Morrissey A-Z: "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore"

Fair play to those who love this song but I don't get it at all - it sounds like it's trying way too hard to make an impact on the listener (lyrically, vocally, musically). Just a complete lack of subtlety or charm.
Exactly. It sounds strained, without natural lightness. "Look, here comes something BIG!!!"
 
One of my absolute favourites. A chilling and very ambiguous song, which has some of the most grandiose music of his whole career. The double punch of this and You Were Good in Your Time would have been an ideal way to end Years of Refusal, but now they are followed by two very lacklustre examples of chug rock.
 
He sounds like Kirk Douglas, if Kirk Douglas were had been a hysterical homo.
And nobody knows if he wozn't hadn't.
(- temporarily lost in grammar and conjecture here-)

,,,If it's a song in character, it's probably just Jesse T. after a few drinks.
 
A wonderful grandiose ballad which (at the time) seemed to represent, along with Carol and Good in Your Time, a push towards something other than the ‘dad rock’ which was becoming over-represented in Morrissey’s catalogue. Indeed, the whole Refusal album seemed to represent some sense of ambition returning to Morrissey’s set-up. The vocal performance on Birthday is magnificent.
 
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I’ve never liked this song at all, and have just listened to it again ( for 1 minuet only) for the first time since 09...
Along with this song , I’m ok by myself , you were good in your time,
Completely ruined YOR, which could have been his greatest album ever....
I’ve noticed on a few Moz albums that sometimes the last 2-3 tracks can be somewhat forgettable...
I agree, although in my case, it is more an issue on ROTT here I really like the first 8 songs but find myself losing interest after "Hero". LIHS and CS also have that problem, although their closing tracks are strong.
 
I agree, although in my case, it is more an issue on ROTT here I really like the first 8 songs but find myself losing interest after "Hero". LIHS and CS also have that problem, although their closing tracks are strong.
Personally CS has a cracking last 7 songs, and it’s the first 3-4 sounds I don’t care for ..
low, dog, refusal world peace just wimper out after being very strong.
 
Personally CS has a cracking last 7 songs, and it’s the first 3-4 sounds I don’t care for ..
low, dog, refusal world peace just wimper out after being very strong.
Well, there seems to be a pattern where he kicks off an album with strong songs that almost everyone likes, then either tries some new sounds on the second half, or keeps repeating the same type of tunes. Either way, most of us will think the album would be better if he had dropped a few songs towards the end, but we can't agree on which ones he should drop. The only album where I thought many of the best songs came in the second half is Your Arsenal.
 
Personally CS has a cracking last 7 songs, and it’s the first 3-4 sounds I don’t care for ..
low, dog, refusal world peace just wimper out after being very strong.
Low and Dog conclude with unforgettable classics, for my money. But I accept the concluding song can tip how you feel about a whole album; this probably has a lot to do with my indifference for Ringleader.
 
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Well, there seems to be a pattern where he kicks off an album with strong songs that almost everyone likes, then either tries some new sounds on the second half, or keeps repeating the same type of tunes. Either way, most of us will think the album would be better if he had dropped a few songs towards the end, but we can't agree on which ones he should drop. The only album where I thought many of the best songs came in the second half is Your Arsenal.
Off the top of my head, I can only think of Quarry that I love from start to finish...
 
Low and Dog conclude with unforgettable classics, for my money. But I accept the concluding song can tip how you feel about a whole album. It probably has a lot to do with my indifference for Ringleader.
With those two albums the last three on each I rarely listen to...
But were all different,
Just like the many many posts for its not your birthday, I was quite surprised with all the positive reviews ...
Ringleader is probably my second fave after Quarry
 
I like the end of 'Refusal' personally - 'I'm OK By Myself' is a blistering finish. I much prefer the album ending with a defiant Morrissey flicking the metaphorical V's at everyone, than wheezing away with 'You Were Good in Your Time'. That would just be too downbeat an ending, I feel.
 
I don't what Morrissey tried on that one - a stadium Bono song? The vocal performance is good, but I find most of the lyrics clumsy and I can't say I am fond of the music.

This is my thought also, it sounds like Morrissey singing over U2.
 
While there some Morrissey albums where the second half is weaker than the first half, I don't think that particularly applies here. Certainly not with this track, as it's much more interesting to me than more obvious songs like Black Cloud and Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed.

There are also plenty of other albums that end very strongly with the last few on Your Arsenal, Speedway, Southpaw, At Last I am Born, Some Day I Got Devil, My Hurling Days are Done etc.
 
While there some Morrissey albums where the second half is weaker than the first half, I don't think that particularly applies here. Certainly not with this track, as it's much more interesting to me than more obvious songs like Black Cloud and Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed.

There are also plenty of other albums that end very strongly with the last few on Your Arsenal, Speedway, Southpaw, At Last I am Born, Some Day I Got Devil, My Hurling Days are Done etc.
Thanks for sharing your views. I certainly believe that some thought has gone into the selection of the closing song, and there are many amazing ones like those you mentioned. Regarding YOR, the songs that I like best are indeed spread evenly over the album, but there are several albums where I find them to be more concentrated on the first half + the closing track.
 
It's about rape, emotional abuse and gaslighting.

One senses that, when Morrissey said "It's either this, or prison" he meant it.

Fine vocals though.
 
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