'Dagenham Dave'

The first single from Morrissey's Southpaw Grammar studio album (and his 21st single overall), 'Dagenham Dave'  was released August 21, 1995 (with the studio album itself being released one week later).  The single reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.

The cover art of the single features English football coach (and former player for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers) Terry Venables (January 1943 - November 2023) sticking out his tongue.  Terence 'Terry' Frederick Venables  was born in Dagenham*, which is a town in East London, England (within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham). 

One presumes that the choice of this particular photograph was meant to be playful (in a somewhat silly sort of way); however, it leaves something more to be desired on an aesthetic level.

The term Dagenham Dave is naval slang (specifically, the Royal Navy) for a rating (sailor) who is mentally unstable.  The town of Dagenham is geographically close to the town of Barking.  The English phrase "barking mad" describes someone who is insane.  As the town of Dagenham is "just this side of Barking" (meaning it is physically very close to it), its use in the slang term Dagenham Dave obliquely denotes someone who is almost, but not quite, mad.  This sort of word play is similar to cockney rhyming slang; it is intended to be obscure and to require some working out (and, of course, to be somewhat amusing in the result).

The promotional video for 'Dagenham Dave' featured former Grange Hill** actor Mark Savage as the titular Dave.  The video begins with a shot of a framed gold record (apparently Vauxhall and I) being placed in a shop window display (with a sticker stating that it has had only one previous owner), and features Morrissey being followed throughout by Dave and his love interest, a smiling woman by the name of Karen.  As Morrissey sings "I love Karen, I love Sharon/On the window screen", we see Dave sitting in his car, replacing the name 'Karen' with 'Sharon' followed by the latter being replaced with 'Moz' on the wind screen (or 'wind shield' in American parlance)!  It would seem that Dave is a particularly ardent fan of Morrissey.

As the video progresses, the previously smiling Karen grows more and more exasperated with Dave (while they continue to follow Morrissey wherever he goes). Dave has apparently acquired the framed gold record, and gives it to Karen while sitting with her in his car, which is in an underground parking garage (the name 'Karen' is displayed on the window screen of the car).  Karen angrily shoves the framed gold record into Dave's hands, who then storms off.  Karen then exits the vehicle. Interestingly, Morrissey is now following Dave, and the two approach another car occupied by a young man who gives each of them a cigarette. As the young man stretches his arm out the window of his car with the cigarette pack, ‘Southpaw Grammar’ can be seen tattooed on his forearm.  Karen suddenly hops into the car with the young man, makes an obscene gesture to Dave, and the car drives away at a high rate of speed.  As Dave walks to the exit of the parking garage, Morrissey, who is now holding the framed gold record, follows behind. The word ‘Ford’ in its commercial (stylized) form is seen on the garage wall in the shot of Morrissey following Dave as he walks to an exit. Morrissey hands the framed gold record to Dave, who smashes it to bits.   

The import of the promotional video is extremely subtle: it would seem that it speaks of both the fragility and pitfalls of devotion. Dave is so devoted to his idol (Morrissey) that he goes so far as to replace his girlfriends name with ‘Moz’ on the wind screen of his car. And of course the majority of the video has Dave, with his girlfriend in tow, literally following Morrissey wherever he goes. Once his girlfriend ends the relationship, the roles of Dave and Morrissey switch, with Morrissey now following Dave. The choice of location for the end of the video - an underground parking garage emblazoned with ‘Ford’ on a wall - may not intend to have any meaning, although it is interesting to note that Dagenham is the location of Ford of Britain’s major automotive factory (known as Ford Dagenham) - it would seem that the video was likely filmed in Dagenham. Ironically, the Smiths’ sometime collaborator Sandie Shaw actually worked at the Ford Dagenham factory before her singing career took off in the 1960’s. Wholly as an aside, the aforementioned young man sitting in his parked car in the garage reappears a few months later when Morrissey released his ‘Boy Racer’ music video (same clothing, same car, and very similar features). It would seem that the “young man” is in fact no other than the Boy Racer himself!

'Dagenham Dave' is a weak song in the author's opinion.  To put it politely, it is my least favorite song in Morrissey's musical catalogue.  The repetitiveness of the words "Dagenham Dave" throughout the song is instantly tiresome, rendering the song as being almost unlistenable.  Ending the song with the words "I could say more/But you get the general idea" smacks of laziness rather than irony or lyrical flair (my sincere apologies, Morrissey!). As mentioned in previous posts, Southpaw Grammar ended my enchantment with Morrissey's music (this song in particular caused me to throw away my cassette of the album).  While I've acquired a new-found appreciation of the Southpaw Grammar album, this particular song remains strictly off-limits.  

NME provided a negative review for the single, saying that the song showed that “Morrissey has become the embarrassing incontinent grandfather of Britpop.” NME went on to describe the song as being "piss-poor old crap" and a "tune-impaired three-minute drone".

Allmusic described 'Dagenham Dave' as "the least distinct song on the whole [Southpaw Grammar] album."

Head in the clouds
And a mouth full of pie
Head in a blouse
Everybody loves him
I see why

Dagenham Dave, Dagenham Dave
Oh, Dagenham Dave
Dagenham Dave, Dagenham Dave
Oh, Dagenham Dave

I love Karen, I love Sharon
On the window screen
With never the need to fight
Or to question
A single thing

Dagenham Dave, Dagenham Dave
Oh, Dagenham Dave
Dagenham Dave, Dagenham Dave
Oh, Dagenham Dave

Dagenham Dave, Dagenham Dave
Oh, Dagenham Dave
Dagenham Dave, Dagenham Dave
Dagenham Dave

He'd love to touch
He's afraid that he might self-combust
I could say more
But you get the general idea

Dagenham Dave
Dagenham Dave

*The name Dagenham first appeared in a charter of Barking Abbey as 'Dæccan hamm' in or about 666 AD. The name almost certainly originated with a small farmstead, the "ham" or farm of a man called Daecca, as 'Dæccan hamm' in Old English means home of a man called Dæcca.  The aforementioned charter was made to reflect a transfer of land from Aethelred, kinsman of King Saebbi of Essex, to Barking Abbey.  English pop singer Sandie Shaw, who collaborated with the Smiths early on (and who had a short-lived friendship with Morrissey), was born in Dagenham.   Musician and comedian Dudley Moore grew up in Dagenham.

** Grange Hill was a television series that ran from 1978 to 2008.  The premise of the show was the everyday lives of the pupils of Grange Hill Comprehensive School.  Mark Savage played a student named Gripper Stebson, and was in a total of 32 episodes from 1980 through 1985.

 

Watch the promotional video for 'Dagenham Dave' here: