| The companion to a million sleepless nights, Vauxhall and I is sombre and introspective even for Morrissey. The beauty of the album is arguably unparalleled by other Morrissey solo albums. The work finds Morrissey in martyr mood, standing as if Jesus before substitute the Romans in his case the British press, who hounded him for being a fascist after the Finsbury Park scandal. Starting with the statement Now My Heart Is Full and ending with the defiant, snarling Speedway, in between Morrissey explores friendship (Hold Onto Your Friends, Billy Budd), the meaninglessness of life (Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning), innocence of childhood (Used to Be a Sweet Boy), and the backstabbers of the music business (Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself). Most of the songs are played out in the minor key and at mid tempo. So as I stated at the start, whether be it a sleepless night where you can't shut off your brain, walking through the terraced streets of a nowhere English town in the rain, or even at your most difficult hour, Vauxhall and I is the soundtrack of that. |
