Morrissey A-Z: "If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look at Me"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member



We continue our tour of the letter "I" with this one: a Morrissey/Tobias composition, originally a B-side on "The Youngest Was the Most Loved" and then included on the Swords compilation.

What do we think?
 
It's good.
 
My judgement is probably clouded by hearing it too many times live in recent years.

the title can be used almost daily though in conversation :D
 



We continue our tour of the letter "I" with this one: a Morrissey/Tobias composition, originally a B-side on "The Youngest Was the Most Loved" and then included on the Swords compilation.

What do we think?

"That's all.", sung in this song, and in I'd Love To.
 
Tough one. On some days, it’s utterly boring. Other days, it’s great. I definitely prefer the studio version to the live version.
 
While the tune is more or less generic chug-rock, the chord progression is pretty engaging. Morrissey’s vocals and lyrics definitely save the track: some bolder choices of range for his singing and a great swaggering attitude to match the pugnacious title of the tune. One to play loud - unless you’re sick of hearing it live.
6/10
 
love it,iv always had this in my top 10 M songs.always wondered why he used the word glen which is a very scottish word.
9likes/10looks.
off to work in an hour and yes i will be walking through a glen to get there.
 
I really like the way the music is racing and then seems to slow down as he sings the title is pretty great. I like the way it seems to start with acoustic guitar and then builds to the ending with the horns.
It was probably the right choice to use this as a b-side but it's a very solid b-side. Just hearing him sing the title is worth several points, so even though this might not be one of his most important songs I'd say it's an easy 7/10.
 
i really really like it, i love the guitar and frantic feel, and i like the lyrics. not sure about the trumpet or whatever in the outtro.

done to death live sadly. doesnt deserve the Eric Dier treatment.
 
“I really like the way the music is racing and then seems to slow down as he sings the title is pretty great. I like the way it seems to start with acoustic guitar and then builds to the ending with the horns.”

Same for me but I’ll add that I’ve come to find the chorus just boring. I mean I do like the slow down part but I wonder how it would sound all acoustic and at consistent up tempo. I’m kinda reminded of that poster in the hold on to your friends thread where he said it was just a boring sequence of notes
 
There are so many examples in the Moz discography of melody-free 'songs' that you start to wonder whether the band are actually instructed to create bland soundscapes so that the singer can shine, making the spotlight is entirely his and his vocal melody becomes the sole focus of the listener.

If that's true , it's a bad idea as he isn't always good enough to save a song by himself as is evidenced here. This is yet another piece of instantly forgettable nothingness.
 
This one is very thin musically and the vocal melody is the strongest part of the song.

The lyrics are reasonable, but not particularly special. Simon Goddard commented in his book about the opening lyrics about running "through the glen" being reminiscent of the Robin Hood theme. :)

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 149th from 264 solo songs.
 
This one is very thin musically and the vocal melody is the strongest part of the song.
Lyrically it's fairly thin as well. But I agree that the vocal melody is about the only good thing in this song.
 
Actually thinking back, to circa 2006 when this was released, I remember buying it on iTunes. I was that enamoured with it. That's cooled down in the last fifteen years, but must count for something.
 
I think the verses are pretty good. The tension and tempo do make me feel like I’m watching a movie of someone running away through the woods
 
Agree with some of the other comments on this one. I really like the zip and pace of the verses but each time the chorus comes around the song slows to a crawl and becomes much, much less interesting. It's an odd one!
 
There are so many examples in the Moz discography of melody-free 'songs' that you start to wonder whether the band are actually instructed to create bland soundscapes so that the singer can shine, making the spotlight is entirely his and his vocal melody becomes the sole focus of the listener.

If that's true , it's a bad idea as he isn't always good enough to save a song by himself as is evidenced here. This is yet another piece of instantly forgettable nothingness.

Interesting thought. I'd like to think it is not intentionally. However, if you want a heavy guitar-based sound but can't work with the top notch guitarists around, get a lame producer, co-write with average or inexperienced composers, rely on the services of a professional touring band whose members do not complement each other in the studio, or any combination of these elements, then the outcome may well be a bland soundscape.

I much prefer Morrissey's singing voice, phrasing and his punchlines to the vast majority of contemporary singers, but it is true that he music isn't always so distinguishable from the competition. This is one of those songs for me. Jesse could just as well have written this tune for Alanis Morrisette :) .
 
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