He was the lead singer of The Smiths, one of the most influential alternative bands in the 1980s. The group split up in 1987 and Morrissey started a successful solo career.
His first solo album, Viva Hate was released only six months after The Smiths split, in March 1988. The album's first single "Suedehead" peaked at #5, a higher position than any Smiths single had ever achieved. In 1990, Bona Drag, a collection of his solo singles and b-sides, including popular songs such as "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" and "Everyday is Like Sunday" (which also appears on "Viva Hate")
His second album 1991's Kill Uncle was not as well received as his first, with neither single achieving the Top 20. In 1992, the Mick Ronson-produced Your Arsenal was released and included singles such as "Tomorrow" and "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful". A live album, Beethoven Was Deaf, followed in 1993.
In 1994, Morrissey released Vauxhall and I, which contained "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get", his biggest hit in the United States, where it peaked at #46. Later that year, Morrissey also recorded a one-off project with Siouxsie of Siouxsie and the Banshees: they sang in duet on the single Interlude.
After "Vauxhall and I", Morrissey released Southpaw Grammar (1995) and Maladjusted (1997), both of which failed to produce a UK Top 20 single.
A period of musical inactivity followed in the late 90s and early 2000s, which was due to failure in finding a suitable label, according to a 2004 interview with Jools Holland. After seven years without a new album release, You Are the Quarry was released on May 17, 2004 (but one day later in the USA). The first single, Irish Blood, English Heart, was released internationally on May 10, 2004. The single reached number three in its first week of sales in the UK singles chart. To date, this is the highest placing chart position for Morrissey in his entire career as both a solo artist and the lead singer of The Smiths (the 2006 release You Have Killed Me also debuted at number three in its first week in the charts). It has sold over a million copies, making the album his most successful, solo or with The Smiths.
Ringleader Of The Tormentors, produced by former David Bowie producer Tony Visconti, was released in April 2006. The album went straight to the top of the UK Album charts.
Morrissey released a new Greatest Hits collection in February 2008, including two new songs: All You Need Is Me and That’s How People Grow Up, both released as singles. Morrissey is now signed to Decca Records.
In 2009, Morrissey released his latest album, Years of Refusal, which was produced by Jerry Finn, his final production credit before his death. Later in the year, Morrissey released the B-sides collection Swords.
2009 also saw the re-releases of Maladjusted and Southpaw Grammar, two of his most critically maligned albums. The Maladjusted re-release ditched two of its singles, Papa Jack and Roy's Keen, in favour of several other tracks from the period, such as I Can Have Both. Sorrow Will Come in the End, written about Morrissey's vicious legal battle with Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, was also re-instated to the UK edition. Southpaw Grammar retained all of its original tracks, albeit re-sequenced, but recieved the addition of other tracks from that time period, including the new album closer Nobody Loves Us.
Two other Morrissey releases came in 2009; The HMV/Parlophone Singles '88-'95 and Swords, the former a 3 CD compilation of singles and B-sides from Viva Hate through to Vauxhall and I, the latter a compilation of B-sides from You Are The Quarry, Ringleader of the Tormentors, and Years of Refusal.
A new Very Best Of collection was released in 2011, accompanied by a UK tour.
Morrissey's eleventh solo album, 'Low in High School', was released on November 17th, 2017. ' Low in high School' was produced by Joe Chiccarelli same producer as Morrissey’s ‘World Peace is None of Your Business’.
Morrissey's twelth studio album "California Son" is released on 24 May 2019 on the singer's label étienne and licensed on BMG, the album is a collection of cover versions. It is recorded in 2018 by Joe Chiccarelli, a frequent collaborator of Morrissey.
Morrissey's new studio album, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain, is scheduled for March 2020 release by BMG. The album was recorded in St-remy, France, with producer Joe Chiccarelli.
Dial a Cliche
Morrissey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I was just following you
When you said, "Do as I do and scrap your fey ways"
Dial-A-Cliché
"Grow up, be a man, and close your mealy-mouth!"
Dial-A-Cliché
Dial-A-Cliché
But the person underneath
Where does he go?
Does he slide by the wayside?
Or does he just die?
And you find that you've organized
Your feelings, for people
Who didn't like you then
And do not like you now
But still you say, "Do as I do and scrap your fey ways"
Dial-A-Cliché
"Grow up, be a man, and close your mealy-mouth!"
Dial-A-Cliché
"The safe way is the only way"
"There's always time to change, son"
I've changed, but I'm in pain
Dial-A-Cliché
The song 'Dial a Cliché' by Morrissey portrays how social conformity has forced people to fit into societal standards and abandon their individuality. The song starts with Morrissey following someone he admires, but this person instructs him to 'scrap his fey ways' and to Dial-A-Cliché. These words imply following a set of pre-determined rules that make a person appear more ordinary and acceptable to society. The constant repetition of "Dial-A-Cliché" drives the point that we are so programmed that we only need to follow a script to exist in society.
Morrissey sings about the destruction that follows when we try to fit in with society's expectations, and we lose our identities in the process. The person underneath refers to our true selves that have to hide under the set of rules society has directed. The references to the pains and the difficulties that come with living in disguise indicate that choosing not to conform is a risky endeavor.
Overall, Morrissey's Dial a Cliché shows how society has established customs that are blindly followed, leading to the death of uniqueness and non-conformity. And how it's painful for people to fit in while hiding their true selves.
Line by Line Meaning
Further into the fog I fall
I am getting more confused and uncertain about the situation.
Well, I was just following you
I am being influenced by someone else's actions.
When you said, "Do as I do and scrap your fey ways"
You advised me to abandon my sensitive and artistic tendencies.
Dial-A-Cliché
You have a stock response for every situation.
"Grow up, be a man, and close your mealy-mouth!"
You want me to mature and stop talking nonsense.
But the person underneath
My true self is hidden from others.
Where does he go?
I am unsure of where my true self belongs.
Does he slide by the wayside?
My true self may be neglected or forgotten.
Or does he just die?
My true self may not survive the pressure to conform.
And you find that you've organized
You have sorted out your emotions towards others.
Your feelings, for people
You have categorized your emotions for others.
Who didn't like you then
Those who disliked you in the past.
And do not like you now
Those who currently dislike you.
But still you say, "Do as I do and scrap your fey ways"
You continue to urge me to abandon my sensitivity and creativity.
Dial-A-Cliché
You have a standard response for every situation.
"Grow up, be a man, and close your mealy-mouth!"
You want me to mature and stop speaking foolishly.
"The safe way is the only way"
You believe that avoiding risk is the only option.
"There's always time to change, son"
You believe it is never too late to alter oneself.
I've changed, but I'm in pain
I have altered myself, but it has caused me discomfort.
Dial-A-Cliché
You have a go-to response for every situation.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: STEVEN MORRISSEY, STEPHEN STREET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind