6. “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” – Morrissey
(From the album Vauxhall & I)
1994
With 1994’s Vauxhall & I Morrissey continued the excellence he and his new backing band had begun on 1992’s Your Arsenal. Whereas Your Arsenal found Morrissey working with guitarist Alain Whyte as his primary songwriting partner, on Vauxhall & I Morissey splits writing credits with Whyte and his other guitarist Boz Boorer and Boorer proves himself to be just as talented and fitting a writing partner. In fact, Vauxhall & I rivals, or maybe even surpasses, the excellence of Your Arsenal, while serving as a somewhat more reflective companion piece. Indeed, the album’s lead single, the Morrissey and Boorer penned “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get”, became Morrissey’s biggest hit ever in the US and his only UK top ten of the 90’s. Always a strong and witty lyricist, the song features some of Morrissey’s best; clever, humorous, and perhaps a little subversive. These lyrics are backed by music that recalls the sound of The Smiths without actually using the jangly guitar rush made famous by Johnny Marr. Instead, Boorer creates a melodic, repetitive riff that carries the song and gets lodged in your head. “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” is the obvious single from the record, but Vauxhall & I has many other excellent songs including Morrissey and Boorer’s “Spring-Heeled Jim” and “Speedway” and Morrissey and Whyte’s “Hold On To Your Friends” (a criminally failed single) and “Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself”, among other highlights.
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