Morrissey A-Z: "The Boy Racer"

For me it works as part of the SG album, but not so well on its own. And that's how I feel about the majority of the songs on Southpaw Grammar. I like the concept of the album: a bunch of raucous, fast-paced and heavy songs that are for most part an observation of brutality and violence in society, squeezed in between 2 rock symphonies (and the really worthwhile tracks of that album). I love to listen to Southpaw from beginning to end when I am in the mood for it though.

With the possible exception of Reader Meets Author, SG didn't contain single material. This one wasn't a strong single at all. It is almost heavy metal, not the stuff you'd come to expect from Morrissey. Certainly not after yesterday's song (Boxers) :confused:
 
It is almost heavy metal, not the stuff you'd come to expect from Morrissey. Certainly not after yesterday's song (Boxers) :confused:
That's probably why I like it...
 
Do you say that because the suits clash with the music? I think that Morrissey & band wore these suits during the Southpaw Grammar tour, strange thing to do. They were so much out of sync with everything at that time.
No, I say that because I think the suits look awful.

I think Morrissey at least wore a dark suit on most SG dates. A huge improvement.
 
For me the Arsenal shows were legendary and Morrissey in his prime and band at their very best ever.



totally. I agree, the bands sound was awful... at first. Maybe Ronson sprinkled some magic stardust on the boys because they somehow miraculously went from level 3 to level 15! by Arsenal. I don’t know how they got their shit together, maybe a better budget helped too(?) because they sounded explosive by Arsenal.
The difference between Live in Dallas and Beethoven Was Deaf is truly psychotic.
 
The thing I dislike about this song is the formal and stuffy 'The' in the title. It just feels like it ought to be called simply 'Boy Racer'.
 
The thing I dislike about this song is the formal and stuffy 'The' in the title. It just feels like it ought to be called simply 'Boy Racer'.

Maybe he didn't want to tread on the toes of Sarah/Slumberland pop-punk legends Boyracer...
 
I think it might just be the fact that he sings "Boyracer, Boyracer" several hundred times during the song, but never 'The Boyracer' - so it just looks a bit...odd. It's the equivalent of giving other songs titles like 'The Miserable Lie, 'The Panic', or 'The Hairdresser on Fire'. It just seems slightly out of place.
 
Actually I just had a quick shufty at the complete Smiths/Moz song list on Passions, and it appears to be pretty much unique in this regard. Ignoring a few oddities when the song title is never mentioned at all in the lyrics (eg Suedehead etc), every song title starting with 'The' is also echoed in the actual lyrics (eg: The Boy With the Thorn, The Bullfighter Dies, The Kid's a Looker, The Never Played Symphonies, etc). The only other song that comes close is 'The World is Full of Crashing Bores', where he actually sings 'This World' in the lyrics.

So yeah - it sticks out like a sore thumb.
 
This song is funny and musically alright. As a single it might be interesting to look at what it was going up against when it was released.
 
It always cracks me up how Alain flubs a chord at around the 17 second mark - you can see him turn round afterwards with a pissed expression on his face. Guess they didn't consider it a big enough f*** up to stop and go for a retake!
Also notice that the bass is missing from the mix until about 53 seconds in. Moz himself looks very uncomfortable here too - it's always hard for bands to work up their usual stage presence when crammed into a small space in a brightly lit tv studio, and being surrounded by a random bunch of other bands, with only an empty floor in front of you, is going to throw even the most professional of performers off their game.
 
I think Moz must have been in a great mood when he wrote this & DD for the SG album. Both are full of energy & again Cobrin's drums dominate.
Best lyric from this song:

"He thinks he got the whole world in his hands
Stood at the urinal"


Hilarious.
 
I've just found this extract from a book called 'Only If You Are Really Interested' by Nicholas P. Greco re; TBR video:

boy racer.JPG


@Famous when dead do we have this available anywhere?
 
I've just found this extract from a book called 'Only If You Are Really Interested' by Nicholas P. Greco re; TBR video:

View attachment 73452

@Famous when dead do we have this available anywhere?
“Only If You Are Really Interested” Celebrity, Gender, Desire and the World of Morrissey - Nicholas P. Greco (PDF) was available through my quarantine book sharing collection.
If you missed it, I can send it to you directly.
Regards,
FWD.
 
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