Morrissey A-Z: "Life Is a Pigsty"

Easily one of his best, most ambitious songs. When I saw the title I feared the worst but still remember exactly where I was when I first heard this. It stopped me in my tracks.

Hollywood Bowl is one of his best ever live moments. Love the lisp on SOS, the plea for "help" and the drama of "...shifting gears". Perfection.

I'd have this in my top 10 Morrissey compositions, including The Smiths.
 
As said, an instrumental would be great for a soundtrack
 
To see and hear this song played in a small theatre (even if it was Blackburn) is one of the highlights of my Morrissey career....
Basta Basta Basta
 
I haven't listened to this in a dog's age.

As a composition it doesn't quite come together, but I like what it's reaching for.

Morrissey's lyrics were eerily on-target for something I was going through at the time, and that final lyric: "Even now, in the hour of my life I'm falling in love again..." are melodramatic gold.

His vocals were never better, and they still hit me squarely in the solar plexus.
 
I remember reading the pre-release reviews of Ringleader and this was built to the hilt as the great modern Moz magnum opus.

I couldn't wait to hear it, now I can wait a very long time to hear it.

A massive let down and as a poster said earlier in this thread, its a 'faux-epic'

No new sentiments expressed and those that were expressed were said better previously. Even he says 'It's the same old SOS'

Delivered in a period where a number of songs contained lyrics built around a 'Things were crap but then you arrived and now they're not' structure.

Drama queen rock opera from a man who was becoming less believable in his cries of pain and unrequited love with each passing album.

Just did not feel this one at all. How many 'final hours' of his life has he had now by the way?
Agree 100%. This song was basically a dud. "Life is a pigsty" is a terrible lyric, on par with "I see the world, it makes me puke" from the same album. I will admit that the line "and if you don't know this, then what do you know" is pretty good. But otherwise, not a good song or lyric.
 
To see and hear this song played in a small theatre (even if it was Blackburn) is one of the highlights of my Morrissey career....
Basta Basta Basta

your Morrissey career ? o_O

how much did you get paid?
 
I do not trust any Morrissey fans who does not love this track
 



Our song for today is this Morrissey/Whyte composition, from Ringleader of the Tormentors.

What do we think of this one?

For me, and judging by the usual comments on my posts, ONLY me. I think this is M's one true classic of the post-2000s era. From the "same old SOS" onwards it's a journey to the pit of the psyche that correctly shows the mental state of a depressive mindset.

Although, the lp sounds awful production-wise, its a good lp (a bit like Suedes Night Thoughts is a good lp (johnny) Mared by production )
One does come away thinking the whole lp was designed around this song. What I liked about this lp , was that it wasn't Quarry. I like Quarry but it lingered on the edge of the US Shopping Mall sound. "Shiney and new for the depressive and blue ", to quote a friend.
Far Off places, which is overlooked when people talk about his "Muslim" hate (same with Istanbul) is a stomper live and this lp does contain the line "Lets face it soon I will be dead" which is hilarious, not quite as funny as when he left his bag in Newport Pagnell but nothing ever is .

Getting back to pigstye the singing is top of the tree , especially when his "shifting gears"
 
It took me a long time to appreciate this song,for some reason it just didn't connect with me.While I love the album I just can't get the love for this song.
 
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