Your Arsenal is a 1992 album by British singer
MorrisseySteven 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,...
, which was released through HMV Records. The album was regarded by many fans and critics as his strongest and heaviest effort yet upon its release. It was listed as one of the top 50 albums of 1992 by
QQ is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
.
About the album
Morrissey had been rehearsing with a new band prior to the release of
Your Arsenal, which was the first official album of this new line up, whose core has remained stable to date: ever since this record was released, his music has been chiefly composed by either
Alain WhyteAlain Gordon Whyte is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is most known for being Morrissey's main songwriting partner since 1991 and his lead guitarist from 1991-2004...
or
Boz BoorerBoz Boorer is a British guitarist and producer most known for his work founding the new wave rockabilly group, The Polecats, and later for his work as a co-writer, guitarist and musical director with Morrissey.-The Polecats:The band "Cult Heroes" was formed in 1977 by Tim Worman , Boz...
, two musicians originally coming from the rockabilly scene.
Commencing with the blistering "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side", the album represents a clear change in direction for Morrissey from
indie popIndie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
to
modern rockRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. It also features some elements of
rockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
. It also contains an influence of
glam rockGlam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, because of the involvement of ex-Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson, and songs like "
Certain People I Know"Certain People I Know" was a single by Morrissey released in December 1992. It was the third single to be taken from the Your Arsenal album and was the third and final Morrissey single to be produced by glam rock legend Mick Ronson....
", "
Glamorous Glue"Glamorous Glue" is a single released in the USA by English singer Morrissey in 1992. It reached number 13 on Billboard magazine's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song has also been used in promotions for the Fox television series Lie to Me. It was not a single release in the UK...
", and "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday", which are respectively influenced by
T. RexT. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
, and
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's Ziggy Stardust-period songs like "
The Jean Genie"The Jean Genie" is a song by David Bowie, originally released as a single in November 1972. According to Bowie, it was "a smorgasbord of imagined Americana", with a protagonist inspired by Iggy Pop, and the title being a pun on author Jean Genet. One of Bowie’s most famous tracks, it was the lead...
", and the last by "
Rock 'n' Roll Suicide"Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is a song by David Bowie, originally released as the closing track on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in June 1972. It detailed Ziggy’s final collapse as an old, washed-up rock star and, as such, was also the closing number of the...
".
Some tracks from the album were lyrically controversial, although much of the controversy was stirred up by the
New Musical ExpressThe 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...
, who had turned against Morrissey by this time. "Glamorous Glue", though a personally conflicted and ambivalent song, was accused of
anti-AmericanismThe term Anti-Americanism, or Anti-American Sentiment, refers to broad opposition or hostility to the people, policies, culture or government of the United States...
, while the similarly ambiguous "We'll Let You Know" was accused of defending
football hooliganismFootball hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
. "
The National Front Disco"The National Front Disco" is a song by Morrissey which appears on the album Your Arsenal. The song also appears on the live album Beethoven Was Deaf. The title of the song refers to the National Front, a far-right nationalist organisation...
", meanwhile, was accused by some of glorifying the British National Front, a far-right group, and the ambiguity of lyrics such as "England for the English" was criticised.
While the album represents a consistent collection of songs, there was no standout hit
singleIn music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. The first song released from the album, "
We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful"We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" is a single by Morrissey released in April 1992. It was taken from the then-unreleased Your Arsenal album and was the first Morrissey single to be written by Alain Whyte and produced by glam rock legend Mick Ronson.Reaching number 17 in the UK Singles...
", peaked at number 17 in the United Kingdom. It also hit number two on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. While this was an improvement from the singles from
Kill UncleKill Uncle is Morrissey's second solo album, released on 4 March 1991 by EMI and HMV Records...
, it did not match the success of his earlier singles.
Despite this, a great number of singles were released from the album. The UK saw the release of "
You're the One for Me, Fatty"You're the One for Me, Fatty" was a single by Morrissey released in April 1992. It was taken from the then-unreleased Your Arsenal album and was the second Morrissey single to be written by Alain Whyte and produced by glam rock legend Mick Ronson....
" (#19) and "Certain People I Know" (#35). In the United States, "Glamorous Glue" and "Tomorrow" reached #13 and #1 on the Modern Rock chart, respectively.
Morrissey performed a version of "Glamorous Glue" on
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
after the album's release.
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
covered the track "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" on his album
Black Tie White NoiseBlack Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from...
.
Reel Big FishReel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
covered the track "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" on their
2005-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
album
We're Not Happy 'til You're Not HappyWe're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy is the fifth LP by Orange County ska punk band, Reel Big Fish.The follow-up to the band's moderately successful Cheer Up!, We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy was released on April 5, 2005 on Mojo Records...
.
The album earned a
GrammyA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for
Best Alternative Music AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
.
Producer Mick Ronson died of liver cancer at the age of 46, less than a year after the album's release.
Track listing
All tracks written by Morrissey/Whyte, except where noted.
- "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side" (Morrissey, Mark E. Nevin
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
) – 3:38
- "Glamorous Glue
"Glamorous Glue" is a single released in the USA by English singer Morrissey in 1992. It reached number 13 on Billboard magazine's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song has also been used in promotions for the Fox television series Lie to Me. It was not a single release in the UK...
" – 4:01
- "We'll Let You Know" – 5:17
- "The National Front Disco
"The National Front Disco" is a song by Morrissey which appears on the album Your Arsenal. The song also appears on the live album Beethoven Was Deaf. The title of the song refers to the National Front, a far-right nationalist organisation...
" – 4:23
- "Certain People I Know
"Certain People I Know" was a single by Morrissey released in December 1992. It was the third single to be taken from the Your Arsenal album and was the third and final Morrissey single to be produced by glam rock legend Mick Ronson....
" – 3:11
- "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
"We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" is a single by Morrissey released in April 1992. It was taken from the then-unreleased Your Arsenal album and was the first Morrissey single to be written by Alain Whyte and produced by glam rock legend Mick Ronson.Reaching number 17 in the UK Singles...
" – 2:29
- "You're the One for Me, Fatty
"You're the One for Me, Fatty" was a single by Morrissey released in April 1992. It was taken from the then-unreleased Your Arsenal album and was the second Morrissey single to be written by Alain Whyte and produced by glam rock legend Mick Ronson....
" – 2:58
- "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" – 5:07
- "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" (Morrissey, Mark E. Nevin) – 4:20
- "Tomorrow
"Tomorrow" is a single released by English singer Morrissey in September 1992. It reached number one on Billboard magazine's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart...
" – 4:05
Band
- 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,...
– vocalsSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Alain Whyte
Alain Gordon Whyte is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is most known for being Morrissey's main songwriting partner since 1991 and his lead guitarist from 1991-2004...
– guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s
- Boz Boorer
Boz Boorer is a British guitarist and producer most known for his work founding the new wave rockabilly group, The Polecats, and later for his work as a co-writer, guitarist and musical director with Morrissey.-The Polecats:The band "Cult Heroes" was formed in 1977 by Tim Worman , Boz...
– guitars
- Gary Day – bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Spencer Cobrin – drums
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....