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Morrissey Surprises with Excellent Cover


     Stephen Patrick Morrissey is good at many things, from the negatively notorious like canceling shows or entire tours without notice or spewing cringeworthy political and social commentary, and to the positive like giving us timeless music (solo or with The Smiths) that fill our personal soundtracks to releasing a damn good cover. Last Friday, the mercurial front man announced a vinyl reissue of 2017’s underperforming Low in High School, due December 7th, which will include a version of The Pretenders’s ageless classic “Back on the Chain Gang”, four unreleased original tracks, five live covers of some of his favorite artists, a limited-edition lithograph photo, and a portrait of the singer as a student. Optionally, the song will be released as a single on November 23rd and will feature Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “I Didn’t Know What to Do” on the flip side. Quite a cool deal for an otherwise sleeper of an album.


     “Back on the Chain Gang” was famously interpreted by the late Tejano superstar Selena in the mid-90’s and became a massive hit, propelling her to an even higher platform. Morrissey, however, makes a convincing argument that his version reigns over. He gives the tune a fresh, new pop sound and while staying loyal to the original’s feel, he explained his loose lyrical interpretation to Rolling Stone: “I didn’t ever see the lyrics correctly printed because I wanted to sing them as I had always thought they were. This is tricky with [Pretenders frontwoman] Chrissie [Hynde] because sometimes she’ll sing into a misty wobble. So, I decided to wobble also.” With some switched-up words, it’s a respectful cover. Crooning Hynde’s lyrics in his signature tenor along to jangly guitars and a consistently solid drum and bass rhythm, the end result sounds like a mix of The Smiths, his solo music and the Pretenders. Having to choose between Morrissey and Hynde is particularly unfair, but his version is truly something special. It’s like he was destined to sing the song, and the way it’s paired with a Sixties music showcase-like video with wavy-haired women dancing alongside Morrissey and his band to a backdrop of Morrissey posters oddly sells that idea.
     Morrissey and Hynde have a close friendship, with both being fervent animal rights activists and vegetarians. Additionally, she’s appeared on some of his songs like “My Love Life” and “Shame Is the Name.” He said a deep reverence for her and the Pretenders motivated him cover the pop classic, and the two musicians are, without question, two of the most iconic pop stars of Gen-X era and beyond. Whether you love or hate him, there’s no denying Morrissey’s appeal, wit, and incredibly unparalleled taste and quality.
     The video can be seen by clicking on the link below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_hInzyYN3o&list=RDq_hInzyYN3o&start_radio=1

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