Hairdresser on Fire

As a single "Suedehead" came out swinging, eager to prove its right to life but nestled safely on the b-side was this gorgeous ditty which was an ode to hair. Long a staple of the Moz persona its distinctive style not only made for a striking profile, it cemented his icon hood. Gladioli bloomed and withered, hearing aids were thrust back in the cupboard but his hair (with some notable exceptions) remained untouched by fashions hyperactive need to change. Morrissey not only escaped the demise of his band, he survived without tearing out a single follicle.

This song discusses how hard it is to get a hair appointment while also tackling the daily stresses hairdressers must endure. Yet out of this laughable conceit Morrissey hews a song of lovely insight. It is an odd mixture of desperately pedestrian concerns and soulful existential ones. It deals with self esteem issues and self image problems, that ones very soul and mood could be changed by a good or bad haircut. And in some ways it's very true. Who hasn't slinked off home following a disappointing hair cut, your social evening derailed by a totally self absorbed notion that "everyone will be looking"?

True to form, Morrissey takes this idea and runs with it to its most absurd degree. He wants to be "Supernaturally changed" by what artistry can be conjured in the hairdressers chair. He also talks about an incident in which the hairdresser will be sued by some client following a careless piece of work. Is this Morrissey discussing how litigious and financially driven we have become, that even when faced with such a homespun industry as your local barbers, men can become vicious and attack through the wallet? The song also seems to be lionizing a free London but that the old fashioned hairdresser seems to be out of step with. Considering its lightweight attitude the song seems to discuss many different issues, with a really beautiful backing, which segues from an ornate classical sweep at the beginning into a buoyant piano line which was certainly different to what people might have expected from a Morrissy song at the time (even with the more keyboard fixated "Strangeways Here We Come" album directly preceding this).

Another excellent b side with a very winning double entendre in the title, it may be just referring to a hairdresser having a great day, being on a roll, or if taken literally it reads as the premise of a terrific black comedy. Coming back to this song one is relieved to realise that Morrissey actually remembered his roots, both his love of pop and the ones in his actual hair.