Our Frank

"Our Frank"
Single by Morrissey
from the album Kill Uncle
Released	11 February 1991
Format	7", 12", CD, cassette
Length	3:25
Label	HMV (UK)
Writer(s)	Morrissey, Mark Nevin
Producer	Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley
Morrissey singles chronology
"Piccadilly Palare" (1990) "Our Frank" (1991) "Sing Your Life" (1991)

"Our Frank" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in February 1991. It was the first single taken from the Kill Uncle album. It was also the first of his collaborations with Mark Nevin to be released.

Despite being released before the album that spawned it, the single reached number 26 in the UK Singles Chart. This was the lowest any Morrissey single had charted since his first release "Suedehead" in 1988.

Despite its title, the song lyrics are not about someone named Frank, but rather they describe "frank and open, deep conversations" that get Morrissey nowhere and leave him disheartened. Throughout the song he complains about his frustration, asking his conversation partner to stop and uncharacteristically demanding cigarettes and alcohol to get through the dross. The final verse, however, sees Morrissey singing "Won't somebody stop me from thinking? From thinking all the time, about everything. So deeply, so bleakly..." indicating that the conversations he so dreads are in fact with himself. This introspective twist gives the song a hit of Morrissey's wry wit, but at the same time it displays the dark uniqueness that pervades the album. The lyrics of "Our Frank", along with the brooding music and strange production (Morrissey's voice is overdubbed and echoed) offer some insight into why the album was poorly received and also why some of the songs have become particularly popular with fans.^[1]

Track listings

7" vinyl and cassette

1. "Our Frank"
2. "Journalists Who Lie"

12" vinyl

1. "Our Frank"
2. "Journalists Who Lie"
3. "Tony the Pony"

CD

1. "Our Frank"
2. "Journalists Who Lie"
3. "Tony the Pony"

Country	Record label	Format	Catalogue number
UK	HMV	7" vinyl	POP1625
UK	HMV	12" vinyl	12POP1625
UK	HMV	Compact disc	CDPOP1625
UK	HMV	Cassette	TCPOP1625

Reviews

Perhaps surprisingly, NME gave "Our Frank" a positive review, calling the single the singer's "freshest vinyl confection since 'Suedehead'".^[2]

Musicians

• Morrissey: voice
• Mark E. Nevin: guitar
• Nawazish Ali Khan: violin
• Seamus Beaghen: piano
• Mark "Bedders" Bedford: bass guitar
• Andrew Paresi: drums

Live performances

The song was performed live by Morrissey on his 1991 Kill Uncle tour. Along with all of the material from Kill Uncle, "Our Frank" has never been performed by Morrissey since the 1991 tour.^[3]

See also

• Morrissey discography

References

1. ^ allmusic
2. ^ NME Our Frank Review
3. ^ http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/live-moz-stats.htm

External links

• "Our Frank" at Passions Just Like Mine