chronological list of promotional films

 

"Suedehead"
The first solo Morrissey video shows him walking around sites in Fairmount Indiana, home of James Dean. This was directed by Tim Broad and compiled on "Hulmerist" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.
In an early version of the "Suedehead" video there is a shot showing a letter from James Dean with a focus on a "I want to die" line. That shot was soon removed because the Dean Estate didn't approve of it. The first version was still shown on the Chart Show in England.

"Everyday Is Like Sunday"
Very little of Morrissey can be seen in this video showing a bored fan walking around Southend-On-Sea in Essex, a seaside town that fits the theme of the song. The young actress playing the fan is Lucette Henderson who was also seen biking with Morrissey in the Smiths' "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" and "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" videos. Also features Coronation Street's Cheryl Campbell/Murray and actress Billie Whitelaw. This was directed by Tim Broad and compiled on "Hulmerist" and later on "¡Oye Esteban!".

"Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness"
Morrissey can be seen in Sandie Shaw's video for "Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness". The song was recorded by Morrissey during the Viva Hate sessions but never released by him.

"Sister I'm A Poet" (live)
The live performance of this song by Morrissey in Wolverhampton on on his first solo gig on 22 December 1988 was included on the "Hulmerist" compilation. The song was never released as a single and therefore never promoted, but this live performance served to promote "Hulmerist" itself.

"Late Night Maudlin Street"
Even though this is very nicely done, using footage from John Schlesinger's movie "Billy Liar", it isn't an official video. It was made by Sarah Tuft, a short-movie producer, and a fan of Morrissey's music. She also did a video for "Will Never Marry", which has not really surfaced like this one did. Promo copies were produced by Vanderquest who usually distribute promo videos for labels, which does give this the appearance of an official item.

"The Last Of The Famous International Playboys"
This video directed by Tim Broad shows Morrissey with ex-Smiths Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon playing in a green decor with snippets of young actor Jason Rush air-boxing in his room and running around town. This was compiled on "Hulmerist" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"Interesting Drug"
This video was also directed by Tim Broad. It shows mostly four young boys in high heels liberating animals from experimental laboratories with the help of a woman played by Diane Alton. Scenes are interspersed with shots of Morrissey, Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon from the 1988 Wolverhampton concert. The audio track is longer than the single/album version by approximately 23 seconds. This was compiled on "Hulmerist" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"Ouija Board Ouija Board"
Morrissey visits a medium in this video again directed by Tim Broad. He ends up being chased around an old house. Features actresses Kathy Burke and Joan Sims. This was compiled on "Hulmerist" only.

"November Spawned A Monster"
Shot in Death Valley, in the Nevada desert. A still from this video was used for the cover to the "Bona Drag" album (after being 're-coloured'). This was directed by Tim Broad and compiled on "Hulmerist" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"Piccadilly Palare"
No video was ever made for this single.

"Our Frank"
Directed by James Maybury. At the time of release of the compilation video "The Malady Lingers On", Morrissey was facing many accusations of racism. It is very likely "Our Frank" wasn't included on the latter compilation because it showed skinheads running around London and Morrissey didn't want to stir any more controversy. But then Morrissey has also admitted being embarrassed by it. The video was previously made available commercially on a Japanese 3-video compilation titled "Sing Your Life". The latter remains the only official way to obtain the video to this day as it was again omitted from the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD compilation.

"Sing Your Life"
Morrissey and Th'lads play on a stage in a small room while a small crowd (in which Chrissie Hynde can be seen) dances around to the music. This was directed by Tim Broad and compiled on the "Sing Your Life" Japanese video-single, "The Malady Lingers On" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"Pregnant For The Last Time"
This video was some sort of promo for the Kill Uncle tour as well as the single, as it shows many live shots of Morrissey and band on stage and fooling around Berlin while they were in town on the Kill Uncle tour. The live footage is assumed to have been filmed on German dates, such as Berlin or Cologne. Directed by Tim Broad and compiled on "The Malady Lingers On" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"My Love Life"
Morrissey and his band riding along the streets of Phoenix Arizona. This was directed by Tim Broad and compiled on "The Malady Lingers On" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful"
Morrissey and band members pose around a rundown area of London. This was directed by Tim Broad and compiled on "The Malady Lingers On" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"You're The One For Me, Fatty"
Scenes of Morrissey and musicians playing in a room are mixed with scenes of a 'fatty' woman and date having a picnic in a park. This was the last video directed by Tim Broad for Morrissey before his death. It was compiled on "The Malady Lingers On" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD. The version of the song used for the video is an early one, featuring less production work than the album version.

