That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Smiths | ||||
from the album Meat Is Murder | ||||
Released | 1 July 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1984 | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Rough Trade | |||
Songwriter(s) | Johnny Marr, Morrissey | |||
Producer(s) | The Smiths | |||
The Smiths singles chronology | ||||
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"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths. The full-length version of the song appears on the album Meat Is Murder. It was the sole track from the album to be released, in edited form, as a UK single. The song was composed by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Marr has cited it as one of his favourite Smiths songs.[1][2]
Music and lyric
The song's narrative refers to mockery of the lonely or suicidal, whom the narrator identifies with and champions in an exchange with another individual in a parked car. Disparity between literal and figurative meanings in parts of the lyric discourage a precise reading of the song.[2][3] In 1985, Morrissey disclosed to Melody Maker that the song was a response to journalistic mockery of his songwriting that dwelt "on the unhappy side of life" and to persistent attempts to expose him as a "fake".[4] In 1998, Uncut reported rumours that the song's inspiration was an "'intimate friendship' with a journalist around 1984–5".[5]
The song's waltz-time-related
Reception
For many critics the song is the focal point of Meat Is Murder. The music has been described as "a monolithic ballad of tender yet imposing grace; a score of unreserved, raw beauty that Morrissey dutifully complemented", and the song's coda as containing "one of the most heart-rending vocal passages Morrissey has ever recorded".[2]
The single entered and peaked in the
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" (edit) | 3:49 |
2. | "Meat Is Murder" (live) | 5:34 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" | 4:57 |
2. | "Nowhere Fast" (live) | 2:31 |
3. | "Stretch Out and Wait" (live) | 2:49 |
4. | "Shakespeare's Sister" (live) | 2:12 |
5. | "Meat Is Murder" (live) | 5:34 |
Live tracks recorded at the Apollo, Oxford on 18th March 1985.
Artwork and matrix message
The artwork for the single is taken from a still of the 1964 Soviet film The Enchanted Desna.[8] It features a child actor, the uncropped original having also featured the child's on-screen mother.[9] According to Morrissey, "The eyes are encrusted with hurt and premature wisdom".[10] The image was sourced from a 1965 issue of a specialist film magazine.[2] A rejected sleeve design included an image of a dead chicken.[11]
The seven and 12-inch vinyl releases feature the
Charts
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ireland (IRMA) | 20 |
UK Singles ( The Official Charts Company )
|
49[14] |
References
- ^ a b Troussé, Stephen. "Album by album: Johnny Marr". Uncut (February 2008).
- ^ a b c d e Goddard, Simon (2004). The Smiths: Songs That Saved Your Life (Second ed.). Reynolds and Hearn.
- ^ Bret, David (2004). Morrissey: Scandal & Passion (First ed.). Robson Books. p. 64.
- ^ "Trial by Jury". Melody Maker (16 March 1985).
- ^ Simpson, Dave. "Manchester's Answer to the H-Bomb". Uncut (August 1998).
- ^ King, Richard (2012). How Soon Is Now? The Madmen and Mavericks Who Made Independent Music 1975-2005. London: Faber & Faber. p.269
- Allmusic. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ISBN 9781407028842.
- ^ "(Untitled)". Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ Smash Hits. Vol. 7, no. 16. EMAP. pp. 4–5.
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(help) - ISBN 0-283-06210-X.
- ^ This matrix message appears on an aborted "Meat Is Murder" live EP, in place of which "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" was released.
- ^ "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore". Passions Just Like Mine. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19850707/7501