This song is a response to accusations of racism that were made against Morrissey in September 2010. Typically, Morrissey completely submits to the idea of his opponents - declaring anti-racists totally correct in their refusal to acknowledge racial difference, accepting that everyone's the same. But he then spins this ironically to emphasise how mundane that prospect might be if true, likening the undifferentiated homogeneity of global uniformity to a herd of cattle where America, the ultimate expression of individuality, the home of the free and land of the brave, can no longer exist.
Of course, Morrissey doesn't see himself as part of this mass. As in so many other songs, he portrays himself as a freakish outcast, "the biggest mistake of all".
The song is a clever way of pouring ironic scorn on those who sift Morrissey's interviews for evidence with which to label him a racist because it takes their view of the world literally. But rather than fighting back at their grotesque accusations, Morrissey outdoes them by representing himself as an even more sorry prospect than they suggest. "If you try to break my spirit, it won't work. Because there's nothing left to break."
This song is a response to accusations of racism that were made against Morrissey in September 2010. Typically, Morrissey completely submits to the idea of his opponents - declaring anti-racists totally correct in their refusal to acknowledge racial difference, accepting that everyone's the same. But he then spins this ironically to emphasise how mundane that prospect might be if true, likening the undifferentiated homogeneity of global uniformity to a herd of cattle where America, the ultimate expression of individuality, the home of the free and land of the brave, can no longer exist. Of course, Morrissey doesn't see himself as part of this mass. As in so many other songs, he portrays himself as a freakish outcast, "the biggest mistake of all". The song is a clever way of pouring ironic scorn on those who sift Morrissey's interviews for evidence with which to label him a racist because it takes their view of the world literally. But rather than fighting back at their grotesque accusations, Morrissey outdoes them by representing himself as an even more sorry prospect than they suggest. "If you try to break my spirit, it won't work. Because there's nothing left to break."
I hadn't thought of this song that way before. Very interesting.
I hadn't thought of this song that way before. Very interesting.