"My Love Life" is a song by Morrissey released in September 1991. It was a stand-alone single rather than taken from any studio album, although it was included on the compilation albums '' World of Morrissey'' (1995) and '' Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey'' (1997). Rather than continuing with the

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

sound of " Pregnant for the Last Time", Morrissey and songwriting partner Mark Nevin returned to a poppier sound for the final single they would release together. Featuring Chrissie Hynde on harmony vocals, the single reached number 29 in the UK Singles Chart. This was the last Morrissey release before he joined up with

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 ...

and

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 ...

on a full-time basis. The US and UK versions of "My Love Life" have some slight differences, both in the mix of the title track and especially in the mix of the B-side "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty." Both mixes of "My Love Life" use the same take, but the US version is a full 25 seconds longer at the end, while the UK version starts fading out at 4:08. The UK version of "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty" runs 3:40 and includes two overlapping samples at the beginning of the track. The first sample is of a male voice apparently telling a story in a restaurant while dishes clink in the background, and a female companion laughs. The second sample is from

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis S ...

' 1962 recording of " The End of the World" played on a scratchy vinyl record. Both samples return at the end of the track, with the male voice continuing his story and the Skeeter Davis record fading out with audible vinyl surface noise. The US version of "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty" runs 3:11 and omits both samples. The US mix is somewhat brighter and contains the full coda of the song including the decay of the final piano chord. The UK version of "My Love Life" also appears on the 1997 compilation '' Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey''. The US version of "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty" was later included on the 1998 compilation '' My Early Burglary Years''.

Critical reception

"My Love Life" was reviewed in ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' by John Peel as the "best one he's orrisseymade in a long time" and the song was described as "catchy, romantic ndendearing".NME My Love Life Review
/ref> In a retrospective reception, Ned Raggett 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 databa ...

called the song "a gentler ramble in comparison to things like the live "Sing Your Life," and though the lyrics are a bit curious (Morrissey asking for a ménage à trois?), the performance is a fine one all around."

Music video

The music video, directed by

Tim Broad Tim Broad was a British film director, best known for his music videos for the singer Morrissey. In a 1990 interview, he was described as Morrissey's closest friend. Broad directed the video for The Smiths' songs " Girlfriend in a Coma" and "Sto ...

was shot mostly on Van Buren Street in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. It depicts Morrissey driving in a

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

Corniche II along with members of his band who have their hair cut in Morrissey's style.

Track listings

7-inch vinyl and cassette (UK) # "My Love Life" (UK version) # "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty" (UK version) 12-inch vinyl and CD (UK) # "My Love Life" (UK version) # "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty" (UK version) # "There's a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends" (KROQ) 12-inch vinyl and CD (US) # "My Love Life" (US version) # "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty" (US version) # "Skin Storm" ( Bradford cover)

Personnel

* Morrissey: voice * Mark E. Nevin: guitars * Mark Bedford: bass *

Andrew Paresi Andrew McGibbon (a.k.a. Andrew Paresi; born 1961 in Chiswick), is an English comedian, actor, writer, musician and composer. He has also produced and directed extensively, chiefly for radio. Education The son of James, a prominent educationali ...

: drums * Chrissie Hynde: backing vocals Note: Morrissey's recently recruited live band, Boz Boorer, Alain Whyte, Spencer Cobrin and Gary Day, are erroneously credited on the single sleeve.

References

External links

*
My Love Life (Music Video)
a
Muzu TV
{{Authority control Morrissey songs 1991 singles His Master's Voice singles Songs written by Morrissey Songs written by Mark Nevin Song recordings produced by Clive Langer Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley