"Ouija Board, Ouija Board" is a song by English singer-songwriter Morrissey, released as a single in November 1989. The track appears along with its B-side "Yes, I Am Blind" on the compilation album ''

Bona Drag ''Bona Drag'' is a compilation album by Morrissey released on 15 October 1990. The album features an array of Morrissey's most popular songs from his early solo career, most of which had not been released on any previous album. The album name m ...

''. A shorter edit, omitting a verse, appeared on the 2010 reissue of ''Bona Drag''. The single was poorly received by the music press and the public; its highest position 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 ...

was 18, making it the first solo Morrissey single not to reach the top 10. "Yes, I Am Blind" was composed by Morrissey's ex- Smiths partner

Andy Rourke Andrew Michael Rourke (born 17 January 1964) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the Smiths. He is known for his melodic approach to bass playing. Career Rourke's father was Irish while his mother was English. He received an a ...

, and the picture on the sleeve was taken by Anton Corbijn.

Lyrical content

The song is about the protagonist using a

Ouija The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...

board to contact a dead friend, who tells him to "push off" ("push oof" in some renditions). It caused some debate in the press at the time over claims it promoted occult dabbling or

devil worship Theistic Satanism, otherwise referred to as religious Satanism, spiritual Satanism, or traditional Satanism, is an umbrella term for religious groups that consider Satan, the Devil, or Lucifer to objectively exist as a deity, supernatural en ...

. Morrissey replied to these claims by retorting: "The only contact I ever made with the dead was when I spoke to a journalist from '' The Sun''."Rogan, Johnny Morrissey - The Album, p. 157

Critical reception

Ian McCann 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 ...

'' gave the single a poor review, describing the record as a "dull, fey whine that would never see release unless the singer had a track record".NME Ouija Board Review
/ref> In a retrospective review, 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 ...

described the lead track as "a weird semi-anthem that almost works" but praised its B-side "Yes, I Am Blind", calling it "a restrained but sharp performance, while the tearjerker-into-glam music is quite lovely."

Music video

The video for the song, 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 ...

, features Morrissey being led into the woods by some children who take him to see a

spirit medium Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spir ...

, played by

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

, the British actress best known for her appearances in the ''

Carry On Carry On may refer to: * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (novel), ...

'' film series. The video also features an early appearance by

Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame with her appearances on sketch shows such as ''French and Saunders'' (1988–1999) and her recurring role as Mag ...

. It was filmed on location in and around the Elizabethan house

Hook End Manor Hook End Recording Studios was a recording studio located in Hook End Manor, a 16th-century Elizabethan house near Checkendon, Oxfordshire, England. History The original studio, Space Studios, was built by Alvin Lee of the band Ten Years Afte ...

in Checkendon, Oxfordshire, the residential studio where the song was also recorded. The video ranked third on ''Pulp Magazine''s "Most Tweaked Music Videos of All Time" list.PULP Magazine
/ref>

Live performances

Morrissey performed the song live on the 1999–2000 ¡Oye Esteban! tour. The song's distinctive introduction and end sequence had been used to bookend performances of " November Spawned a Monster" during the 1992 tour.

Track listings

7-inch, POP 1622 (UK) 12-inch, 12 POP 1622, CD, POP 1622 (UK)

Musicians

* Morrissey: voice * Kevin Armstrong: guitar *

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

: backing vocals *

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 *

Matthew Seligman Matthew Seligman (14 July 1955 – 17 April 2020) was an English bassist, best known for his association with the new wave music scene of the 1980s. Seligman was a member of the Soft Boys and the Thompson Twins, and was a sideman for Thomas Do ...

: bass * Steve Hopkins: piano

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1989 songs 1989 singles Morrissey songs His Master's Voice singles Songs about death Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley Song recordings produced by Clive Langer Songs written by Morrissey Songs written by Stephen Street