Morrissey A-Z: "Jim Jim Falls"

I'm completely puzzled by the praise this song is getting here. The music is something a teenager could cobble together on Ableton after a 5-minute tutorial and the lyrics are so pathetic they're barely even worth mentioning. This epitomizes the Morrissey of 2021: devoid of subtlety and bordering on creative bankruptcy. The thought of putting this track alongside his best work is a juxtaposition akin to blasphemy.
I dunno, I just think it's a brilliant pop / rock song with a massive chorus and lyrics that careen from flippant to f***-off brilliant in a flash. A 61 year-old misanthrope urging his listeners to kill themselves [one interpretation, of course there are others] feels pretty punk to me, and far more fun than much of his post-2000 output.
 
I've always wondered what I'm 'missing' with this song because I just don't like it at all. No vocal melody of any kind, no melody anywhere really - behind Morrissey is just an 'experimental', discordant mish-mash of sound. If this is Moz trying to get 'modern', it's crap and doesn't suit his voice.

I love the vocal melody. I love the way it vaults up and drifts down and the way he holds and bends words like don’t when he says don’t talk about it in the chorus. It’s a really nice vocal. For whatever reason I didn’t think it was another person he fell in love with
 
The chorus has all the euphoria of a prime-time Smiths single (the singing melody is a little similar to 'William...').
You can't be serious?
I am one of those who thinks the lyrics are Moz addressing himself, though.
 
Musically and melodically it’s nothing short of glorious. But I do have some problems with the lyrics. Some people will insist that he is singing to himself, but I can’t shake the feeling that he is urging depressed people to kill themselves. Or maybe he is just fed up with drama queens using the threat of suicide to get what they want. I’m kind of on the fence. Ultimately, however, I think it’s a good song and a strong opener.

He's famously depressed, so there's really no need to suspect he's trying to get at anyone else.

I wondered if the 'just kill yourself' end was exasperation or a decision - but he's still here, so probably exasperation.
 
I think the song‘s narrator who “fooled and fell” at Jim Jim Falls wants the potential jumpers to join them or stop wasting time. It’s typical Morrissey. Dark and funny. The ghost wants company.
 
I think the song‘s narrator who “fooled and fell” at Jim Jim Falls wants the potential jumpers to join them or stop wasting time. It’s typical Morrissey. Dark and funny. The ghost wants company.

It could be ghost storyish - like Drag The River.
 
Great opener to a great album!



Johnny Marr jogs to this ....





:p :cool:
 
This song reminds me of solid singles like "International Playboys" or "November spawned a monster" and that is definitely a good thing. Not quite sure why this song wasn't chosen as one of the leading tracks of the dog album. Perhaps the lyrics?
 
He's famously depressed, so there's really no need to suspect he's trying to get at anyone else.

I wondered if the 'just kill yourself' end was exasperation or a decision - but he's still here, so probably exasperation.
I tried to kill myself with carbon monoxide but it didn't work. That was when I was on the antipsychotic medication risperidon. Now I'm on abilify, which doesn't make me so miserable that I want to give up living.
 
As someone who has suffered from depression, I love the lyrics. 'Sh*t or get off the pot' isn't a negative message at all. I used to belong to various online depression groups, then I realised all that everyone was doing was going round in circles, complaining about how terrible their lives were, essentially wallowing in negativity and not really doing anything about it - one way or the other. It just wasn't helping.

There's also a delicious irony in this coming from Morrissey, as he knows what he's talking about. This is someone whose been threatening to off himself in song for bloody decades.
 
This song reminds me of solid singles like "International Playboys" or "November spawned a monster" and that is definitely a good thing.

agree :thumb:

Not quite sure why this song wasn't chosen as one of the leading tracks of the dog album. Perhaps the lyrics?

but it is the leading track.
 
I tried to kill myself with carbon monoxide but it didn't work. That was when I was on the antipsychotic medication risperidon. Now I'm on abilify, which doesn't make me so miserable that I want to give up living.

I'm glad you've got better medication now.
 
This song reminds me of solid singles like "International Playboys" or "November spawned a monster" and that is definitely a good thing. Not quite sure why this song wasn't chosen as one of the leading tracks of the dog album. Perhaps the lyrics?

You mean singled out for radio airplay kind of thing? The lyrics would have definitely nixed any airplay. Any suggestion of encouraging suicide is an automatic ban from a lot of social media platforms.
 
The leading track of an album may have gained some importance in the digital age. When I start streaming an album and the first track puts me off, there's a fair chance I'll stop listening.

Yes, but it is the first song/leading track on IANADOAC.

You wrote “Not quite sure why this song wasn't chosen as one of the leading tracks of the dog album. Perhaps the lyrics?”

So maybe I’m misreading that somehow?
 
Yes, but it is the first song/leading track on IANADOAC.

You wrote “Not quite sure why this song wasn't chosen as one of the leading tracks of the dog album. Perhaps the lyrics?”

So maybe I’m misreading that somehow?
He means single.
 
Yes, but it is the first song/leading track on IANADOAC.

You wrote “Not quite sure why this song wasn't chosen as one of the leading tracks of the dog album. Perhaps the lyrics?”

So maybe I’m misreading that somehow?

By leading track, I meant what used to be the first single in the good old days, and now the songs that are made available on the streaming sites prior to the release of the entire album. Perhaps I picked the wrong word then, sorry.
 
You mean singled out for radio airplay kind of thing? The lyrics would have definitely nixed any airplay. Any suggestion of encouraging suicide is an automatic ban from a lot of social media platforms.
That was also my concern, even that I am not taking it so literally. And the timing was of course completely bad with all the anxiety and solitude caused by the pandemic.
 
That was also my concern, even that I am not taking it so literally. And the timing was of course completely bad with all the anxiety and solitude caused by the pandemic.
I won't ask for this song in psych ward social gatherings because I know it wouldn't last.
 
Tags
morrissey a-z
Back
Top Bottom