"Sing Your Life" is a single by English singer-songwriter

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 in April 1991. It was the second single taken from the ''

Kill Uncle ''Kill Uncle'' is the second solo studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey, released on 4 March 1991 by EMI Records and HMV Records. The title comes from the color black comedy film '' Let's Kill Uncle'' (1966). Recording ''Kil ...

'' album. On release this was Morrissey's lowest charting single in the UK charts, reaching only number 33. One of the single's B-sides was a cover version of " That's Entertainment" by

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

which had backing vocals by

Chas Smash Cathal Joseph "Carl" Smyth (born 14 January 1959), also known as Chas Smash, is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His career spans more than 40 years. Smash came to prominence in the late 1970s as secondary vocalist, trump ...

, a.k.a. Carl Smyth the second singer of the band Madness.

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. ...

also recorded backing vocals for the song, but they weren't included in the final version. He is thanked in the sleeve notes.

Critical review

Stuart Maconie 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 positive review, calling it "toe-tapping".NME Sing Your Life Review
/ref> 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 databas ...

called the song "one of Morrissey's subtler pieces, and also one with a more upbeat and straightforward message than most."

Live performances

The song was performed live by Morrissey on his 1991 ''Kill Uncle'' tour. The song was last performed on 6 October 1991, and was dropped from the set list for the rest of the tour. Along with all of the material from ''Kill Uncle'', "Sing Your Life" has never been performed by Morrissey since the 1991 tour, but it is frequently requested by his audience. When Morrissey hears the request, he usually replies by saying "I'm singing it."

Track listings

7-inch vinyl and cassette # "Sing Your Life" # " That's Entertainment" (

cover) 12-inch vinyl # "Sing Your Life" # "That's Entertainment" (The Jam cover) # "The Loop" CD # "Sing Your Life" # "That's Entertainment" (The Jam cover) # "The Loop"

Musicians

* Morrissey – voice * Mark E. Nevin – guitars *

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 ...

– guitars *

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 * Mark Bedford – bass

Charts

In popular culture

The song is featured prominently in season one, episode seven of the Netflix show Daybreak, when character Ms Crumble's passion for Morrissey's music forms an important plot point. It appears as the theme song of a fictitious post-apocalyptic sitcom, in a Spanish version performed by Ms Crumble's Morrissey cover band, and as a duet by characters Angelica ( Alyvia Alyn Lind and Ms Crumble

Krysta Rodriguez Krysta Anne Rodriguez (born July 23, 1984) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Ana Vargas in the NBC series '' Smash'', Summer Henderson in the NBC series '' Trial & Error'', Maxine Griffin in the ABC series '' ...

). The episode itself is called "Canta Tu Vida", the Spanish translation of the song's title.

References

{{Authority control Morrissey songs 1991 singles 1991 songs His Master's Voice singles Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley Song recordings produced by Clive Langer Songs written by Mark Nevin Songs written by Morrissey