Vauxhall and I
Encyclopedia
Vauxhall and I is a 1994 Parlophone
album by British musician Morrissey
. Q
listed it as one of the top ten albums of 1994. The release cemented Morrissey's success in the US
, giving him a top 20 album
and his first hit single
there with the song "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
". This was Morrissey's second solo album to reach the top of the charts in Britain, the first being Viva Hate
.
Vauxhall and I reflects the course Morrissey's life has taken. With its blend of guitar rock
, largely acoustic ballad
s, and wry classic rock
, Vauxhall and I stands in stark contrast to Morrissey's other work. It is distinguished by its ironic and introspective nature as well as its sombre and emotional mood.
Morrissey had recently suffered the loss of three people close to him: Mick Ronson
, Tim Broad, and Nigel Thomas, which may have had the cumulative effect of giving Vauxhall and I somewhat of a funereal feel. Indeed, just two years later Morrissey acknowledged that he felt at the time that this was going to be his last album, and that not only was it the best album he'd ever made but that he would never be able to top it in the future.
The lead single off the album, "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get", became the only song by Morrissey or The Smiths
to achieve chart success in the United States, where it reached #46 on the Billboard Hot 100
and also became a #1 Modern Rock Tracks chart hit. In the United Kingdom
, the song hit #8 and was the only single by Morrissey to reach the top ten during the 1990s.
In February 2006, Q
magazine voted it at #91 on a list of the best albums ever.
In January 2006 in NME
, Vauxhall and I was voted at #57 in the Top 100 British Albums.
Steve Lillywhite
's production style is a marked departure from that of his predecessor on Your Arsenal, Mick Ronson
. Vauxhall and I has a pared-down, sparser, more ethereal and at times dream-like character. Lilywhite's influence is clear when listening to the two samples of the track "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself". The unreleased version is a guitar-driven rocky version, which has the hallmark sound of Alain Whyte running through it. The album version appears only to retain the original vocal.
. Vauxhall
is an area of London
noted for its gay clubs (it is also an area of Liverpool
), and there is also a British car manufacturer of the same name
.
The line "Don't leave us in the dark" at the end of "Billy Budd" is sampled from the 1948 David Lean
film adaptation of Dickens' Oliver Twist
. This was said by one of Fagin
's pickpockets to Fagin when the mob was closing in on their hiding place. The song itself shares the title with a novella
by Herman Melville
.
The song "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" is parodied on the television show Bill Nye the Science Guy
.
The Killers covered "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself" and it can be found on the Limited Edition 7" boxset of Hot Fuss
.
"Spring Heeled Jim" contains the audio bits of dialogue from a documentary called "We Are the Lambeth Boys". On the album they have arranged the bits of one conversation and edited it in some cases to sound like one train of thought. The part of this video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=232669605535093695 that features the dialogue is at: 24:36-24:42, 25:02-25:38, 29:55-30:05?, 30:50-31:00 and 31:24-31:29.
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
album by British musician Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
. Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
listed it as one of the top ten albums of 1994. The release cemented Morrissey's success in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, giving him a top 20 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and his first hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
there with the song "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
"The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in February 1994. It was taken from the then-unreleased Vauxhall and I album and was the first Morrissey single to be produced by Steve Lillywhite....
". This was Morrissey's second solo album to reach the top of the charts in Britain, the first being Viva Hate
Viva Hate
Viva Hate is Morrissey's debut solo album, released on 14 March 1988 by HMV Records. The album was considered a very strong foray into Morrissey's solo career, as he utilised his traditional lyrical style and retained the basic sound that The Smiths had developed by the time they broke up. It...
.
Vauxhall and I reflects the course Morrissey's life has taken. With its blend of guitar rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, largely acoustic ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, and wry classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
, Vauxhall and I stands in stark contrast to Morrissey's other work. It is distinguished by its ironic and introspective nature as well as its sombre and emotional mood.
Morrissey had recently suffered the loss of three people close to him: Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
, Tim Broad, and Nigel Thomas, which may have had the cumulative effect of giving Vauxhall and I somewhat of a funereal feel. Indeed, just two years later Morrissey acknowledged that he felt at the time that this was going to be his last album, and that not only was it the best album he'd ever made but that he would never be able to top it in the future.
The lead single off the album, "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get", became the only song by Morrissey or The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
to achieve chart success in the United States, where it reached #46 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and also became a #1 Modern Rock Tracks chart hit. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the song hit #8 and was the only single by Morrissey to reach the top ten during the 1990s.
In February 2006, Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine voted it at #91 on a list of the best albums ever.
In January 2006 in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Vauxhall and I was voted at #57 in the Top 100 British Albums.
