"Something Is Squeezing My Skull" is a song with lyrics by Morrissey and music by

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 ...

. The song is the second single to be released from Morrissey's 2009 album ''

Years of Refusal ''Years of Refusal'' is the ninth studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey. It was released on 16 February 2009 in the UK by record label Decca and on 17 February 2009 in the US by Lost Highway. It was the last album complete ...

''. It was recorded in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and produced by

Jerry Finn Jermone Gregory Finn (March 31, 1969 – August 21, 2008), sometimes credited as "Huckle" Jerry Finn, was an American record producer and mix engineer. He worked with numerous punk rock and pop-punk artists such as Blink-182, AFI, Sum 41, ...

, the man behind 2004’s ''

You Are the Quarry ''You Are the Quarry'' is the seventh studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey. It was released on 17 May 2004 by record label Attack, and was his first album in seven years following 1997's '' Maladjusted''. The album was a hu ...

''. The single was released on 27 April 2009 and reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as number one on the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

, which at that point still only counted physical sales, becoming Morrissey's third and most recent number-one single on that chart. The song also experienced some success in France, where it reached number 35 on the SNEP chart. The single comes backed with live recordings of "

This Charming Man "This Charming Man" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Released as the group's second single in October 1983 on the independent record label Rough Trade, it is defined by Mar ...

", " Best Friend on the Payroll" and "I Keep Mine Hidden", the latter being performed for the first time ever by Morrissey and his band at BBC Radio 2's 'Live With Morrissey' concert in February 2009. The album art depicts Morrissey hugging Johnny Ramone's memorial statue at his grave in

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

Track listing

CD1 # "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" # "

" (Live, BBC Radio Theatre Feb 2009) (Morrissey/ Johnny Marr) CD2 # "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" # "Best Friend on the Payroll" (Live, BBC Radio Theatre Feb 2009) (Morrissey/Whyte) 7" single # "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" # "I Keep Mine Hidden" (Live, BBC Radio Theatre Feb 2009) (Morrissey/Marr)

Personnel

* Morrissey – vocals *

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 ...

– guitar *

Jesse Tobias Jesse Tobias (born April 1, 1972) is an American guitarist who is the lead guitarist and co-writer for Morrissey since 2004. Tobias first gained fame during a brief tenure with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1993, although he was replaced by Dave ...

– guitar * Solomon Walker – bass guitar * Matt Walker – drums *

Roger Manning Roger Manning is a New York City based singer-songwriter who plays an aggressive acoustic style of music. Manning, along with a small handful of other artists, composed the original New York City anti-folk scene. On February 6, 1985, Manning w ...

– keyboard * Kristopher Pooley – keyboard (B-sides only)

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2009 singles Morrissey songs Songs written by Morrissey Songs written by Alain Whyte Decca Records singles Number-one singles in Scotland