'Used To Be A Sweet Boy'

Morrissey's Lament for the Boy who Vanished

Co-written with Alain Whyte, 'Used To Be A Sweet Boy' was recorded at the sessions for the Vauxhall & I studio album that took place between June and August 1993 at Hook End Manor in England with Steve Lillywhite producing the track. The musicians were Boz Boorer (guitar), Alain Whyte (guitar), Jonny Bridgwood (bass) and Woodie Taylor (drums).¹

The song is the 9th track on the Vauxhall album (released March 1994), sandwiched between ‘Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning’ and ‘The Lazy Sunbathers’.

The song appeared on the B-side of Morrissey’s 16th single, ‘The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get’ (the first of three singles that came from the Vauxhall album), which was released February 28, 1994.² This single became the only song by Morrissey (or the Smiths for that matter) to achieve chart success in the United States, where it reached number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also single reached number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The single reached an impressive number 8 on the UK Singles Chart.

'Used To Be A Sweet Boy' is a morose rumination on lost innocence and idealism, snatched away by life’s inevitably harsh and uncompromising lessons. Delivered with Morrissey’s signature understatement, the lyrics reveal a sense of regret, provoking a sort of involuntary sense of reflection on how much of our past selves we retain, and how much we lose, over time.

Morrissey effectively creates a tension between past and present; as he recollects his former self, one cannot help but think that he views his present self as something of a fallen, tragic figure. This is especially true with his use of the titular line “used to be a sweet boy", which is repeated in the song with a tone that imparts forlorn nostalgia as well as resigned sorrow, though Morrissey provides no explicit reason on the latter point. Whatever occurred is shrouded in mystery, but Morrissey takes pains to