Alma Matters

'Alma Mater' is latin for 'nurturing mother', the pun here i think is that, in this case, the mother is overly nuturing and he wants freedom. he sings "To someone, somewhere, oh yeah... Alma matters" - to someone an overly nurturing mother is something they have never had and perhaps need or want, but morrissey just wants to be left to ruuin his life his own way.

this is my interpretation, any disputes?

A measly 8 comments under this song!? Musically this is one of Morrissey's finest songs and definitely one of my favourites but I guess there is not much lyrics to work with.

The title is obviously a play on the term Alma Mater which means "Nourishing Mother". The term is also used in connection with the Virgin Mary, as well as a term used in ancient rome for the mother goddess and more commonly in the modern era as the anthem for a University or educational establishment.

Morrissey is also quoting A Taste of Honey - a "kitchen sink drama" written by Shelagh Delaney in the late 1950s as marquecerice correctly pointed out in his/her post. Morrissey was obviously a big fan and used Delaney's photo on the album cover artwork for Louder Than Bombs and also for the single Girlfriend in a Coma while he was in The Smiths.

The play itself was hard hitting drama with a frank social commentary on single parenthood, poverty, class, race, gender and sexual orientation.

I got this off wikipedia: "A Taste of Honey is set in Salford in northwestern England in the 1950s. It tells the story of Jo, a seventeen-year-old working class girl, and her mother, Helen, who is presented as crude and sexually indiscriminate. Helen leaves Jo alone in their new flat after she begins a relationship with Peter, a rich lover who is younger than her. At the same time Jo begins a romantic relationship with Jimmy, a black sailor. He proposes marriage but then goes to sea, leaving Jo pregnant and alone. She finds lodgings with a homosexual acquaintance, Geoffrey, who assumes the role of surrogate father. Helen returns after leaving her lover and the future of Jo's new home is put into question".

In my opinion then Morrissey's title and play on the term "Alma Mater" (or Nourishing Mother) is an ironic one. The mother in this play was a working class alcoholic who pursued frivilous love affairs with little regard for her teenage daughter Jo who she abandons for a young rich lover. Therefore this song is a simple one written from the viewpoint of Jo's character claiming that "to someone somewhere" a caring and nurturing mother may be something or someone they need but not her!

The man has pseudo-friends who constantly criticize his actions. They moralize him, "teach" him and advise him to make a significant change in his life, because the way he is and what he does is not what they say it should be. They may find his life lame or immoral. They hold themselves up as role models. The man replies that he will make his own choices and decisions and he does not agree to unconditionally make himself under the influence of questionable quality advice. He justifies this by saying that there is always someone for whom he will be important, no matter what he does and no matter what he is. Although it is not said directly, I read it as meaning that he will always be important to himself in every way and he will always have his own support.

"Everyone is different and maybe that's a good thing, but you exceeded that mark 1000 times" - I remember very well how sad the words I once heard (from my peers and it was in negative context) at school made me feel.

[Edit: corrected]

You've ALL missed the point on this one.

Moz, is a big fan of Coronation Street, and at the time of penning the lyrics to this song, Alma (Mike Baldwin's wife in Corrie) was dying of cancer, after having a rough time with her hubbie for a few years previous).

The choice Moz had made, was to become a Coronation Street addict. It's his life to ruin, his own way!!

Usual Moz tongue in cheekness.

So, you see, Alma matters to someone, somewhere.........oh yeah!!

well, "alma" means "soul" I think, this is just Morrissey stating self-acceptance, he doesn't care what people think and he may as well be himself, because the right one will love him for exactly who he is. Basically, my SOUL matters to somebody out there....I think it's rather magical.

Alma is spanish for soul.

So to someone, somewhere soul matters.

I wouldn't say it's his weakest, probably his second weakest album. I think the weakest is generally considered to be "Kill Uncle" which really didn't have any good songs except "Last Of The Family Line". Maladjusted starts with it's brilliant title track, then onto this and then onto my favourite "Trouble Loves Me" and finally finishes with the rather splendidly bombastic "Satan Rejected My Soul".

I'm not quite sure what this song is about, but the verses do seem quite open in making it clear that he will not be told how to lead his life. It's all quite negatively phrased.

"Anyway, it's your life, ruin it your own way." -A Taste Of Honey, by Shelagh Delaney.

I really love this song...I like the uptempo-ness to it and especially the lines "It's my life to ruin my way". What is talking about re: alma matters? Not really getting it...doesn't alma mean soul? So how can it matter mind body AND soul....

Alma is a female for gods sakes. Everybody loves somebody. Even the unlikely.