Theorize as to why Morrissey skips these lyrics in concert:

I'd like to add to the list the fact he doesn't sing the word "international" in 'The Last Of The Famous International Playboys'

What bothers me more than him leaving out lines is when he makes up new lyrics that ALWAYS sucks.

"On the shop floor there's a calander and it's pointing up at you - something you always knew"

Wait...WTF does that even mean?
 
Skylarker said:
The added calendar line I always heard in that song was "as obvious as snow/as if we didn't know"...that's what he sings on the Brixton '86 performance as issued as a b-side back in the Best 1&2 days...I always thought he kept that lyric addition for the later solo versions too. I wasn't aware of the "it's pointing up at you" change, which I admit sounds odd...was that a one-off?

I'm gonna go play some clips from the Refusal tour and listen. Maybe he changed it again.
Click to expand...

Nope, not one-off...it's what he changed it to for the whole of the tour.
 
Nevermind. He says "and it's pointing OUT to you".
 
!Viva Hate! said:
I'd like to add to the list the fact he doesn't sing the word "international" in 'The Last Of The Famous International Playboys'
Click to expand...

He always had Boz sing that in live versions, didn't he? I assumed that it was because it's a pretty high note and he didn't want to throw his voice out so early on it, as it has most often been the first song or at the very least quite early in sets.

!Viva Hate! said:
What bothers me more than him leaving out lines is when he makes up new lyrics that ALWAYS sucks.

"On the shop floor there's a calander and it's pointing up at you - something you always knew"

Wait...WTF does that even mean?
Click to expand...

Unless this is obvious (as snow), I always took it as meaning one of those topless girls calendars, which would make sense for Morrissey comparing the size of girls' chesticles, in keeping with the theme of the song. I still don't think it was a very well-thought-out addition, but yeah.

To me there is something quite dignified in Morrissey never having sung the closing lines to "There is A Light That Never Goes Out" live. I'm not sure what it is, but it retains the power of the studio recording, I think.
 
mcrickson said:
He did? Oh, I wasn't aware of this -- all the solo versions I've heard of it he left it out. I must have missed that.
Click to expand...

There are at least two versions while solo that I'm aware of that he sang it on...isn't Earl's Court one of them?
 
mcrickson said:
He always had Boz sing that in live versions, didn't he? I assumed that it was because it's a pretty high note and he didn't want to throw his voice out so early on it, as it has most often been the first song or at the very least quite early in sets.
Click to expand...

With the exception of maybe Wolverhampton, Yes.

Unless this is obvious (as snow), I always took it as meaning one of those topless girls calendars, which would make sense for Morrissey comparing the size of girls' chesticles, in keeping with the theme of the song. I still don't think it was a very well-thought-out addition, but yeah.
Click to expand...

I always got the calender part...I just never understood why he was singing "pointing up at you"...but then I listened again and he's saying "pointing out to you"...so it makes sense now.
 
Skylarker said:
Interesting. The debut performance in Kansas City has him still singing the snow line.

But yeah, you're right, the others are different.

I like the snow line.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I noticed that too when I went to Youtube. I wonder how long in advance he comes up with these lyric changes? Lol.
 
I also don't like that he skips the last verse in "How Soon Is Now?"
 
mcrickson said:
Ah, you're right! It's been so long since I've listened to that CD that I'd completely forgotten. That IS odd..
Click to expand...

I've noticed that if he has the song in the set and doesn't close the show with it, he sings the outro.
 
One of my favourite lyric changes was to Suedehead during the Tormentors tour: "You had to sneak into my room just to play Your Arsenal / It was just to see, just to see all the songs you knew I'd written about you..."
 
Orson Swells said:
One of my favourite lyric changes was to Suedehead during the Tormentors tour: "You had to sneak into my room just to play Your Arsenal / It was just to see, just to see all the songs you knew I'd written about you..."
Click to expand...

I think he did that in 1999 too.
 
Skylarker said:
He played Suedehead on Tour of the Tormentors? Huh. I don't recall that; I thought it had been cut since '02, but thinking about it now I think I'm wrong.

I'll have to check Passions.

At any rate yeah, that is a funny line change.
Click to expand...

I think he played Suedehead on the first show on that tour.
He also played it on the Greatest Hits tour once.
 
Skylarker said:
Well I have to go to work so I don't have oodles of time but basically it isn't a profound complaint; he's simply killed the song. I think the guys actually play it very well and it is maybe the one song that I think his backing band trumps The Smiths on as far as live performances go.

But the vocal delivery, not to mention some of the lyrics themselves, now resembles a botched abortion. I'm sure I don't have to list examples and it's really a redundant gripe as I know many people have commented on this before me. It still bothers me, though, because it's such a powerful song.
Click to expand...

So...you think the lead his solo band does is better than this?

 
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!Viva Hate! said:
That I'd like to hear...
Click to expand...


Boring story short, I remember that someone who had been at the show that night called me right afterwards and went on ecstatically for five minutes about the fact that he had sung the international part.

I truly for the life of me cannot recall which show. Would probably have been July or August of 07, and it was definitely in America.
 
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