"Certain People I Know"
Morrissey singing and rolling around in the sand on some beach. Directed by George Tiffin. Compiled on "The Malady Lingers On" only.

"Tomorrow"
A first version which was compiled on "The Malady Lingers On" and "¡Oye Esteban!" features Morrissey and his band walking around the streets of the older part of Nice in France. The video is one long shot without any cuts. A different uncompiled version includes other footage interspersed with that of the first one, and is not without cuts. Directed by Zack Snyder. (Note: the intro of the version on "The Malady Lingers On" was shortened by about 12 seconds; the song fades in instead of the usual opening)

"Glamorous Glue"
Morrissey and his band play in a small Chicago club. Directed by George Tiffin and compiled on "The Malady Lingers On" as well as the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"Seasick, Yet Still Docked"
The production of this video was begun by Charles Wittenmeier but never completed until 2000 to be included on the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD.

"The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get"
This one has Morrissey singing in a corridor with low hanging lamps. The walls of the corridor have a digitalised photo of David Baxter on them. The video features Morrissey guitarist and songwriter Boz Boorer's daughter. Directed by Mark Romanek and available only on the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD compilation. An alternate video for this song has the latter footage mixed with footage from other videos (mainly "Tomorrow" and "Glamourous Glue"). This is uncompiled but was broadcast on MTV.

"Hold On To Your Friends"
This was rumoured to be included on the "¡Oye Esteban!" 2000 DVD retrospective, but it was finally omitted. It was produced only in 2000 with plans of inclusion on the compilation, and not in 1994 when this single was released.

"Interlude"
No official video was ever made for this single. A nicely done bootleg video was put together by a Siouxsie fan. It is in circulation on the internet.

"Now My Heart Is Full"
No video was ever made for this single.

"Boxers"
Directed by James O'Brien this video features mainly boxer Cornelius Carr. The covers to the "World Of Morrissey" album and the Smiths' "Sweet And Tender Hooligan" cd-single (both released in 1995) were made from stills taken from this video. Available only on the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD compilation.

"Dagenham Dave"
Morrissey is seen walking around streets and an underground car park while a couple fight. Directed by James O'Brien and available only on the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD compilation.

"The Boy Racer"
Scenes of Morrissey playing with his band are interspersed with a 'boy racer' in his car with a fellow passenger who is never seen. The boy racer tries to pick up 2 girls who finally accept when they see who is the passenger (we can only assume it is Morrissey!). Directed by James O'Brien and available only on the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD compilation.

"Sunny"
Two boys and one girl fool around in Victoria Park in East London. Directed by James O'Brien and available only on the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD compilation and as multimedia extra on the "My Early Burglary Years" album on cd. The version on the latter album comes with an intro of handwritten slides by Morrissey introducing the video. This intro was left off "¡Oye Esteban!".

"Will Never Marry"
A montage of fans hugging Morrissey on stage was produced and tagged at the end of the "Introducing Morrissey" live video. This montage was included on the "¡Oye Esteban!" DVD compilation as if it was a promotional video although it never served as such.

"Alma Matters"
It is simply Morrissey singing in an abandoned meat packing plant, interspersed with other scenes, such as Morrissey sitting at a table, eating doughnuts and feeding them to a cat or eating cereal while wearing a Beck shirt. He ends up throwing the cereal to a girl behind him. There are also blurred shots of various tough-looking individuals. This has not been compiled yet, not even on "¡Oye Esteban!" because the rights to it belong to Mercury Records, unlike all other Morrissey videos.

"Roy's Keen"
No video was ever made for this single.

"Satan Rejected My Soul"
No video was ever made for this single.

