What can you write about Morrissey that hasn't already been said? And let's be honest, whatever I say is not going to change your mind one way or the other from its disposition of love/hate. The man is a peculiar modern day icon and possibly the most interesting middle aged man in Britain at the moment, but he definitely divides opinion as soon as his name is mentioned.
I used to like the Smiths, and to an extent I still do, but over the last few years I've started to enjoy Morrissey's solo output much more than his legendary collaboration with Johnny Marr. I honestly never thought I'd see the day when I'd say this, but it's true. Maybe it's because I can empathise with his mid-life paranoia, but I love the bitter, twisted and angry Morrissey far more than the poetic, lovelorn wordsmith he once was. I think the seeds of bitterness were first sewn in 'Your Arsenal' and rose to the giddy heights of 'You are the Quarry' and most recently 'Years of Refusal.' The mature Morrissey tells it how it is and is more relevant because of that attitude.
What do you pick as your favourite Morrissey track though? I could easily produce a list of thirty to forty of his songs that I'd consider worthy of entry into my all time chart, but in the end I've gone for 'You have Killed Me' from 'Ringleader of the Tormentors'. Ironically this is possibly is 'happiest' album, but I just love the unashamed passion and emotion of the song. A work of genius.
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