Riddled with puns, “King Leer” by Morrissey has been noted as being a rockabilly tune, one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music.

Morrissey, being the bookish man he is, named the song after King Lear, a famed tragedy written by William Shakespeare.

Furthermore, the phrase “king leer” can be interpreted as the male gaze, inferring that the boyfriend who appears in the song feels “entitled” to his fiancé. The male gaze can also refer to the narrator’s perception of the boyfriend and his fiancé.

The tongue-in-cheek lyrics of this song have often been criticised due to their nature, however “King Leer” is a clear indicator that Morrissey has not lost any theatricality or quick wit that was a focal point of his time with The Smiths. The over-the-top structure of this track is indeed “characteristic of some of The Smiths' best work,” as Rolling Stone wrote.