"Nobody Loves Us" #1 in 100 Most Underrated Indie Rock Songs - Mandatory

This makes me soooooooooo happy. This is one of those songs that makes you feel as though you have been emotionally mugged as you listened to it, as if Morrissey has metaphorically knocked you to the ground and kicked the shit out of you; and when it is all over, you beg for more. I have to play this alone because it brings me to tears without fail, which makes my husband laugh uncontrollably.

lynnda
 
Personally I think "Wonderful Woman" is ten times better than "Nobody Loves Us."
 
Both absolutely superb, but This Charming Man, Jeane & Wonderful Woman all on the same release was very, very special indeed.

Those were the days.
 
I agree with #1, although I think their synopsis of it was a bit fluffy. The rest of the songs? Who knows? Who cares? ( except for #70, love that one)
 
Making that a B-Side to Dangenham Dave was not a smart move.
 
RCA certainly missed a trick by not switching it to the A-side.


I wonder if Nobody Loves Us had been the A-Side and thus the first single from Southpaw (yes I know it wasn't on the album) if Southpaw would have not taken such a beating in the press?

To this day I cannot fathom the visceral negative reaction many have to that album (Kill Uncle, Maladjusted I can understand) when it seems to me to be a pretty solid album even if it isn't the Moz at his peak. Dagenham Dave was most certainly the weakest song on the album and lyrically one of Morrissey's worst (though I do think the band was quite strong on it, as they were on all of Southpaw) and I can't help but wonder if releasing it as a single tainted the album.

I watched some Morrissey concert from that era on "Hipster Disco's" youtube channel and I believe when Morrissey introduces Dagenham Dave he mentions that it was a single that was doing poorly to no one's surprise. On the one hand that could just be Moz being a martyr, but on the other maybe he was purposefully setting himself up for failure by releasing that track.
 
I agree. I find Dagenham Dave unlistenable compared to Nobody Loves Us.
 
On the one hand that could just be Moz being a martyr, but on the other maybe he was purposefully setting himself up for failure by releasing that track.

Does the video not begin with him taking his Vauxhall and I gold disc to the pawn shop? It has always struck me as a wry rejection of critical esteem - one of those willfully flippant and obscure Morrissey numbers.
 
It was absolutely nothing to do with RCA - it was yet another idiotic, clueless blunder by we all know who...

No, I meant once it was released. A and B-sides have often been flipped in the past. Mull of Kintyre springs to mind which was the b-side of Girls' School - though there may be better examples!
 
It's perfect, Morrissey distilled into 4minutes 51 seconds, if you ever get into the "what? why you into Morrissey" conversation, make them listen to this, if they don't get it, then forget it, they'll never understand. This is growing up in a northern town in the 60's /70's, it's what he's all about. Underated? yes in the scheme of things, i suppose it is, but not round these parts.
 
Does the video not begin with him taking his Vauxhall and I gold disc to the pawn shop? It has always struck me as a wry rejection of critical esteem - one of those willfully flippant and obscure Morrissey numbers.


Never noticed that. But I went back and found it on youtube and you are 100% correct.

I don't know what to make of this.
 
I agree. I find Dagenham Dave unlistenable compared to Nobody Loves Us.


I actually don't dislike the song. It's just the weakest part of it happens to be Morrissey. Any other band and I think it would have been fine, but for a Morrissey track we expect more from Morrissey.

It's not bad. It's actually kind of catchy. It just sounds like Morrissey was phoning it in when it came to the lyrics, but maybe there's some sort of deep symbolic genius to a "mouth full of pie" and "everybody likes him I see why" that I am too stupid to get. Morrissey is a very clever writer and all throughout the song I feel like he's setting us up for something and it just never arrives. I guess Dave is just really popular guy and for good reason. He also just happens to like pie. Not exactly Morrissey's usual subject matter, but I guess it's good to branch out.
 
It's a not very veiled attack on the British working classes, hence "I love Karen, I love Sharon" on the windowscreen / With never the need to fight or to question a single thing."

Dagenham Dave is the working class male who is more interested in stuffing his face (with pie), and getting his end away ("head in a blouse" & Karen/Sharon), whilst his political masters carry on regardless.

It's actually a very clever and biting lyric. It sounds celebratory almost, but is quite the opposite.

I remember at the time the local BBC station took a copy around Dagenham looking for Dave's - not a difficult task - to ask their opinion. Best quote was "I 'ate 'im to be honest."
 
It's a not very veiled attack on the British working classes, hence "I love Karen, I love Sharon" on the windowscreen / With never the need to fight or to question a single thing."

Dagenham Dave is the working class male who is more interested in stuffing his face (with pie), and getting his end away ("head in a blouse" & Karen/Sharon), whilst his political masters carry on regardless.

It's actually a very clever and biting lyric. It sounds celebratory almost, but is quite the opposite.

I remember at the time the local BBC station took a copy around Dagenham looking for Dave's - not a difficult task - to ask their opinion. Best quote was "I 'ate 'im to be honest."

Thanks. I appreciate this context. I always suspected I might have been missing something with it. And maybe I am. Well, if that's the case I will admit that I was wrong. Still not Moz's best track.
 
If you don't know Dagenham I suppose it might be quite a strange song. It's all about context and perspective. In Britain Dagenham is known as a lower middle class town/suburb populated, in no small part, by aggressive knuckle dragging tossers. Stop me if I generalise...

Maybe it has improved since I was last there. It hasn't. It definitely hasn't.

I don't know an American equivalent. Camden, NJ? Dunno.

Here's a broad version of the sort of east Londoner Morrissey is referring to in the song. Loadsamoney!

http://youtu.be/SgUYUOGvVZM

"Shut your mouth, tree!"
 
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I always thought this verse was about repressed homosexuality.

He'd love to touch
but he's afraid
that he might self-combust
I could say more
but you get the general idea.
 
Thanks for posting! This is a cool list, there are a bunch of great bands on here! Spotify is my new favorite thing. I will check out many of these songs for sure.

How cool that Morrissey is #1! Amazing song. I like their little write up too...I'm thinking of marrying a few Morrissey songs myself:p

Dangenham Dave is not that bad, I always found it catchy but certainly not a favorite. Why are some of the best Morrissey songs b-sides?? Does he really have no idea which songs are great?

Oh, I always thought "Mouthful of pie" was a sexual reference, but perhaps I'm just a bit pervy :blushing:
 

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