Morrissey A-Z: "Istanbul"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member








Our song for today is this Morrissey/Boorer composition from World Peace Is None of Your Business. This was "released" as a digital only single in advance of the album, along with the spoken word video above.

What do we think of this song?
 
Another fantastic song, one that sadly gets slept on due to the unavailability of its parent album. Engaging instrumentation, with a well-integrated Eastern theme is matched with very poetic lyrics of loss in Istanbul. The spoken word video actually doesn’t harm the song that much, thanks to the arrangement of the lyrics. The only criticism I would really have is that it perhaps drags on a bit too long, and repeats the same few themes without much variation towards the end. But, aside from that, another strong song, one that makes up a fierce opening quartet on World Peace.
8/10
 
The song that got me to take notice of Morrissey again after not loving ROTT and YOR. It felt vibrant, fresh, and inspired and got me excited for the new album.
 
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@SuedeMoz said it best: vibrant, fresh and inspired. This is a fantastic song in every way. Truly one of his very best songs since returning in 2014. And what a story he weaves. You hang on, and believe, every word he says.
 
great song,M doesnt have to do much of a vocal on this,lyrically its a story being told.production is good on this,lots of different instruments and noises all put together.
9 mothers/10 sons.
 
Takes me back to that 14/15 period. Quite sad it was left behind in 2016 and hasn’t had a live airing since.
Really good song, and one of the key players on that album.
 
in the spoken word video,how northern is M in those first two lines.
 
Another fantastic song, one that sadly gets slept on due to the unavailability of its parent album. Engaging instrumentation, with a well-integrated Eastern theme is matched with very poetic lyrics of loss in Istanbul. The spoken word video actually doesn’t harm the song that much, thanks to the arrangement of the lyrics. The only criticism I would really have is that it perhaps drags on a bit too long, and repeats the same few themes without much variation towards the end. But, aside from that, another strong song, one that makes up a fierce opening quartet on World Peace.
8/10
When you say “unavailability if it’s parent album” - are you referring to Harvest scrapping it?
It’s still widely available on cd, very cheaply as well. The vinyl can also be picked up.

I know it’s not on iTunes but if you paid for it at the time, it’s still on your device(s)
 
I've seen i get a lot of hate on here, but for whatever reason I really like it. I like the guitar riff, I like the atmosphere, I really like the lyrics. Really evokes memories of that summer in 2014 for personal reasons, so maybe that colours my positivity for WPINOYB.

Should've been a "bigger" single.
 
When you say “unavailability if it’s parent album” - are you referring to Harvest scrapping it?
It’s still widely available on cd, very cheaply as well. The vinyl can also be picked up.

I know it’s not on iTunes but if you paid for it at the time, it’s still on your device(s)

No many people walk around with a discman or boomblasters these days, people use Spotify (on their smartphone or computer) and it's sad that this album is unavailable for digital streaming. In 2016, I think, a re-release with a new cover was teased, but this was one of the many announcements that never materialised.
 
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Fantastic song. I believe that Joe C. described the music as "trying to capture the hectic atmosphere of Istanbul" and I love that idea. The song is indeed full of life, thanks to the samples, noises and rich instrumentation. For me, it was also an occasion to enjoy the music as much as Morrissey's vocals and words, a welcome change from the preceding albums.
 
No many people walk around with a discman or boomblasters these days, people use Spotify (on their smartphone or computer) and it's sad that this album is unavailable for digital streaming. In 2016, I think, a re-release with a new cover was teased, but this was one of the many announcements that never materialised.

Yep. I've got the album on CD, ripped to a hard drive, but I don't have access to it when I am out and about like i would with Spotify. Very first world problems, but there are songs on WP that are my favourite post-comeback tracks and I want to listen to them, so I have to listen to them on youtube or whatever

And those Syrian refugees think they have it bad.
 
Yep. I've got the album on CD, ripped to a hard drive, but I don't have access to it when I am out and about like i would with Spotify. Very first world problems, but there are songs on WP that are my favourite post-comeback tracks and I want to listen to them, so I have to listen to them on youtube or whatever

And those Syrian refugees think they have it bad.
I keep most of my music on Drive as you can stream directly from there if it helps
(I think Onedrive/Dropbox does similar).
Regards,
FWD.
 
Thanks. I have looked into this, but I will be brutally honest, I am very lazy.
 
Here is the edit version:



A great vocal and an even better vocal melody on this one. The lyrics and story are also mature and are well above average.

The production also adds atmosphere and depth.

One of the strongest songs on the album.

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 70th from 264 solo songs.
 
Yep. I've got the album on CD, ripped to a hard drive, but I don't have access to it when I am out and about like i would with Spotify. Very first world problems, but there are songs on WP that are my favourite post-comeback tracks and I want to listen to them, so I have to listen to them on youtube or whatever

And those Syrian refugees think they have it bad.

It's actually possible to add songs from your hard drive to Spotify playlists in the desktop version of the app. By downloading those playlists the songs also become available on the mobile version.

Or you could just copy the songs from your hard drive and use a music player to listen while you're out and about.
 
I'll look into this. Ta x
 
This is a missed opportunity for me, as I really love the melody but can't connect with the lyrics at all. I wish he put some more personal poetry to this music rather than one of his "character sketches" which I've never felt he's particularly good at.
 
Thanks. I have looked into this, but I will be brutally honest, I am very lazy.
Fair play. I’m the same - lazy.
I’ve multiple copies of this album but I also bought it on my phone on iTunes
7 years on, I can still listen to Neal Cassidy Drops Dead whilst I’m out and about or in the car 🚗
 
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