Bigmouth Strikes Again
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| “Bigmouth Strikes Again” | |||||
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| Single by The Smiths from the album The Queen Is Dead |
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| Released | May 19, 1986 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12" | ||||
| Recorded | Autumn 1985 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 3:14 | ||||
| Label | Rough Trade | ||||
| Writer(s) | Johnny Marr Morrissey |
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| Producer | Morrissey and Johnny Marr | ||||
| The Smiths singles chronology | |||||
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"Bigmouth Strikes Again" is a song by The Smiths. It appears on their third album The Queen Is Dead and was the lead single from the album, reaching #26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1986. It was also the closing song on The Smiths' only live album, Rank.
The lyrics describe the protagonists frustration of being hounded by others for his comments, to which he replies "I was only joking" and he compares himself to Joan of Arc as she was being burned. The line "and her hearing aid started to melt" is a reference to a hard-of-hearing Smiths fan that the band met who felt embarrassed at wearing her hearing aid.[citation needed] Performances around the time of the release of "Bigmouth Strikes Again" saw Morrissey wearing a hearing aid in support of her.[citation needed]
The high-pitched voice in the background is actually Morrissey's, but credited as Ann Coates. Ancoats is the area of Manchester that the band originate from.
Since the breakup of The Smiths, Morrissey has performed this song live, recently replacing the word "Walkman" with "iPod". It appears in this form on his live album, Live at Earls Court (2005).
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] 7": Rough Trade / RT192 (UK)
- "Bigmouth Strikes Again"
- "Money Changes Everything"
[edit] 12": Rough Trade / RTT192 (UK)
- "Bigmouth Strikes Again"
- "Money Changes Everything"
- "Unloveable"
[edit] Etchings on vinyl
- UK 7" and 12": BEWARE THE WRATH TO COME / TALENT BORROWS, GENIUS STEALS
The A-side etching was seen on a banner in Hobson's Choice, one of Morrissey's most loved films. The B-side etching is a line from Oscar Wilde.
[edit] Artwork
The single contained a photograph of James Dean by Nelva Jean Thomas. James Dean is an idol to Morrissey, who even wrote a book about him entitled James Dean is not Dead.
[edit] Covers and effect on popular culture
The song is covered by Placebo, who substitute the words "Discman" and "Mega Drive" for "Walkman" and "Hearing aid". It appears as a B-side to "Nancy Boy", as well as on Disc 2 of the Sleeping with Ghosts special edition and on the various artists compilation The Smiths is dead. "Bigmouth Strikes Again" has also been covered by Treepeople, The Entertainment System, and Slapshot.
The original Smiths version was chosen by J. K. Rowling as one of her Desert Island Discs.
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