I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday

Album: Your Arsenal (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" is part of Morrissey's Your Arsenal album, produced by ex-Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson. When Morrissey pointed out the resemblance of this song to the Thin White Duke's glam rock classic "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide," Ronson replied: "I wrote that original piece for Rock 'n' Roll Suicide, so there won't be any legal comeback."
  • Bowie covered this song on his 1993 Black Tie White Noise album. On the album's DVD, Bowie remarked: "I always thought of the English singer-songwriter, Morrissey, as a sort of a sexual Alan Bennett - the British playwright - because of his attention to detail. He'll take a small subject matter and make a very grandiose statement of it."

    "His last album, Your Arsenal, was produced, ironically, by Mick Ronson," Bowie continued. "And Mick sent me a copy of the tape and I couldn't but notice that one of the songs on the album - 'I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday' - was a kind of a parody of one of my earlier songs, 'Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.' And so I sort of thought it would be fun to take that song and do it the way I would've done it 1974ish."

Comments: 1

  • Cliff from LondonCan you please acknowledge Mark E. Nevin, main songwriter for Fairground Attraction, who actually wrote the tune for I Know It's Gonna Happen? No-one ever does, but it's actually his melody and chord changes that pastiche Bowie, as much as the rather slight lyrics.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.