone’s Morrissey Top 10, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable little number. I find the lyrics amusing, and the reference to Tizer always brings a smile to my face – very Morrissey, very British. The lines ‘Your boyfriend, he / Has the gift of the gab / Or, could it be / The gift of the grab?’ and ‘Your boyfriend, he / Displays to me / More than just / A hint of cruelty’ are ones that often pop into my head when seeing certain couples out and about. We all know the type.

I adore the At KROQ EP and would love for a more rockabilly version of King Leer to exist, as some of the renditions back in 1991 were leaning towards this style. A good song to end the working week on and the type of song I expect could be a gateway drug, luring non-Morrissey fans into the wider world of Morrissey…
 
A gentle little plod, King Leer is unlikely to be in anyone’s Morrissey Top 10, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable little number. I find the lyrics amusing, and the reference to Tizer always brings a smile to my face – very Morrissey, very British. The lines ‘Your boyfriend, he / Has the gift of the gab / Or, could it be / The gift of the grab?’ and ‘Your boyfriend, he / Displays to me / More than just / A hint of cruelty’ are ones that often pop into my head when seeing certain couples out and about. We all know the type.

I adore the At KROQ EP and would love for a more rockabilly version of King Leer to exist, as some of the renditions back in 1991 were leaning towards this style. A good song to end the working week on and the type of song I expect could be a gateway drug, luring non-Morrissey fans into the wider world of Morrissey…
Good point - if this were released right now as a single (other "issues" aside...), Radio 2 would be all over it. It's got that quirky, middle-of-the-road vibe to it.
 
Not really a bad song, but it suffers from the flat and lifeless production that proved to be the weakness of KU. But the homeless chihuahua brings a smile to my face.
 
I remember a time when this seemed to be in most people's bottom 3 Morrissey songs, so I'm glad to see this get somewhat reappraised - I guess in light on some of the music Morrissey has put out in the last 20 years it's suddenly not so offensive to people!

Personally I've always loved it. It's lightweight, frothy, doesn't take itself too seriously, and is ultimately charming. I'm even cool with the 'could it be he's only got one knee' line. I wouldn't want every Morrissey song to be as frivolous as this, but this works very well as a one off. Even the more rockabilly live version is cool. [8 out of 10]
 
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