Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors

When we first met Morrissey in 1983 he asked the question, "Does the body rule the mind, or does the mind rule the body?" ('Still Ill', 'The Smiths'), accompanied by the deadpan rejoinder, "I dunno". Even then, however, it was clear which had the upper hand in the singer's case. Morrissey was, and has subsequently proved to be, a strictly cerebral soul.

It is surprising, therefore, to hear him declaim, a short way into this his 8th solo record, "There are explosive kegs between my legs". Actually, it isn't just surprising; it is positively shocking. All that time with so little to report on the old S.E.X. front, and now this!? Of course, with Morrissey, he sings this bawdy refrain with all the tenderness he once brought to the lines "Some girls are bigger than others", which, almost 20 years ago, managed to be heartbreakingly profound at the same time as being killingly funny. So it is here.

How refreshing it is to have Morrissey singing about you-know-what at last! Here we are in an industry named for a sexual metaphor (rock'n'roll), and yet we have to wait for Morrissey to get down to the real nitty gritty (to use another one). Awash, as we are, with songs about doing it, it is hard to recall another song or singer who has dared to talk so baldly about sexual longing. (There may be some hair metal on the subject, but if there is it cannot have the impact of this simple line so sweetly sung).
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