"Irish Blood, English Heart" | ||||
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Single by Morrissey | ||||
from the album You Are the Quarry | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 12 April 2004 | |||
Length | 2:37 | |||
Label | Attack | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Jerry Finn | |||
Morrissey singles chronology | ||||
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"Irish Blood, English Heart" is a song by British singer Morrissey, released as the lead single to his seventh studio album You Are the Quarry. His first new song in seven years, it was released on 12 April 2004 in the United States and on 10 May 2004 in the United Kingdom.
The song, described as "the most unambiguously political of his career to date", [1] touches upon Morrissey's identity as the son of Irish immigrants living in England. Driven by the hype of Morrissey's comeback, it became his highest-charting single in the United Kingdom (alongside 2006's "You Have Killed Me"), reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart. It is also his highest-charting single in Sweden, peaking at number four, and it reached number seven in Canada and the top 20 in Ireland and Norway.
"Irish Blood, English Heart" is one of the oldest-written songs on You Are the Quarry. Morrissey first revealed its existence in a 1999 interview with The Irish Times , introducing it as the likely title track to his next album. He first performed the song live in 2002, referring to the title as "the components that make up my tubby little body." [1]
The song discusses Morrissey's identity as the son of Irish immigrants growing up in Thatcher-era England, and explores the themes of contention between the two nations. It is one of Morrissey's more political songs, with him denouncing Oliver Cromwell, Toryism, the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, and the British royal family. "[The lyrics] touch upon the disgust I feel for the British political system," Morrissey said. [1]
The song has drawn a particular following from Mexican Americans and Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States, who resonate with its themes of "split identity." [2] [3]
In the United Kingdom, the song was first played by Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1 on 29 March 2004. However, Radio 1 did not playlist the single. Only XFM, which playlisted it, provided much exposure for the single in the UK. Despite the lack of exposure on mainstream stations, "Irish Blood, English Heart" debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, [4] making it Morrissey's joint highest-charting single with or without The Smiths, alongside "You Have Killed Me" when it was released in 2006.
Early predictions had the song reaching the number one spot, and after only debuting at number three, Morrissey criticised BBC Radio 1 for not playing the song enough despite being "the only British single in the top five." [1]
The single's world premiere occurred on the KROQ-FM Kevin and Bean show on 22 March 2004. The song received consistent airplay throughout April and May on such alternative rock stations as WFNX (Boston), WWCD (Columbus), CIMX (Windsor), KMBY (Monterey / Salinas), XTRA (San Diego), and of course KROQ-FM (Los Angeles), as well as CFNY (Toronto). The single's airplay increased over the next few months and upon its release it reached number 36 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, Morrissey's first single to chart there since "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get" in 1994. [5]
The song was performed live by Morrissey on his 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2014 tours. From the 2004 tour it was recorded and put on the DVD, Who Put the M in Manchester? . In December 2013, Morrissey played "Irish Blood, English Heart" as the last of his three-song set during the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo.
UK 7-inch single and CD1 [6] [7]
UK CD2 [8]
UK 12-inch single; US 7-inch and CD single [9] [10] [11]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | 12 April 2004 | Attack | [24] | |
United Kingdom | 10 May 2004 |
| [25] |
An edited version eventually became one of the songs on the EA Sports video game FIFA Football 2005 's soundtrack. [26] The game's version does not include the line "And spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell/And denounce this royal line that still salutes him. And will salute him, forever"; instead, after the verse "I've been dreaming of a time when/The English are sick to death of Labour and Tories", the song reverts to the line that begins "To be standing by the flag not feeling shameful/Racist or partial". [27]
"Hate to Say I Told You So" is the first single from Swedish rock band the Hives' second studio album, Veni Vidi Vicious. It was first released as a single on 4 December 2000 and was later re-released in several countries in 2002. It is internationally known as the Hives' signature song.
"The Dark of the Matinée" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the third single from their eponymous debut studio album on 19 April 2004. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. In Australia, the song was ranked number 50 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.
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"You Have Killed Me" is the first single from English alternative rock singer Morrissey's eighth studio album, Ringleader of the Tormentors (2006). The single, written by Morrissey and Jesse Tobias, was released on 27 March 2006. Morrissey said it would showcase the "marked difference in sound" brought about by the new influence of Tobias on Morrissey's work while Billboard magazine described it as a "simple, effective first single". Upon its release, the song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Sweden.
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"Come Get Some" is a song by English indie rock band Rooster, featured on their self-titled debut album (2005). Written by vocalist Nick Atkinson and producers Charlie Grant and Peter Woodroffe, the song was released as the lead single from the album on 11 October 2004, reaching number seven on the UK Singles Chart and topping the UK Rock Chart. It was also a hit in Australasia in 2005, peaking at number 38 in Australia and number 22 in New Zealand. In Ireland, the song was less successful, reaching number 46.
"Baby's Got a Temper" is a song by English electronica group the Prodigy, released as a non-album single on 1 July 2002 by record labels XL and Maverick. It was the band's first single in five years after 1997's "Smack My Bitch Up", and was also their first release after dancer Leeroy Thornhill left the band in 2000.
"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 by Mute. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell's vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents (1988). Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure's second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
"Charmless Man" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur and is the fourth track on their fourth studio album, The Great Escape (1995). It was released on 29 April 1996 in the United Kingdom as the fourth and final single from that album, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart and also charting in Australia, France, Iceland, and Ireland.
"I Didn't Want to Need You" is a song by American rock band Heart. It was composed by veteran songwriter Diane Warren and released as the second single from the band's 10th studio album, Brigade (1990). "I Didn't Want to Need You" peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It also reached the top 40 in Ireland and Sweden and number 47 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Young at Heart" is a song by British female music trio Bananarama, released on their debut album, Deep Sea Skiving, in 1983. The song was later recorded by Scottish pop group the Bluebells, whose version reached the top of the UK Singles Chart after a re-release in 1993.
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