"Alma Matters" is a song by

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

, released as a single in July 1997. It was the first single to be taken from the ''

Maladjusted ''Maladjusted'' is the sixth studio album by English singer Morrissey, released on 11 August 1997 by Island Records. On release, the album received a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike, and was Morrissey's last studio album for sev ...

'' album and was released one week before the album. The single reached number 16 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming Morrissey's first top 20 hit since " The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" in 1994. The song was also notable for seeing Morrissey reference the film ''

A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

'' for the first time since his early days in

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

in the line "it's my life to ruin my own way". The song title is a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

on '' Alma mater''.

Track listings

7" vinyl and cassette (UK)

# "Alma Matters" (

Alain Whyte Alain Gordon Whyte (pronounced Alan) (born 3 July 1967) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and singer. He was Morrissey's main songwriting partner and guitarist between 1991 and 2007. Prior to 1991, Whyte previously been in the bands ...

) # "Heir Apparent" (Morrissey/Whyte)

12" vinyl and CD

# "Alma Matters" # "Heir Apparent" # "I Can Have Both" (Morrissey/

Boz Boorer Martin James "Boz" Boorer (born 19 May 1962 in Edgware, Middlesex, England) is an English guitarist and producer most known for his work founding the new wave rockabilly group the Polecats; and later for his work as a co-writer, guitarist and m ...

)

Reviews

Jack Rabid of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called this single "ho-hum", saying it was "a poor choice to represent ''

''". He also criticized guitarists

and

, asking when Morrissey was going to part company with them, and declared the B-sides "Heir Apparent" and "I Can Have Both" to be the better songs but still lacking in comparison to previous B-sides "Whatever Happens, I Love You" and "Nobody Loves Us". Rabid concludes his review, writing "Morrissey is a major talent with a special voice atrophying in underwhelming material and backing. To quote

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

, 'When will it end?'" Keith Phipps of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'', however, listed the song as a highlight of ''Maladjusted''. In a 2009 article ''Uncut'' described the song as 'Morrissey's worst single'. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

''s list of '50 Best Morrissey Songs' from 2017 includes "Alma Matters" as his 12th best solo song.

Personnel

* Morrissey – voice * Martin "Boz" Boorer – guitar * Alain Whyte – guitar * Jonny Bridgwood – bass * Spencer James Cobrin – drums

Charts

References

{{authority control 1997 singles Morrissey songs Music videos directed by Matthew Rolston Songs written by Morrissey Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite 1997 songs Island Records singles Songs written by Alain Whyte