Bigmouth Strikes Again

"Bigmouth Strikes Again"
Single by The Smiths
from the album The Queen Is Dead
Released	May 19, 1986
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	Autumn 1985
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:14
Label	Rough Trade
Writer(s)	Johnny Marr Morrissey
Producer	Morrissey and Johnny Marr
The Smiths singles chronology
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (1985) "Bigmouth Strikes Again" (1986) "Panic" (1986)

"Bigmouth Strikes Again" is a song by The Smiths. It appears on their third album The Queen Is Dead and was the lead single from the album, reaching #26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1986. It was also the closing song on The Smiths' only live album, Rank.

Since the breakup of The Smiths, Morrissey has performed this song live, including it on his Live at Earls Court (2005).

Music and lyrics

The lyrics describe the protagonist's frustration of being hounded by others for his comments, to which he replies "I was only joking", and this led Noel Gallagher to draw inspiration from this song for the Oasis track "My Big Mouth", which is about the same subject.

During the song, the protagonist compares himself to Joan of Arc as the flames rose to her Roman nose.

The high-pitched voice in the background is actually Morrissey's voice altered to a higher pitch. The backing vocal is credited to "Ann Coates", a reference to the Manchester district of Ancoats.

Track listing

7" RT192
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bigmouth Strikes Again"	3:12
2.	"Money Changes Everything"	4:40

12" RTT192
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bigmouth Strikes Again"	3:12
2.	"Money Changes Everything"	4:40
3.	"Unloveable"	3:54

Etchings on vinyl

• UK 7" and 12": BEWARE THE WRATH TO COME / TALENT BORROWS, GENIUS STEALS

The A-side etching was seen on a banner in Hobson's Choice, one of Morrissey's most loved films. The B-side etching is a line from Oscar Wilde.

Artwork

The single contained a photograph of James Dean by Nelva Jean Thomas. James Dean is an idol to Morrissey, who even wrote a book about him entitled James Dean is not Dead.

Covers

The song is covered by Placebo, who substitute the words "Discman" and "Mega Drive" for the original "Walkman" and "hearing aid". It appears as a B-side to "Nancy Boy", as well as on Disc 2 of the Sleeping with Ghosts special edition and on the various artists compilation The Smiths Is Dead. "Bigmouth Strikes Again" has also been covered by Treepeople, The Entertainment System, Balance and Composure, Slapshot, and The Ukrainians (under the title "Batyar"). Chumbawamba also recorded a song by this title, which is mistakenly described in The Great Rock Discography as being a Smiths cover. The British electronic musician LorD and Master recorded a cover of "Bigmouth Strikes Again" as part of his 2011 covers album, Discover. In this version, LorD and Master uses the words "iPhone" and "iPad" in place of "Walkman" and "hearing aid", following the trend that Placebo had set in the 1990s.