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

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.