Girlfriend in a Coma
Morbidity As Art
Released August 10, 1987, 'Girlfriend In A Coma' was the first single from the Smiths' fourth and final studio album, Strangeways, Here We Come. The single reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart.
The single's cover art features English playwright and screenwriter Shelagh Delaney. This was the second time Delaney appeared on a Smiths cover (she previously appeared on the cover of the Louder Than Bombs compilation album)
.
The 7-inch version of the single features a cover of the Cilla Black song ‘Work Is a Four-Letter Word’ on its B-side (a song which infuriated Marr to the point that he identified it as the flashpoint in his decision to walk away from the Smiths) and was etched with “AND NEVER MORE SHALL BE SO/SO FAR SO BAD” on its matrix. The 12-inch version contains ‘I Keep Mine Hidden’ on its B-side (this song was written and recorded at the Smiths' final session in May 1987 at Firehouse Studios, London, and has the distinction of being the very last song recorded by the Smiths be they disbanded), with its matrix etched with “EVERYBODY IS A FLASHER AT HEART/AND NEVER MORE SHALL BE SO”.
'Girlfriend In A Coma' was very likely written at the end of 1986 or very early in 1987, very shortly before it was first attempted in a recording studio, which was during the ‘Sheila Take A Bow’ session in January 1987 at Good Earth Studios in London. The Smiths initially attempted to record the song with with a rocksteady1 inspired style, but this effort was shelved. Taken from a record company cd-r of a scrapped reissue project, one of these early takes of ‘Girlfriend In A Coma’ was leaked at the end of 2010 on The Smiths bootleg LP. Listen to it here:
The definitive version of the song saw it re-arranged with a more gentle acoustic sound, which was recorded and mixed during the Strangeways, Here We Come sessions in March-April 1987 at Wool Hall Studios in Bath, with Stephen Street as producer with input from Morrissey and Johnny Marr.2
Cinematographer Tim Broad directed a promotional music video for ‘Girlfriend in a Coma’, which saw moderate success on MTV. Interestingly, the music video was produced subsequent to the dissolution of the Smiths, and only featured Morrissey and clips from the 1964 film The Leather Boys3. The film clips used in the music video depicts "a young man [portrayed by English actor Colin Campbell4] who marries too soon and faces doubts about his masculinity, egged-on by his equally immature wife [portrayed by actress Rita Tushingham5].”6
Morrissey was hesitant to take part in the video (as well as the promotional video for 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before'), but was persuaded by Rough Trade's Geoff Travis to participate in order to support the single. As Morrissey recalled in Autobiography, "Tim Broad steps in to make sense of it all, hotch-podging two videos for both 'Girlfriend in a Coma' and 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before'. The results for both are frustratingly unwatchable, although Tim did his best with such a mealy-mouthed budget."
Watch the promotional music video for 'Girlfriend in a Coma' here:
‘Girlfriend in a Coma’ was inspired by Bob and Marcia’s7 cover of the Nina Simone8 song, 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black'.
Marr recalled, "[Morrissey and I] both absolutely adored it. So 'Girlfriend in a Coma' was trying to capture the spirit of that. If you listen to the string parts on both you maybe can see it."9
Listen to Bob and Marcia's version of 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black' here:
Because of its morbid subject matter, the song was banned on BBC Radio 1. Morrissey later said, "You're not really supposed to like those songs. They're very depressing and not supposed to be played on radio."10
‘Girlfriend in a Coma’ has seen critical acclaim for Marr's guitar work and Morrissey's witty lyricism. It has since appeared on multiple compilation albums and has been ranked by music writers as one of the band's best songs.
In an interview with Select magazine in 1993, Johnny Marr stated that "Over the last few years I've heard 'Girlfriend in a Coma' in shops and people's cars, and I'm always surprised by how good it sounds."
Rocksteady is a Jamaican music genre that originated around 1966 and was popular for almost two years. It's a successor to ska and a precursor to reggae. This genre is characterized by a slower tempo and a focus on the bass line.
Stephane at PassionsJustLikeMine.com
Directed by Sidney J. Furie, the film is set in the rocker subculture in London and features a gay motorcyclist ('Pete', played by English actor Dudley Sutton). The Leather Boys is a notable early example of a film that violated the Hollywood production code, yet was still shown in the United States. An example of British cinema kitchen sink realism, its treatment of homosexuality was considered daring at the time of its release.
Colin Campbell was also featured on the cover art for the 1990 Australia reissue of the Smiths’ 'William, It Was Really Nothing' single.
Rita Tushingham was featured on the cover for Sandie Shaw's rendition of the Smiths’ song 'Hand In Glove', which was released in April 1984.
White, Armond (August 10, 2017). "The Smiths: The Open Secret of 'Girlfriend in a Coma". Rolling Stone.
Bob and Marcia were a Jamaican vocal duo that consisted of Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths. They had a #5 UK hit single in 1970 with 'Young, Gifted and Black'.
Nina Simone (born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; 1933 – 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, and arranger and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Simone at No. 21 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Goddard, Simon (2013). Songs That Saved Your Life (revised edition): The Art of The Smiths 1982 - 87.
Plender, Andrew, "Mr Miserable Spreads Joy", The Independent: May 17, 2006
Love everything about this song, equally love the video!! Morrissey looks so beautiful 😍