Meat is Murder

Certain Songs #2293: The Smiths – “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”

February 12, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Meat is Murder
Year: 1984

. . .

“Now it’s happening in mine”

After four straight rockers, side one of Meat is Murder closes out with one of Morrissey and Marr’s most affecting ballads, the majestic waltz-time “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore,” in which Morrissey decides once again to address people who love other people’s misery.

Certain Songs #2292: The Smiths – “What She Said”

February 11, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Meat is Murder
Year: 1985

. . .

“How come someone hasn’t noticed that I’m dead”

Nobody knew it at the time, but behind the scenes, The Smiths were a complete and utter mess in early 1985, not just dealing with fallout from Morrissey’s continually pissing people off in his interviews, but the revolving doors of managers and potential managers who came in and out of their lives.

All of this, combined with the incessant pace of writing and recording songs, touring, interviews, and live shows made it difficult for them — i.e. Morrissey & Marr, both of whom were in their early twenties, and neither of whom had any experience being in a band that was utterly blowing up — to get organized.

Certain Songs #2291: The Smiths – “I Want The One I Can’t Have”

February 10, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Meat is Murder
Year: 1985

. . .

“It’s written all over my face”

Meat is Murder was a strange beast: side one was uniformly great and side two — outside of the U.S. addendum of “How Soon is Now?” — er, wasn’t, as after a decent (another) rockabilly tune and an atmospheric one, it closed with two duds. Johnny Marr’s tuneless experiment with blue-eyed funk went nowhere fast and his decision to make the title track a dirge was far less admirable than his decision to instantly go vegetarian in support of his partner.

Certain Songs #2290: The Smiths – “The Headmaster Ritual”

February 9, 2022 by Jim Connelly

Album: Meat Is Murder
Year: 1985

. . .

“I want to go home”

“The Headmaster Ritual” just might be my favorite Smiths song.

Since there were no advance singles for Meat is Murder — outside of “How Soon Is Now?” which I knew was stuck on by Sire Records — I had no idea what to expect from the Smiths’ second studio album when it came out in early 1985, as the singles they put out after The Smiths were all over the map.