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Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 190
Fri. Aug 9, 2013

“Disappointed”
Morrissey
1988

“♫ Don’t
talk to
me, no/
about
people
who are
nice ♫”

You know when James Lipton, the gracious and very humble host of Inside The Actors Studio, always ends his interview by quizzing his famous guests by asking them, “What’s you’re favorite word?” I always have trouble with the answers for every question but my least favorite word is a song title for Morrissey’s Everyday is Like Sunday b-side, “Disappointed.” When I hear that word it reminds me of all the times I haven’t lived up to my potential as an inspiring writer. But even though the original meaning of this word has negative connotations, Morrissey’s redefinition of the term in the guise of this very electric pop song has a definitive positive upbeat ring to it. I must say, I’m not the only one who’s fond of this Morrissey track; in fact the former Smiths singer adored his song so much, two years after “Disappointed” initial release, he added it as the closing track on his first singles compilation 1990’s Bona Drag.

It sounds like Morrissey titled this Everyday is like Sunday b-side over the stress filled last session with fellow Manchurian and Durutti Column guitarist Vini Reilly as Moz’s former drummer Andrew Paresi explained in Johnny Rogan’s book 2006 Morrissey, when he said, “The tension with Vini had got even worse. That session was unbearable…but I still loved ‘Disappointed, ’ especially the last line, ‘This is the last song I will ever sing’.” Paresi believes it was the fundamental disagreement between producer Stephen Street and guitarist Reilly on how “Disappointed” should sound that fueled the tension filled session.

There may have been stress but Reilly, Street, Paresi and Morrissey channeled all their anxieties into crafting a song that Simon Goddard, in his book Mozipedia, dubbed “Disappointed,” “a brighter cousin of The Smiths’ ‘How Soon is Now?’.” Although Street agreed with Goddard’s assessment of this Everyday is like Sunday b-side, the producer did say, “I was just trying to write a dark, brooding guitar track.” Stephen succeeded and the result eventually became the closing number on Bona Drag.

Although Reilly’s guitar appears to be the force behind the dynamics of this Morrissey gem, the real star of “Disappointed” has to be Moz’s drummer Paresi who explained to Rogan how he came up with the thunderous backbeat that’s featured on this vintage track when Andrew said, “Stephen [Street] has sent me a copy of ‘Disappointed’ and I went away and thought about how to play it because it was a very powerful groove. So I worked out something where I could have a hi-hat coming all the way through and then have this glammy tom-tom pattern going on. That way, the whole thing could trundle its way through the mix like a steam engine. So I was really happy that I’d come up with this pattern…I’d written a bit of drumming and I’d got it on to this track and it was de facto a definition of disappointed.”

Thanks to Morrissey, Stephen Street, Vini Reilly and especially drummer Andrew Paresi, “Disappointed” has new rhythmic connotations. My least favorite word has become one of Morrissey’s most beloved flip side anthems. Many Moz fans may hear the Son of “How Soon is Now,” “Disappointed” is the sound of Morrissey beginning the leave his Smiths legacy behind within the guise of this dramatic number, creating under tense circumstances, this remains one of Morrissey’s best remembered b-sides, relive the glorious thunder of “Disappointed.”