this is the one track from the album i didn't bother to put into my itunes library. snzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

hmmmm.... maybe i'll take another listen.

i guess it's just a matter of perspective/taste (well duh, right? it's art...). but i always thought the lyrics were what totally sank this song. first of all, there's too many of them. and they're far too literal, no room for interpretation. i've always considered the obtuse to be morrissey's greatest lyrical strength (as in the deceptively simple lyrics of "some girls are bigger than others", which i consider to be among his finest).

but hey, just my opinion.

'You're Arsenal' as a whole is an amazing album. Confirmed my belief that it is not impossible for a solo artist to break out from a great band.

I loved this record when it came out, especially Death of a Disco Dancer.....but Girlfriend in a Coma is a masterpiece.

The Queen is Dead was a pretty bad album, but Strangeways is an afterthought and probably just to fill a contract. Okay, but no where near their best.

Here's some highlights from AllMusic.com (supporting my position, of course):

"Recorded as the relationship between Morrissey and Johnny Marr was beginning to splinter . . .

However, the songs also have a tendency to be glib and forced, particularly on "Unhappy Birthday" and the anti-record company "Paint a Vulgar Picture," which has grown increasingly ironic in the wake of the Smiths' and Morrissey's love of repackaging the same material in new compilations. Still, Strangeways is a graceful way to bow out. While it doesn't match The Queen Is Dead or The Smiths, it is far from embarrassing and offers a summation of the group's considerable strengths."

I'd say that's pretty generous. Morrisey was Lennon, and Moz was Yoko.

That's fucking brilliant.