Cemetry Gates
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| "Cemetry Gates" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the October 1986 single | |
| Song by The Smiths | |
| from the album The Queen Is Dead | |
| A-side | "Ask" |
| Released | June 1986 |
| Recorded | October–November 1985 |
| Studio | Jacobs Studios, Farnham |
| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Label | Rough Trade |
| Composer | Johnny Marr |
| Lyricist | Morrissey |
| Producers | Morrissey, Johnny Marr |
"Cemetry Gates" is a 1986 song by English alternative rock band the Smiths from The Queen Is Dead, their third album. Written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the song centres around a guitar riff that Marr initially thought was too uninteresting to base a song around. However, Morrissey liked it and convinced Marr that they could complete the song.
Morrissey's lyrics on the song reflect his memories of walking in graveyards in Manchester and jokingly comment on plagiarism in his song lyrics. "Cemetry Gates" was released as a B-side to the band's 1986 single "Ask". It has seen critical acclaim for Morrissey's humorous lyrics and Marr's gentle guitar line.
"Cemetry Gates" originated when Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr was on a train; he recalled, "I was ... thinking, 'If you're so great, first thing in the morning sit down and write a great song.' I started with 'Cemetry Gates'; B minor to G change in open G."[1][2]
Marr was initially sceptical of using the song, believing that the guitar part was not interesting enough to be developed into a song. However, Smiths singer Morrissey liked Marr's performance of the song's music and convinced him it was worthy of release.[3]: 70 Marr recalled "I did this in my kitchen with Morrissey. When I played it I wasn't sure about it – but that’s one example of how a partnership works. Because Morrissey loved it, and it came so effortlessly and easy. I was just about to bin it."[4]
Engineer Stephen Street stated that "the vibe was just wonderful" while recording the song.[2] Street later said of the song: "It's all the best elements of The Smiths. And what a wonderful vocal and lyric. It's a nice bit of blessed relief. It's delicate, but it's still got power".[4]
Lyrics
Morrissey's lyrics were inspired by his walks with his friend, Linder Sterling, to the Southern Cemetery in Chorlton.[2] The song's lyrics describe two friends spending a day at the graveyard, where one friend lectures the other on plagiarism while ironically taking lines from Richard III and The Man Who Came to Dinner ("all those people, all those lives, where are they now?").[5] The song features Morrissey commenting on critics who demeaned his quotation of other writers, notably Oscar Wilde.[2] Author Simon Goddard stated of this:
It was extremely ironic, if not deliberately self-parodic, of Morrissey to address the issue of plagiarism in a song which itself brazenly incorporated words which weren't his own.[6]
The song's title was infamously misspelt, though it is unclear whether this was intentional or not.[2][4][7]
Although "Cemetry Gates" was inspired by Southern Cemetery in Manchester, the song's central lyric, "Keats and Yeats are on your side/While Wilde is on mine", makes reference to the graves of three noted literary figures who are buried elsewhere; John Keats lies buried at the Protestant Cemetery, Rome,[8] W. B. Yeats' remains are in the churchyard of St Columba's Church, Drumcliff in Ireland,[9] and Oscar Wilde's tomb is in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.[10] In 2006, Morrissey posed for a photo shoot with Mojo Magazine leaning on Keats' gravestone.[11][12]
- References in "Cemetry Gates" lyrics
The gates of Southern Cemetery, Manchester, which inspired the song
John Keats' grave at the Protestant Cemetery, Rome
W. B. Yeats' grave at St Columba's Church, Drumcliff
