Shakespeare's Sister (song)
"Shakespeare's Sister" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The Smiths | ||||
B-side | "What She Said" "Stretch Out and Wait" | |||
Released | 18 March 1985 | |||
Recorded | January 1985 | |||
Studio | Utopia Studios, Primrose Hill, London | |||
Genre | Rockabilly[1][2] | |||
Length | 2:09 | |||
Label | Rough Trade | |||
Songwriter(s) | Johnny Marr, Morrissey | |||
Producer(s) | The Smiths | |||
The Smiths singles chronology | ||||
|
"Shakespeare's Sister" is a song by the English
Background
The title refers to a section of Virginia Woolf's feminist essay A Room of One's Own in which she argues that if William Shakespeare had had a sister of equal genius, as a woman she would not have had the opportunity to make use of it.[3][4] Sean O'Hagan says that the essay was "one of the many feminist texts Morrissey embraced as a sexually confused, politically-awakened adolescent".[3]
According to Simon Goddard, the lyrics also draw on Elizabeth Smart's novella By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept and the Billy Fury song "Don't Jump".[3] The song's narrative has been compared to The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, in which the character of Laura Wingfield is referred to as "Shakespeare's sister" by the character Jim O'Connor because the latter refers to Laura's brother Tom, an aspiring writer, as "Shakespeare."[5]
Release
The song had some disagreements regarding its release. The boss of Rough Trade Geoff Travis had little faith in the song, and thought that it was too short.[6]
Released as a standalone single, "Shakespeare's Sister" was a relative disappointment commercially, reaching number 26 in the UK charts. Marr reflected, "It didn't surprise me that a song like 'Shakespeare's Sister' didn't get in the charts. It was a very arch record to release at that time. Quite audacious, a bit mad. That's why I loved it."[7] Morrissey, meanwhile, attributed the underperformance to Rough Trade's insufficient promotion of the single, claiming the label "released 'Shakespeare's Sister' with a monstrous amount of defeatism".[7]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Shakespeare's Sister" | 2:09 |
2. | "What She Said" | 2:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Shakespeare's Sister" | 2:09 |
2. | "What She Said" | 2:40 |
3. | "Stretch Out and Wait" | 2:37 |
Artwork and matrix message
The original single's sleeve cover featured Pat Phoenix, best known for her long-running role as Elsie Tanner in the British soap opera Coronation Street.
The British 7" and 12" vinyls contained the matrix message: HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS/none
The Netherlands versions contained the message: HOLLAND CUTTING/none. "Holland cutting" was an etching on the Dutch version of the album Meat Is Murder.
Charts
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ireland (IRMA) | 11 |
UK Singles ( The Official Charts Company )
|
26 |
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
In a retrospective review of the song, Jack Rabid of
Writer Jon Savage described it as "essentially a suicide drama set to a demented rock'n'roll rhythm".[3]
Influence
The duo Shakespears Sister [sic] took their name from the song.[9]
References
- ^ Bracy, Timothy; Bracy, Elizabeth (7 January 2013). "The Smiths Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-78116-259-0.
- ^ a b c d Sean O'Hagan (2007). "Morrissey – so much to answer for". Observer (Sunday 6 May 2007): 12.
- ^ Woolf, Virginia (1929). A Room of One's Own. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
- ^ McApline, Fraser (15 November 2011). "Kate Bush Week: Five Great British Literary Songs". BBC America. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "The Smiths track Morrissey called "the song of my life"". 24 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Crowning Glory". Uncut. January 2006.
- ^ a b Rabid, Jack. "Shakespeare's Sister Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-85828-201-5. Retrieved 22 December 2010.