Suedehead

"Suedehead"
Single by Morrissey
from the album Viva Hate
Released 27 February 1988 (1988-02-27)
Format
Recorded October – December 1987
Genre Jangle pop[1]
Length 3:54
Label HMV (UK)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Stephen Street
Morrissey singles chronology
"Suedehead"
(1988)		 "Everyday Is Like Sunday"
(1988)

"Suedehead"
(1988)		 "Everyday Is Like Sunday"
(1988)
Music video
"Suedehead" on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

"Suedehead" is the debut solo single by English singer Morrissey, released in February 1988.

The single charted higher than any of the singles released by his former band the Smiths, entering the UK Singles Chart at No. 6 and then peaking at No. 5 the week after.[3] "Suedehead" peaked at No. 2 in Ireland,[4] No. 8 in New Zealand,[5] and reached the Top 50 in Germany,[6] the Netherlands,[7] and Australia.[8] The lead track was featured on Morrissey's debut album Viva Hate and the compilation album Bona Drag, the latter of which also featured the B-side "Hairdresser on Fire". The artwork of the single features a photo taken by Geri Caulfield during a Smiths gig at the London Palladium.

The music video, directed by Tim Broad, features Morrissey walking through the streets of Fairmount, Indiana,[9] the boyhood city of actor James Dean, including shots of the school where Dean studied and the Park Cemetery, where he is buried. Other allusions to Dean in the video include a child (played by Sam Esty Rayner, Morrissey's nephew, who went on to direct the video for "Kiss Me a Lot" in 2015) delivering to Morrissey a copy of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, Dean's favourite book.[10]

At the beginning of his album Heartbreaker, Ryan Adams argues with David Rawlings about whether or not "Suedehead" is on Viva Hate.

Critical reception

NME gave the single 'Single of the Week 2' saying that "his vocals hit a pitch that turns your stomach with queasy delight. It makes you feel vulnerable and provokes emotions you've forgotten about." In the 1988 NME Year in Review the song was described as "The best No. 1 '88 never gave us".[11]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Ned Raggett described it as "a memorable number, with Street's subtle orchestrations carrying the sweep of the song."[2]

Track listings

  • 7" vinyl
  1. "Suedehead"
  2. "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name"
  • 12" vinyl
  1. "Suedehead"
  2. "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name"
  3. "Hairdresser on Fire"
  • CD and cassette
  1. "Suedehead"
  2. "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name"
  3. "Hairdresser on Fire"
  4. "Oh Well, I'll Never Learn"
Country Record label Format Catalogue number
UKHMV7" vinylPOP1618
UKHMV12" vinyl12POP1618
UKHMVCDCDPOP1618
UKHMVCassetteTCPOP1618

Etchings on vinyl

British 7" and 12": "DREAMS...ARE...JUST...DREAMS"/none

Personnel

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australia (Australian Music Report)[8][12] 45
Germany (Media Control Charts)[6] 29
Ireland (IRMA)[4] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 30
New Zealand (Official New Zealand Music Chart)[5] 8
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[3] 5

2012 reissue

"Suedehead (Mael Mix)"
Single by Morrissey
Released 21 April 2012 (2012-04-21)
Format 10" picture disc
Length 6:36
Label EMI (UK)
Morrissey singles chronology
"Glamorous Glue"
(2011)		 "Suedehead (Mael Mix)"
(2012)		 "The Last of the Famous International Playboys"
(2013)

"Glamorous Glue"
(2011)		 "Suedehead (Mael mix)"
(2012)		 "The Last of the Famous International Playboys"
(2013)

A remix of the song by American band Sparks was released for Record Store Day 2012. The remix was originally released in 2006 on a compilation album. [13]

Track listing

10" (EMI 5593331)
  • "Suedehead (Mael mix)"
  • "We'll Let You Know" (live in London 1995)
  • "Now My Heart Is Full" (live in London 1995)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Leivers, Dannii (3 December 2014). "Live Report: Morrissey At The O2 Arena, London". Clash. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Suedehead Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Official Charts > Morrissey". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  4. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for 'Suedehead'". Fireball Media. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  5. 1 2 "charts.org.nz > Morrissey – Suedehead (song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  6. 1 2 "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Morrissey – Suedehead (song)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  7. 1 2 "dutchcharts.nl > Morrissey – Suedehead" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  8. 1 2 "Australian Top 50 Singles Chart – Week Ending 15th May, 1988". ARIA. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  9. ↑ Bret, David (2004). Morrissey: scandal and passion. London: Robson. p. 105. ISBN 978-1861057877.
  10. ↑ Devereux, Eoin; Dillane, Aileen; Power, Martin J. (2012). Morrissey : fandom, representations and identities. Bristol: Intellect. p. 25. ISBN 978-1841505961.
  11. ↑ NME Suedehead Reviews
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 208. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  13. ↑ "PassionsJustLikeMine.com". Retrieved 24 December 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.