Tomorrow

This was the song that got me into Morrissey solo. Already being a devout Smiths fan I did feel a certain sense of trepidation approaching his solo work. How many wonderful artists have fallen apart once divorced from the chemistry of their previous collaborators? It's always a gamble.

The surge of this song hooked me, the soaring guitars, the strident bass, its a sublime piece of music which announced that Morrissey had finally arrived at the style he was comfortable with and would largely follow for the rest of his career, thus far anyway. Maybe a salsa concept album this time next year Mozzer? Lyrically the song is entrenched in his usual woes, the love that could come from someone close but is never actually delivered. That story is old, but it goes on. There's a danger and I'm doing it a lot here of assigning a personal story to his songs cause sometimes it doesn't appear to be about him and that is his prerogative, but I have no doubt that this is touching on real issues for the man.

In magnificent voice throughout the music allows all the breathing room for this pitch perfect romantic diatribe which reads as as sincere plea for affection first in an embrace, and then confirmed with a declaration. He would seem to be happy with a mere false claim of this love and that desperation is beautifully drawn. We all need to hear those words sometimes and we'll take them, whatever the caveats may be. The sickly demeanour of old is here as well, seeing as his "shiftless body" seems so weak that the inevitable rejection and the encroach of tomorrow might just finish him off. A song I'd offer to those unsure of Morrissey as a solo artist, it has the confidence of old but blessed with the possibilities of the future. Morrissey records aren't exactly praised for their musical flourishes but I feel all here deserve due credit for finding a nice band friendly arrangement to house this romantic ode. A great closer on the Your Arsenal record, a real release to that albums turbulent content and a perfect starting point for me as a fan. This blog wouldn't exist, If I hadn't embraced "Tomorrow".

Video note: Directed by Zack Snyder, of "Watchmen", "300" and soon to be "Superman" fame this video is another great "gang video" with Morrissey magnetically holding the screen throughout. Considering his allure, it's a small wonder videos have never been his forte but this does the job admirably, all the better for the gaffe he makes on "I won't tell anybody" line where he mimes "I won't tell anyone" instead. The look he gives is a wry self put down but he quickly dismisses it and continues on unbowed. A genuine error but delicious in the way it illustrates the inherent artifice of the music video as an art form.