"World Peace..." track-by-track review by Kenneth Partridge - Billboard

Morrissey’s ‘World Peace Is None of Your Business’: Track-by-Track Review (77 rating) - Billboard
By Kenneth Partridge

 

[Anonymous]

Er, you all know Golden Lights is a cover version, right? God, some of the halfwits on here...

 

[Anonymous]

Is it just me or is "Kick the Bride" not about a particular woman who recently
departed company quite acrimoniously with Morrissey?

Given that she's singing backing vocals on it, this seems unlikely.

 

[Agharta]

Er, you all know Golden Lights is a cover version, right? God, some of the halfwits on here...

Of course I know that. I don't understand why that matters though - if Morrissey chose to cover 'Smack My Bitch Up', would that be more or less acceptible than a song called 'Kick The Bride Down The Aisle'?

 

[Orson Swells]

Er, you all know Golden Lights is a cover version, right? God, some of the halfwits on here...

If you're referring to me I have the original, thanks. Being a cover version doesn't in any way prevent it from being a sanctioned Smiths release. God, some of the halfwits on here...

 

[Orson Swells]

Of course I know that. I don't understand why that matters though - if Morrissey chose to cover 'Smack My Bitch Up', would that be more or less acceptible than a song called 'Kick The Bride Down The Aisle'?

Why aren't you equally angered by "I'm Not A Man"? A song that, you know, attacks men.

 

[Harsh Truth]

Can't imagine The Smiths or early solo Moz sanctioning a song as godawful as 'Kick The Bride Down The Aisle'.....

I must agree in that I feel this track is the worst song on the album.

 

[Agharta]

Why aren't you equally angered by "I'm Not A Man"? A song that, you know, attacks men.

Well, that's just a rubbish song - it suffers from the same issue that plagues much of his current output in being far, far too literal and hectoring.

It's not attacking men, rather the perceived notion of what it means to be a man. Essentially, its a shopping list of Morrissey's gripes with the media and culture, and as such it's like shooting fish in a barrel - a bit vapid, insipid, but hard to really argue with.

Whereas 'Kick The Bride...' is, I sense, being deliberately contentious and is far more spiteful and vicious in its sentiments.

 

[Orson Swells]

Well, that's just a rubbish song - it suffers from the same issue that plagues much of his current output in being far, far too literal and hectoring.

It's not attacking men, rather the perceived notion of what it means to be a man. Essentially, its a shopping list of Morrissey's gripes with the media and culture, and as such it's like shooting fish in a barrel - a bit vapid, insipid, but hard to really argue with.

Whereas 'Kick The Bride...' is, I sense, being deliberately contentious and is far more spiteful and vicious in its sentiments.

Oh, you're just splitting hairs. "Man" is attacking men who are like that just as "Bride" attacks women who are like that. To be offended by one and not the other is a sexist response in itself.

And, I sense, you sense wrongly about its intent. "I'm Not A Man" is a fine song however, whereas "Bride", though okay, should have been switched for one of the extras.

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

OK, I read all that, granted, I am very sleepy
but does he like it or not?
not that I care that much
frakkin critics, who needs em

 

[Agharta]

Oh, you're just splitting hairs. "Man" is attacking men who are like that just as "Bride" attacks women who are like that. To be offended by one and not the other is a sexist response in itself.

And, I sense, you sense wrongly about its intent. "I'm Not A Man" is a fine song however, whereas "Bride", though okay, should have been switched for one of the extras.

Yeah, you're probably right, I just took a look at the lyrics and they're both truly horrible and mean spirited.

 

[Orson Swells]

Yeah, you're probably right, I just took a look at the lyrics and they're both truly horrible and mean spirited.

Oh, I see! The board just got a new troll! The problem is Morrissey has a sense of humour... unfortunately some of his fans don't.

 

[Agharta]

Oh, I see! The board just got a new troll! The problem is Morrissey has a sense of humour... unfortunately some of his fans don't.

I'm not a troll, I just disagree. A sense of humour is fine, but these are nasty and bitchy jokes, if jokes they are. What a waste.

 

[Pokey]

That's not correct. By convention, song lyrics are generalisable. You couldn't, for example, write a song called "Burn the Smelly Thieving Jew" and expect people to take seriously the excuse that it's just an innocent ditty about a particular person of a particular religious persuasion who happens to have kleptomania and a personal hygiene problem. What Morrissey has written is a song about heterosexual women. Defend the song if you like, but I don't think you'll convince many people by just playing dumb about it.

That is the most ridiculous "comparison" or analogy I have seen here in a long time. Playing dumb about it as just doing what you're doing, generalising and twisting its meaning to suit you. So a song about a woman is suddenly about all women? You're an idiot. If it was the exact same song but called "Kick the husband down the aisle" does that mean it applies to all married men, then? Think about what you are saying, a song which references a married woman automatically means it is applicable to every married woman. A song called Burn the Smelly Thieving Jew, isn't even remotely close to a comparison. The song is about women who do what the woman in the song is described as doing. Simple as that. It doesn't apply to all women, just those who do those things. I mean, you do realise that those things happen in real life don't you? Does that mean that if you knew of someone who was like that you wouldn't speak in condemnation of her or those like her because it would mean you're damning all women? The very fact he has "I'm Not A Man" saying equally damning things about men, which actually is a lot more generalisable than Kick The Bride, should be proof enough it isn't all one way traffic with him. Would hate to hear your thoughts on National Front Disco.

You could write a song called "Burn the Thief" and the song could be about a thieving woman, does that suddenly mean all women are thieves? Kick the Bride isn't making derogatory remarks about someone's religion. Nor is it even making derogatory remakes about someone's gender. It is detailing a person's actions, and that person happens to be female. It could just as easily be male. Pointing to the fact that it's not male is not evidence that it's misogynistic.

 

[Anonymous]

I think it's about Kate Middleton

 

[Charlie Cheswick]

This is like one of those people who used to write in to Points Of View to complain about something they spent an hour watching. If something offends you then just turn the f***er off and go and listen to something else.

For all his faults I don't buy the misogyny thing with Morrissey, most of his heroes are women for a start.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

I'm not a troll, I just disagree. A sense of humour is fine, but these are nasty and bitchy jokes, if jokes they are. What a waste.

Don't worry about Orson, Agharta. He's from the future.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

This is like one of those people who used to write in to Points Of View to complain about something they spent an hour watching. If something offends you then just turn the f***er off and go and listen to something else.

For all his faults I don't buy the misogyny thing with Morrissey, most of his heroes are women for a start.

All his heroes are men. His heroines are all women, though. Every one.

 

[Orson Swells]

Don't worry about Orson, Agharta. He's from the future.

Don't worry about Barleycorn. He's from the dark ages.

 

[Charlie Cheswick]

Don't worry about Orson, Agharta. He's from the future.

Everyone's from the future when you look like this...

 

[Agharta]

This is like one of those people who used to write in to Points Of View to complain about something they spent an hour watching. If you didn't like it just turn the f***er off and go and listen to something else.

I did that, but thanks for the advice.