At Last I Am Born

One of the big misconceptions about Morrissey (the other one being that he can’t sing) is that he’s depressing and gloomy. I totally thought that myself for the longest time, but it’s simply not true. Morrissey is uproarious. The whole persona is highly comical, and I don’t believe that it’s unintentional. If you’ve ever heard or read an interview, he’s balancing a combination of (veryEnglish) self-deprecation and astounding arrogance so charmingly, and obtusely, that it’s almost to the point of being performance art. The lyrics are always very funny as well. If it’s self-parody, it’s heartfelt.  

At Last I Am Born
Words by Morrissey – Music by Michael Farrell

At last I am born
historians note
I am finally born
I once used to chase
affection withdrawn
but not I just sit back and yawn
because I am born, born, born
“Look at me now
from difficult child
to spectral hand
to Claude Brasseur
blah, blah, blah, blah…”
At last I am born
vulgarians know
I am finally born
I once thought that time
accentuates despair
but now I don’t actually care
because I am born, born, born
“Look at me now
from difficult child
to spectral hand
to Claude Brasseur
blah, blah, blah, blah…”
At last I am born
at last I am born
living the one, true, free life
born
I once thought that I
had numerous reasons to cry
and I did — but I don’t anymore
because I am born, born, born
At last I am born
at last I am born
it took me a long, long time
but now I am born
I once was a mess
of guilt because of the flesh
it’s remarkable what you can learn
once you are born, born, born
born, born, born
born, born, born

Buick Mackane

This is supposedly a promo clip filmed sometime during the 1972 US tour. You’ll notice that the video is very out of sync with the song, so it’s probably just some random clip with a track  of Buick slapped on top. Either way, it’s always a buzz to see Marc in action. It’s an incredibly heavy duty song too. Very hard-core riffage. The whole Slider album is just head-bangin’ T-rextasy. I venture to say this song probably influenced a lot of 80′s hair bands, even if some of them won’t admit it.