If you don't know, I've been counting down my 20 favorite Mozzer non-singles each weekday until his concert on the 29th down at The Orpheum. Unfortunately, the countdown was derailed last week thanks to technical difficulties, other blogging obligations, and a bout of bad health.
As it stands, two of those three problems have been resolved. The computer seems to be running relatively smoothly again. All the things that needed to be posted on Newest Industry were posted. Sadly, I'm still sick as a dog. Frreal.
Yet, the blog marches on. Here's what the list looks like so far:
20. One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
19. Driving Your Girlfriend Home
18. Munich Air Disaster 1958
17. Seasick, Yet Still Docked
16. I Don't Mind If You Forget Me
15. Sister I'm A Poet
14. On The Streets I Ran
13. There's A Place In Hell For Me And My Friends
12. Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?
11. Come Back To Camden
10. Disappointed
09. I've Changed My Plea To Guilty
And so here we are, on to #8:
#8. Break Up The Family (Morrissey/Street)
From the album Viva Hate.
Key Line: "I'm so glad to grow older, to move away from those younger years... I'm in love for the first time and I don't feel bad..."
It's nearly impossible to listen to Viva Hate without hearing references to the then-recent break up of The Smiths. Songs like, "Angel, Angel Down We Go Together" and "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me" could hardly be about anything else.
Which brings us to "Break Up The Family." On first glance, it seems that this song must be about the band. Morrissey has claimed over the years that this is not the case. He insists that the song is tied to the splitting of a group of youthful friends from his boyhood days. In theory, I suppose, this is believable. However, I'm choosing not to believe it.
To me, it seems that this song was written in the aftermath of the breakup of the band in one of those rare, lucid moments when emotions are removed from the equation and the practicality of ending the relationship becomes apparent. We've all reached that place after the end of serious relationships, haven't we? We're all familiar with that moment when the clouds break (however momentarily), bitterness is removed, and the "big picture" suddenly emerges. Not completely unlike the hypothetical conversation between man & country that I brought up in my "Come Back To Camden" post, we find Mozzer in this place the first time around, wishing his former "family" the best and asking only that they return the favor.
When Morrissey sings the line, "I'm so glad to grow older, to move away from those awful times..." he toes the line between celebration and bitterness in exquisite fashion. It's no secret that, outside of the actual recording and performing, the business of being in "The Smiths" had taken its toll on everybody. When he comes to the line, "Let me see all my old friends, let me put my arms around them... Now, does that sound mad," it seems that he's referring to his former bandmates as people and friends. Essentially, he's stating that the breakup of the band had nothing to do with any personal animosity. That they are still his friends, but that it's also time to "grow older."
Musically, Stephen Street crafted an "unexpectedly funky" track. To this day, "Break Up The Family" still stands out among the rest of Viva Hate largely on the strength of the instrumentation. Cleverly, Street fills out the sound with Mozzer's vocal inflections drifting in and out of the mix, a trick that would be used repeatedly by various Morrissey producers for years to come.
Honestly, and this is strictly personal, "Break Up The Family" can be used as a barometer to gauge just how passionate a Mozzer fan a person is. It's a track that definitely rewards repeated listens, especially in the context of the LP being played in its entirety. When somebody claims they are a Morrissey fan, ask them what their favorite song on Viva Hate is. If they answer anything but "Break Up The Family," be immediately skeptical.
