I think the definitive answer to this whole debate is contained in a clear mistake to the printed lyric above -- it's "you're looking at the working week THROUGH th eyes of a gigolo", NOT "IN the eyes." Also, the "know where to put it" mistake has been noted. Therefore the narrator's partner as portrayed by Stuart as a male (regardless of his public comments), but rather than turn the debate to focus on the gay vs. gay experimentation angle, it's perhaps more fruitful to view this as an extension of the Morrissey lyric paradigm, in which words are intentionally ambiguous NOT only to the hide the truth from the uninitiated (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) and allow mum and dad to hum along without suspecting anything, but to elevate the song to the level of art with appeal to all orientations. Thus, 'Hand in Glove's' line of "everything depends upon how near you stand to me" could appeal to listeners as either same sex in a environment viewing this as a taboo, or an opposite sex pairing with someone deemed unsuitable by the onlooking crowd. It's the outcast in general Morrissey was appealing to, and any 'proof' regarding his personal lifestyle (celibate or not) can't lessen the impact on hetero listeners.
It's like you've been reading my mind, except you actually had the words to put it all down on paper. And the Morrissey reference is brilliant. I love B&S and Moz for the same reasons: all the ambiguous, forlorn lyrics hinting at taboo-ridden situations appeal to the shy, self -loathing kid I once was (and to the misanthropic asshole I've become, but I digress...), and while I recognize the potential for a gay interpretation, I can relate to these words from a hetero viewpoint 100%.
Thanks for writing this.
It's like you've been reading my mind, except you actually had the words to put it all down on paper. And the Morrissey reference is brilliant. I love B&S and Moz for the same reasons: all the ambiguous, forlorn lyrics hinting at taboo-ridden situations appeal to the shy, self -loathing kid I once was (and to the misanthropic asshole I've become, but I digress...), and while I recognize the potential for a gay interpretation, I can relate to these words from a hetero viewpoint 100%.
Thanks for writing this.
I think the definitive answer to this whole debate is contained in a clear mistake to the printed lyric above -- it's "you're looking at the working week THROUGH th eyes of a gigolo", NOT "IN the eyes." Also, the "know where to put it" mistake has been noted. Therefore the narrator's partner as portrayed by Stuart as a male (regardless of his public comments), but rather than turn the debate to focus on the gay vs. gay experimentation angle, it's perhaps more fruitful to view this as an extension of the Morrissey lyric paradigm, in which words are intentionally ambiguous NOT only to the hide the truth from the uninitiated (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) and allow mum and dad to hum along without suspecting anything, but to elevate the song to the level of art with appeal to all orientations. Thus, 'Hand in Glove's' line of "everything depends upon how near you stand to me" could appeal to listeners as either same sex in a environment viewing this as a taboo, or an opposite sex pairing with someone deemed unsuitable by the onlooking crowd. It's the outcast in general Morrissey was appealing to, and any 'proof' regarding his personal lifestyle (celibate or not) can't lessen the impact on hetero listeners.
It's like you've been reading my mind, except you actually had the words to put it all down on paper. And the Morrissey reference is brilliant. I love B&S and Moz for the same reasons: all the ambiguous, forlorn lyrics hinting at taboo-ridden situations appeal to the shy, self -loathing kid I once was (and to the misanthropic asshole I've become, but I digress...), and while I recognize the potential for a gay interpretation, I can relate to these words from a hetero viewpoint 100%. Thanks for writing this.
It's like you've been reading my mind, except you actually had the words to put it all down on paper. And the Morrissey reference is brilliant. I love B&S and Moz for the same reasons: all the ambiguous, forlorn lyrics hinting at taboo-ridden situations appeal to the shy, self -loathing kid I once was (and to the misanthropic asshole I've become, but I digress...), and while I recognize the potential for a gay interpretation, I can relate to these words from a hetero viewpoint 100%. Thanks for writing this.