November Spawned A Monster by Morrissey

Album: Bona Drag (1990)

Charted: 12

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

Morrissey is known for expressing his personal pathos in his songs, but this one is a narrative, sung from the viewpoint of a disabled woman who is sick of the sympathy she receives because of her condition.

"It's about a person who's confined to a wheelchair, who can't make much sense of her life and whose only ambition is to walk down the road in clothes she personally went out and chose and bought herself,and that is as far as her ambitions can stretch," he told The Face.
This song was released as a single in 1990 and did well, climbing to #12 in the UK. After his band The Smiths broke up in 1987, Morrissey went right to work as a solo artist, releasing his debut album, Viva Hate, the following year. Right away it was clear that Smiths fans likes what they heard - the album went to #1 in the UK.

Instead of following it up with another standard album, Morrissey put out a series of singles, including "November Spawned A Monster," and compiled them on a compilation called Bona Drag along with some unreleased tracks. In the early '90s Morrissey expanded his reach to America, something he wasn't able to do with The Smiths.
The female vocals in the middle are by the Canadian singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara, who plays the part of the woman spawning the monster - Morrissey told her to go in the vocal booth and "just simply give birth." Morrissey recruited her after hearing her 1988 album Miss America. "I hadn't in a decade heard someone singing because of deep-set personal neurosis, absolute need and desperation," he said. "You'd think she might fall apart at any second and become a pile of rags and bones on stage. For the first time in almost a decade I was 'high' - mentally really, really high."

O'Hara also sings on the Bona Drag track "He Knows I'd Love To See Him."
Morrissey wrote this song with Clive Langer, who produced it along with Alan Winstanley. That pair also produced Madness (One Step Beyond..., 1979), Dexys Midnight Runners (Too-Rye-Ay, 1982) and Elvis Costello (Punch the Clock, 1983).

Andy Rourke, who was in The Smiths, played bass on the track.
The music video makes no effort to portray the story in the song. Instead, it's entirely footage of Morrissey larking about in a Nevada desert. Morrissey is a visually intriguing guy but was never all that interested in music videos. That's one reason The Smiths didn't get much attention on MTV and failed to break through in America.
Morrissey is a big fan of the American punk band New York Dolls, whose 1973 song "Frankenstein" was an influence on "November Spawned A Monster."
The song got some negative attention from a handful of disc jockeys and journalists who criticized Morrissey for mocking the disabled. Morrissey, who is was used to weathering these kind of attacks, replied, "They think they're being protective but they're not, they're being insultive." (No, that's not a word, but it should be!)

