Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Encyclopedia
"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" is a song by The Smiths
, recorded in autumn 1985 and first released on their 1986 album The Queen Is Dead
. It was also released as a single in Germany.
and the lyrics were written by Morrissey
. The recording was given a distinctive intro by engineer Stephen Street
, who increased the reverb on the drums, faded the track in then out again, and took the reverb back off when reintroducing the song: "A bit like opening a door, closing it, then opening it again and walking in". The lyric paraphrases Johnny Tillotson
's 1962 single "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On
", and broadly references the 1964 comedy Carry On Cleo
.
"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" was played live only once, at the final concert by The Smiths, at Brixton Academy, London
, on the 12th of December 1986. The performance, which included a verse not used in the studio version, was recorded and later featured as a B-side
on the 12-inch and cassette edition of the "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
" single in November 1987.
Amateur footage of the entire gig has since appeared online.
, Adrian Thrills wrote, "As an album with humour never far from its surface, it is fitting that The Queen Is Dead should conclude with the clipped, undulating frivolity of 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others', a hypnotic musical travelogue that verges on the transcendental[...] Again, the Morrissey muse and Marr's musical setting collide marvellously, the track illuminated by some lovely slide guitar from the latter. It would have made another classic Smiths single".
Andy Strickland in Record Mirror
stated, "Morrissey and Marr still can't quite get it together all the time, 'Never Had No One Ever' and 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others' bearing all the hallmarks of the familiar Smiths filler, where music and words hardly embrace", while Nick Kent
wrote, "'Vicar In a Tutu' and 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others', sensibly restrained arrangement-wise, may well be lesser songs but, constructed within their rightful limitations, sound absolutely stunning".
In Simon Goddard
's track-by-track book Songs That Saved Your Life, Johnny Marr describes the song as "a beautiful piece of music", while the author writes, "Possessing one of his most alluring guitar melodies[...] if Marr's tune was heaven-sent, then it seemed very nearly blasphemous of Morrissey to christen it 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others' and bestow it with its notoriously frivolous lyric".
"On the shopfloor
There's a calendar
As obvious as snow...
(As if we didn't know)"
".
Supergrass
covered the song on the 1996 Smiths tribute album
The Smiths Is Dead.
German band Brockdorff Klang Labor covered the song.
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, recorded in autumn 1985 and first released on their 1986 album The Queen Is Dead
The Queen Is Dead
The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band The Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records and released in the United States on 23 June 1986 through Sire Records. The album reached #2 on the UK Albums Chart, maintaining...
. It was also released as a single in Germany.
Composition and recording
As with every original Smiths recording, the music of "Some Girls" was composed by Johnny MarrJohnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
and the lyrics were written by Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
. The recording was given a distinctive intro by engineer Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
, who increased the reverb on the drums, faded the track in then out again, and took the reverb back off when reintroducing the song: "A bit like opening a door, closing it, then opening it again and walking in". The lyric paraphrases Johnny Tillotson
Johnny Tillotson
Johnny Tillotson is an American singer and songwriter. He enjoyed his greatest success in the early 1960s, when he scored 9 top-ten hits on the pop, country and adult contemporary billboard charts including "Poetry In Motion" and the self-penned "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'"...
's 1962 single "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On
Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On
"Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On" is Country-And-Western song written and recorded by Hank Locklin. The song met success and made it to hit No. 5 on the charts, and became a standard for the Nashville sound. It has been covered by both Pop and Country Artists.Locklin first released the song in...
", and broadly references the 1964 comedy Carry On Cleo
Carry On Cleo
Carry On Cleo is the tenth film in the Carry On film series and was released in 1964. The website ICONS.a portrait of England cites the Carry On films as iconic of British cinema, and describes Carry On Cleo as "perhaps the best". Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles...
.
"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" was played live only once, at the final concert by The Smiths, at Brixton Academy, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on the 12th of December 1986. The performance, which included a verse not used in the studio version, was recorded and later featured as a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
on the 12-inch and cassette edition of the "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" is a song by The Smiths. It was released as a single in November 1987, reaching #23 in the UK Singles Chart....
" single in November 1987.
Amateur footage of the entire gig has since appeared online.
Critical reaction
In the mainstream British music press, "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" was mentioned in the context of The Queen Is Dead. In the NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Adrian Thrills wrote, "As an album with humour never far from its surface, it is fitting that The Queen Is Dead should conclude with the clipped, undulating frivolity of 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others', a hypnotic musical travelogue that verges on the transcendental[...] Again, the Morrissey muse and Marr's musical setting collide marvellously, the track illuminated by some lovely slide guitar from the latter. It would have made another classic Smiths single".
Andy Strickland in Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
stated, "Morrissey and Marr still can't quite get it together all the time, 'Never Had No One Ever' and 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others' bearing all the hallmarks of the familiar Smiths filler, where music and words hardly embrace", while Nick Kent
Nick Kent
Nick Kent is a British rock critic and musician.-Career:Along with writers including Paul Morley, Charles Shaar Murray and Danny Baker, Nick Kent is seen as one of the most important and influential UK music journalists of the 1970s. He wrote for the British music publication New Musical Express,...
wrote, "'Vicar In a Tutu' and 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others', sensibly restrained arrangement-wise, may well be lesser songs but, constructed within their rightful limitations, sound absolutely stunning".
In Simon Goddard
Simon Goddard
Simon Goddard is a British music journalist and author, best known for his writings on British indie band The Smiths and their former lead singer Morrissey....
's track-by-track book Songs That Saved Your Life, Johnny Marr describes the song as "a beautiful piece of music", while the author writes, "Possessing one of his most alluring guitar melodies[...] if Marr's tune was heaven-sent, then it seemed very nearly blasphemous of Morrissey to christen it 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others' and bestow it with its notoriously frivolous lyric".
Extra lyrics
In the live version Morrissey adds an extra verse which helps to clarify the meaning of the song:"On the shopfloor
There's a calendar
As obvious as snow...
(As if we didn't know)"
Single release
In Germany, "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" was released as a single in slightly edited form, on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl, with artwork modified from the cover used for "AskAsk (song)
Later re-releases of the "Ask" single would include the album version, which runs for 3:15, instead of the single version included on the original pressings.-Etchings on vinyl:UK 7" and 12":ARE YOU LOATHESOME TONIGHT? / TOMB IT MAY CONCERNGerman 12":...
".
In popular culture
In 2005 the song title was used for a musical based around the music of Morrissey & Marr.Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
covered the song on the 1996 Smiths tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
The Smiths Is Dead.
German band Brockdorff Klang Labor covered the song.