'The Boy Racer'
Morrissey's ambiguous foray
Morrissey's second single off his fifth studio album, Southpaw Grammar (and his 22nd single overall), 'The Boy Racer' was released November, 1995. The song reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.
The CD version of the single had two different covers, with each featuring a young boy (contrary to rumor, the child is not Morrissey's nephew).
Some have noted a distinct similarity between the cover art for 'The Boy Racer' and that for Ian Dury's 1977 album, New Boots And Panties!! (Ian Dury was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music).
As is the case with 'Dagenham Dave', Morrissey utilizes a fair amount of repetition in the words - "Boy Racer" is repeated throughout the entire song - which tends to wear on the ears. However, this can be excused as the music is fast, boisterous, and oddly upbeat. Lyrically, ‘The Boy Racer’ deals with the various levels of envy, with murder of the subject being at the extreme end of the spectrum. This envy springs from a plethora of things…from the boy racer’s handsomeness, his success with women, a surfeit of money, ability to evade the police, and, apparently, the boy racer’s well-endowed male “member”! All of this leaves the singer seeking to kill the boy racer, though to be fair this desire is more rhetorical than literal. Indeed, one senses a tinge of admiration, perhaps even attraction, behind Morrissey’s caustic words.
Unfortunately, 'The Boy Racer' doesn't seem to be a popular song among the Morrissey demimonde, with some deriding the lyrical content as evidencing Morrissey’s creative exhaustion circa 1995, though the author can appreciate the song’s robust musical attributes.
The release of a promotional music video coincided with the single's release. The video features Morrissey and his band performing 'The Boy Racer' with short clips of the titular character driving around darkened streets at high speed, listening to music and with no apparent destination. At one point Morrissey emerges from what appears to be a different car which has been stopped by the police. Morrissey is then frisked by two male police officers. Towards the end of the video we see the boy racer pick-up a couple of young women he happens to cross paths with, and they race off into the night.
See the music video here:
According to Nicholas P. Greco in his book Only If You Are Really Interested:
The lyrics deal with anger and jealousy toward the "boy racer", but also admiration. Morrissey sings that the "boy racer" has many positive characteristics, that he is rich, good-natured and is successful with women. To this, Morrissey responds that he is jealous. He affirms the worth of the "boy racer" as someone to be admired, admitting that he has watched him. The "boy racer" continues to drive around while the band continues to perform. Then there is a scene during which two male police officers pull over a vehicle, presumably for speeding, from which Morrissey emerges. Morrissey continues his diatribe against the "boy racer", accusing him of thinking that he owns the streets, that he speeds and never gets stopped by police. Unfortunately, when Morrissey speeds, he does in fact get pulled over.
The "boy racer", even by his very title, is a masculine figure, perhaps embodying an ideal masculinity; Morrissey even hints at an expression of male sexual pride when he suggests that the "boy racer" has the world in his hands as he stands to urinate. The video goes on to feature the "boy racer" successfully picking up two young girls after a short conversation, "convincing" them to join him. There has been the suggestion that the "boy racer" is driving around the city with a passenger who is never seen, and that the driver is successful in picking up the girls because they realize whom the passenger is. In fact, this particular scene toward the end of the video can be interpreted this way; some camera angles and gesturing by the girls that an additional passenger is present. Some have suggested that this unseen passenger is Morrissey, although this is purely conjecture. The last image of the vehicle in the video shows it skidding out of control, which may signify a sort of victory for Morrissey. Morrissey's ability to drive a vehicle is made impossible by the police officers, who in turn disable him from having girlfriends and perhaps sexual pride as well. The car can be read as a symbol of mobility and action, and Morrissey's inability to drive relegates him to inactivity and immobility. This is affirmed by Morrissey's lack of movement toward the end of the video, despite the raucous and driving music of the band. Morrissey again reflects difference and inactivity, being forced into feminine immobility by the male police officers.
He's just too good-natured, and
He's got too much money, and
He's got too many girlfriends
(I'm jealous, that's all)
Have you seen him go, though? Oh...
Have you seen him go, though? Oh...
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
He's got too many girlfriends
He thinks he owns this city
He over speeds and he never
Gets pulled over
Have you seen him go, though? Oh...
Have you seen him go, though? Oh...
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
He thinks he's got the whole world in his hands
Stood at the urinal
He thinks he's got the whole world in his hands
And I'm gonna kill him
Oh no, oh no
Oh no, oh no
Oh no, oh no
Oh no, oh no oh no
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
He's just too good looking...
He's just too good looking...
He's just too good looking...
And...
And...
And...
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing
Boy racer, boy racer, oh!
We're gonna kill this pretty thing