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
's production style is a marked departure from that of his predecessor on Your Arsenal, Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
. Vauxhall and I has a pared-down, sparser, more ethereal and at times dream-like character. Lilywhite's influence is clear when listening to the two samples of the track "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself". The unreleased version is a guitar-driven rocky version, which has the hallmark sound of Alain Whyte running through it. The album version appears only to retain the original vocal.
Cultural references and influence
The album's title appears to be a reference to the 1987 film Withnail and IWithnail and I
Withnail and I is a British black comedy made in 1986 by HandMade Films. It was written and directed by Bruce Robinson and is based on his life in London in the late 1960s. The main plot follows two unemployed young actors, Withnail and “I” who live in a squalid flat in Camden in 1969 while...
. Vauxhall
Vauxhall
-Demography:Many Vauxhall residents live in social housing. There are several gentrified areas, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market, however by far the most common type of housing stock within...
is an area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
noted for its gay clubs (it is also an area of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
), and there is also a British car manufacturer of the same name
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
.
The line "Don't leave us in the dark" at the end of "Billy Budd" is sampled from the 1948 David Lean
David Lean
Sir David Lean CBE was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best remembered for big-screen epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai , Lawrence of Arabia ,...
film adaptation of Dickens' Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
. This was said by one of Fagin
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born...
's pickpockets to Fagin when the mob was closing in on their hiding place. The song itself shares the title with a novella
Billy Budd
Billy Budd is a short novel by Herman Melville.Billy Budd can also refer to:*Billy Budd , a 1962 film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov, based on Melville's novel...
by Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
.
The song "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" is parodied on the television show Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998, hosted by Bill Nye and produced by Buena Vista Television. The show aired on PBS Kids and was also syndicated to local stations, making it the second first-run television...
.
The Killers covered "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself" and it can be found on the Limited Edition 7" boxset of Hot Fuss
Hot Fuss
Hot Fuss is the debut studio album by Las Vegas based American rock band The Killers, released on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004 in the United States.-Background:...
.
"Spring Heeled Jim" contains the audio bits of dialogue from a documentary called "We Are the Lambeth Boys". On the album they have arranged the bits of one conversation and edited it in some cases to sound like one train of thought. The part of this video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=232669605535093695 that features the dialogue is at: 24:36-24:42, 25:02-25:38, 29:55-30:05?, 30:50-31:00 and 31:24-31:29.
Track listing
- "Now My Heart Is FullNow My Heart Is Full"Now My Heart Is Full" is a song by British artist Morrissey from his fourth solo album Vauxhall and I. Critics have suggested the song's refrain of "Dallow, Spicer, Pinkie, Cubitt" addresses the gangsters from Graham Greene's 1938 novel Brighton Rock and so has a thematic link with Morrissey's...
" – 4:57 (Morrissey/Boorer) - "Spring-Heeled JimSpring-Heeled Jim"Spring-Heeled Jim" is a song by British musician Morrissey from his 1994 album Vauxhall and I. The title may be a pun of Spring Heeled Jack, a character from English folklore said to be able to jump extraordinarily high....
" – 3:47 (Morrissey/Boorer) - "Billy Budd" – 2:08 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Hold on to Your FriendsHold on to Your Friends"Hold On to Your Friends" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in May 1994. It was the second single taken from the number 1 album Vauxhall and I....
" – 4:02 (Morrissey/Whyte) - "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I GetThe More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get"The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in February 1994. It was taken from the then-unreleased Vauxhall and I album and was the first Morrissey single to be produced by Steve Lillywhite....
" – 3:44 (Morrissey/Boorer) - "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself" – 3:20 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "I Am Hated for Loving" – 3:41 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning" – 3:42 (Morrissey/Boorer)
- "Used to Be a Sweet Boy" – 2:49 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "The Lazy Sunbathers" – 3:08 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Speedway" – 4:30 (Morrissey/Boorer)
Personnel
- Morrissey – vocals, main performer
- Alain WhyteAlain WhyteAlain Gordon Whyte is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is most known for being Morrissey's main songwriting partner since 1991 and his lead guitarist from 1991-2004...
– guitar - Boz BoorerBoz BoorerBoz Boorer is a British guitarist and producer most known for his work founding the new wave rockabilly group, The Polecats, and later for his work as a co-writer, guitarist and musical director with Morrissey.-The Polecats:The band "Cult Heroes" was formed in 1977 by Tim Worman , Boz...
– guitar - Jonny Bridgewood – bass
- Woodie Taylor – drums
- Greg Ross – art direction
- Dean Freeman – photography
- Chris Dickie – producer, engineer
- Steve LillywhiteSteve LillywhiteSteve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
– producer - Danton Supple – assistant engineer