Gelignite is "a high explosive consisting of a gelatinous mass of nitroglycerin with cellulose nitrate added."
Clearly this is about the ills of becoming a famous musician. The song is full of familiar rock star complaints--the cruelty and fickleness of critics and fans, marketing and merchandise distractions, feuds over royalties. But they are presented in a fresh and witty way, as is to be expected from Morrissey. I like the lines "the teenagers who love you, they will wake up, yawn, and kill you" and "the critics who can't break you, unwittingly they make you."
Often people criticize stars who make such complaints about their fame, and I could see people dismissing this song in the same way-- "oh, Morrissey's too rich and famous now, boo hoo"-- but I think this is a genuine attempt by Morrissey to talk about the problems that he is dealing with now, just as writing about poverty and ennui in Manchester were genuine reactions to what his life was like at the time he wrote songs for The Smiths.
Gelignite is "a high explosive consisting of a gelatinous mass of nitroglycerin with cellulose nitrate added."
Clearly this is about the ills of becoming a famous musician. The song is full of familiar rock star complaints--the cruelty and fickleness of critics and fans, marketing and merchandise distractions, feuds over royalties. But they are presented in a fresh and witty way, as is to be expected from Morrissey. I like the lines "the teenagers who love you, they will wake up, yawn, and kill you" and "the critics who can't break you, unwittingly they make you."
Often people criticize stars who make such complaints about their fame, and I could see people dismissing this song in the same way-- "oh, Morrissey's too rich and famous now, boo hoo"-- but I think this is a genuine attempt by Morrissey to talk about the problems that he is dealing with now, just as writing about poverty and ennui in Manchester were genuine reactions to what his life was like at the time he wrote songs for The Smiths.