"Irish Blood, English Heart"
Directed by Bucky Fukumoto. Morrissey and band performing in a room among blasé looking extras. Directed by Roman Coppola. The video was included on the limited CD+DVD set of "You Are The Quarry" and as a multimedia file on the Deluxe edition of the same album. It was also added as a bonus feature to the "Who Put The M In Manchester" live DVD.

"First Of The Gang To Die"
Directed by Bucky Fukumoto. The most common video, as found on the DVD single of the song, was produced around live footage of the performance at Manchester M.E.N. on 22 May 2004. An alternate version has the same footage interspersed with footage of fans and shots taken backstage or during soundcheck. The backing track in both cases is the live version of the song. The latter version was included on the American Deluxe edition of the "You Are The Quarry" album. Both versions were added as a bonus feature to the "Who Put The M In Manchester" live DVD.

"I Have Forgiven Jesus"
Directed by Bucky Fukumoto. Shot during the first week of November 2004 between the South American and LA dates. It was included on the enhanced cd-single #2 of "I Have Forgiven Jesus" and added as a bonus feature to the "Who Put The M In Manchester" live DVD.

"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" - live
A mish-mash of footage of Morrissey singing "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" on the 2004 tour was put together to promote the single of that name, and the "Who Put The M In Manchester" live DVD. This video is available on the DVD-single for "Redondo Beach"/"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out".

"You Have Killed Me"
The video for this single as well as later single "In The Future When All's Well" were directed by Bucky Fukumoto. They both feature Morrissey as an entrant in the 1970 Eurovision Contest. Along with vintage clothing and Italian host introduction, the videos were filmed with 1970s analogue video cameras and feature real Eurovision footage from the early 1970s. They were both made available on the bonus DVD included in the limited edition of the "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" album on cd. The video for this song was also added as multimedia content on the "You Have Killed Me" UK/Europe cd-single #2.

"The Youngest Was The Most Loved"
This slow-motion black and white video directed by AV Club features Morrissey in the role of a criminal in handcuffs being taken to a car by Italian policemen played by Morrissey's musicians. Meanwhile paparazzi surround the car, desperate to get a shot of the star criminal. The video was included as multimedia content on the single's UK/Europe cd-single #2 and the USA cd-EP.

"In The Future When All's Well"
The video for this single as well as earlier single "You Have Killed Me" were directed by Bucky Fukumoto. They both feature Morrissey as an entrant in the 1970 Eurovision Contest. Along with vintage clothing and Italian host introduction, the videos were filmed with 1970s analogue video cameras and feature real Eurovision footage from the early 1970s. They were both made available on the bonus DVD included in the limited edition of the "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" album on cd. The video for this song was also added as multimedia content on the "In The Future When All's Well" cd-single #2.

"I Just Want To See The Boy Happy"
No video was specifically filmed for this single, but Morrissey's performance of this song on France's Canal+ in early September 2006 was used to fill this promotional purpose. It was added as multimedia content on the "In The Future When All's Well" cd-single.

"That's How People Grow Up"
To promote this single off Morrissey's 2008 "Greatest Hits" a montage of live footage from the 2007 Greatest Hits tour was put together. The video features great close ups of Morrissey's musicians at work and a lot of footage of fans trying or successfully making it on stage. This was made available for digital purchase at the time of release of the single.

"All You Need Is Me"
Directed by Patrick O'Dell. This very 'sun and fun' video shot around Los Angeles is reminiscent of Morrissey's videos for "Tomorrow" and "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful". It shows Morrissey walking around a lush garden with his musicians behind and around him. This is interspersed with footage of each individual band member at his intrument in what appears to be a recording studio.

 

Quotes:

Morrissey, in a statement to the True To You website in February 2006, about making videos: "It's never been my strong point... but then, what is? I throw in a basic idea but then leave it to others. I think my discomfort usually shows. I like "I Have Forgiven Jesus" and "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get" - and "Glamorous Glue" is OK. I made a video years ago for the song "Our Frank" with the director James Maybury that was so awful that we tried to hide it. Of course, no such luck. There's always someone, somewhere..."