Comments: 9

Sarah from NcI thought it meant she would get functionally better over time and become a hooker or maybe an uhomed person
And that the clothes she chose for herself meant she was living life on her own terms. That's unsatisfactory, to me, though, so I'm going to try the death theory on for a minute. I liked that idea, because he says "let it be soon," and that *is* the kind of language we use about death
Randy from San Jose, CaI have a completely different take on the last lines of the song than anyone else I've ever heard ("one fine day let it be soon / she won't be rich or beautiful / but she'll be walking your streets in the clothes that she went out and chose for herself.") I look at it as another example of Morrissey's black humor about death and the 'beyond'. He's hoping that she'll die soon, getting put out of her misery ("one fine day let it be soon"). He anticipates her spirit will haunt the neighborhood ("she'll be walking your streets"). Since she is preparing herself to die, she gets to choose the clothes that she gets buried in, instead of the usual case where close family tell the morticians what the deceased will wear ("she went out and chose for herself"). The idea that in death, her spirit will be healthy and able to walk ("walking your streets") is also conveyed here. I think this interpretation of the ending of the song is in keeping with the Morrissey's afterlife philosophy, such as Ouija Board, or Death of a Disco Dancer ("maybe in the next world").
Diane from Las VegasI finally read the lyrics. Always loved the beat but thought it was about bullies or something lol. Ironically, I am a social worker for disabled people. I was smitten watching Moz dance in the video and finally read the lyrics. This is a topic no one likes to discuss let alone sing about. Sad to say that is the truth, trust me I know! His profound empathy and ability to see life from a disabled woman’s perspective blew me away. Down to the right to choose what she wears. This has only made me love him more, if that’s possible.
Ryan from Pittsfield, MaChris, this isn't about incest. i think you may be projecting a bit, lol. the lines you were talking about are about the girl regretting actually being conceived. mad mad lovers must pause and draw the line. also the part about kissing her on the mouth or anywhere is a comment about revulsion, again not incest. the idea of this song is to force the listener to confront their personal feelings about disabled people and literally forced us to empathize. i'd heard this track a dozen times then started to listen for the lyrics and was crushed by this empathy. my facorite moz track now.
you can't take pieces of lyrics and form ideas about a whole song. you should look for continuity and see how the imagery fits together to get understand the meaning.
ryan
Keith from Blacksburg, VaActually, I think Morrissey got the character from this story from a British woman (I think) who suffered from neurofibromatosis. The reason I make this connection is that I once read an article (I have no idea where, but maybe sometime between 1980-1990?) of a woman who was severely disfigured by neurofibromatosis, and underwent a marathon surgery to remove her neurofibromas and get reconstructive surgery. (I think one of her eyes could not be saved, and was replaced by a prosthetic). Anyways, at the end of the article, there is a sentence about how she was "looking forward to going out and buying new clothes for herself," which of course mirrors the line near the end of the song. SO that's my hunch.
Viktoria from AlbertaThis is one of my fav Moz songs!!!
I love it !
And Chris, Harrisburg, PA,: it's definitly about disabled people; 'A frame of useless limbs'
T.k. from Milwaukee, WiI always thought this song was about how people can be so unaccepting of disabled people or really anyone who's thought to be odd. I don't think he was saying how he felt but rather how society felt, and was challenging them to "kiss her full of the mouth", or in other words, get close to them. How many times have you seen a disabled person and looked away or immediately felt uncomfortable? I know I have.
Chris from Harrisburg, PaWell, I've never heard any official confirmation about what this song is about but after listening to it very carefully, i've come to the conclusion that this song is actually from two different view points and is actually about incest. call me crazy, but that's just what i hear...
the first verse is about the child, deformed from the "bad that's been done"...
"And if the lights were out
Could you even bear
To kiss her full on the mouth
(Or anywhere?)" - that's in reference to one sibling to another...
"A symbol of where mad, mad lovers
Must PAUSE and draw the line."- this is what tipped me off to it possibly being about incest, because even if a person is disabled, why should a line be drawn? it has to mean something else, and then put with the top part of "even if the lights were out, etc" i figured it was about a brother and sister having a kid who happened to be deformed. as for the title of the song, i'm thinking it may have been something that was in a paper and made news, hence the writing of the song. i don't know, this is just my feelings on teh song since i've never heard anything official.
Steve from Chino Hills, CaOne thing I never understood about the song was that he painted a very bad portrait of the subject. "If the lights were out could you even dare, to kiss her full on the mouth, or anywhere?" "Jesus made me so Jesus save me from pity, sympathy, and people discussing me, a frame of useless limbs what good could be made of the bad that's been done?" Then he calls her "A symbol of where mad,mad must stop and draw the line." So, what the dealo Morrissey? Is she the poserchild for celebancy?
The song shines a strong spotlight on people society has tried to sweep under the rug. It focuses on this gal's aspirations for normalcy and things we take for granted. Morrissey should be commended!

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Sprinsteen said "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" was "the best love song I ever wrote."

Sunday GirlBlondie

"Sunday Girl" was written by Blondie guitarist Chris Stein to cheer up Debbie Harry after her cat had run away whilst they were away on tour. The gray cat was called Sunday Man.

TendernessGeneral Public

"Tenderness" by General Public was partly inspired by the outbreak of AIDS, which at the time was thought to be contagious.

Tainted LoveSoft Cell

"Tainted Love" started as a 1964 soul song by Gloria Jones, became a huge hit when Soft Cell covered it in 1981, and was the basis for Rihanna's 2006 #1 "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)."