Morrissey in the Smith’s song, “Bigmouth Strikes Again”(1986), always said that he knew how Joan of Arc felt. That statement in itself has always intrigued me. Why does he suggest he, as a man in the 1980s, knows what a woman in the fifteenth century felt as an individual who was dedicated to her faith and saving France.
Morrissey stated it was a song written to highlight the criticism of ‘the merciless media’ but as a history student there is something more to this in both historical contexts. It is strange as a feminist medieval and early modern historian to hear this comparison made, the song is an intriguing take for both contexts.
Rather Morrissey creates the metaphor that defending the music industry in twentieth century England, is comparable to what Joan of Arc had to face. In reality the historical contexts are vastly different in the context of the twentieth century England and a fifteenth century France. Joan’s life and the lyricism that Morrissey uses in Bigmouth Strikes Again suggests this idea that all those women accused of witchcraft were burnt. This myth comes from pop culture references and the assumptions made by the general public. The assumptions come from misinterpretations of the life of Joan. Though through this month’s series of blog posts will dissect and discuss Joan’s life in regards to both her use in pop culture but also the misconceptions that surround Joan. This post will outline the context of Joan of Arc and how the lyrics of Bigmouth Strikes Again is strange from a historian’s point of view. Though is both clever and important to understand the life of Joan but also the English music industry of the 1970s and 1980s.
The historical context here is important, the early life of Joan was one that is not extraordinary. She was born in 1412 with the turmoil of the Hundred Years War, a scapegoat of a woman that came from the peasantry. She was a woman that by the age of 13 started to hear voices that she believed was from God in which she devoted herself to her religion. In these visions she believed she had to save France and at the young age by the prophecy many believed in she had to expel the enemies that were causing the issues in France and ensure Charles of Valois gained the throne. From a modern mindset seeing a young woman become the scapegoat is something that is common however with the belief in fifteenth century France, Joan took on the challenge at the Siege of Orleans 1430. She took this and managed to become a defiant and suitable leader, though criticised she knew this was what she was destined to be. She was captured after the siege of Orleans and given over to the English at Rouen in 1430. By 1432 after a year in prisoned she had been given the date that she was to be burnt at 19 in Rouen where she had been sent a year previously. A woman that fought for what she believed in to demonstrate the power and resistance of the French people in the Hundred Years War. The way that Joan’s life has been taken by pop culture is fascinating because a devoted medieval teenager that led the French army during the hundred years war is commendable and she became a martyr for this. Though it is strange how she has been used in the twentieth century to criticise giants such as the music industry.
Morrissey uses the lyrics; ‘as her flames rose to her roman nose and her walkman started to melt.’
This is the reference to Joan being burnt at the stake, but also infers the fact that other women were burnt. The music industry in the 1980s did struggle due to an increase on taxes and the corruption based within the record labels. Big artists did struggle and there was the concern that the industry would suffer. This is one of the main reasons that there can be the comparison that Morrissey makes in these lines. As something had to drastically change to ensure that there didn’t have to be further sacrifices. Though these sacrifices that can be inferred from through the situation of music in the 1980s is no where near the life and sacrifice that Joan made both to her religion though dying for France and her freedom in the name of God was of such importance to her.
In the next verse, Morrissey refers to ‘her hearing aid starts to melt’. This in interview has been revealed to refer to the fact that Morrissey should have used hearing aids. Again strange that he was pitching himself as a comparison against a pious 19 year old French peasant. Though through analysis of the historical contexts this is more fitting as pleas from the artists in the 1970s and 1980s to this corruption, Floyds ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975). Eleven years before the Smiths “Bigmouth Strikes Again” the album cover done by Floyd alludes to the greed in the industry. Where bands like Floyd were lost in the corruption of the music industry. Even the use of the word “bigmouth” already demonstrates the greed as there was hunger in the industry for these labels to get bigger. The power and corruption that the labels had they wanted bands to make money and not for good music. The money that these bands handed over to these large companies meant there was no competition for small bands to be able to enter the industry by the late 1980s. Though the inference that can be made from the lyric is the fact that nobody in the music industry were listening to the pleas of these artists.
Though nobody celebrated the life of Joan of Arc until after her death which highlights the silencing of both aspects. Joan was silenced in life put down as strange for hearing the voice of God but she went on to lead the French army anyway and was persecuted. This conveys how 'her hearing aids start to melt' means that Joan did what was necessary to save France, as this implies that she could no longer hear the criticism and did what she thought was right to uphold her faith. Meaning that nobody chose to hear her much like the way the music industry was in the 1970s and 1980s. Smith's did push against where the music industry was heading in the 1980s like Joan did. However, they are unique and complex historical contexts that have different social consensuses. Therefore, the metaphor that Joan of Arc allows for in this context is important to be able to better understand how two juxtaposing historical narratives can be bought together to bring a different interpretation.
Whereas her strength and the actual historiography behind the life of Joan has been lost. Not aided by the diminishing that can be seen by surface level pop culture references. Unless an individual spends time dissecting lyrics and history, it is more than difficult to pick apart. If she is contrasted to the life of the first girlboss on this blog, Joan of Navarre. Both accused of witchcraft during the hundred years war. Though Joan of Navarre of course never was a witch rather an accusation that came from her stepson (Henry V) who disliked her. This Joan is often forgotten and when she is mentioned Joan of Navarre is often thought to be Joan of Arc. The trouble is accusations of witchcraft is often paramount to when political turmoil or changes in this landscape occurs. This political turmoil was displayed by the trial and eventual burning of Joan of Arc. Though the way that “Bigmouth Strikes Again” refers to this burning of Joan, this is yet another metaphor for the political context of the 1980s. The fact that the music industry caused bands such as the Smiths to be the scapegoat or witch is important to convey.
Even though Morrissey makes the comparisons that he does in the song. He himself was no martyr of the music industry nor was he a scapegoat, unlike the life of Joan of Arc. Bigmouth Strikes Again is an interesting song to make a comparison to a martyred 19 year old French peasant. The metaphor of the English music industry in the song is one that is interesting and the inferences demonstrate the frustration that was experienced by artists such as the Smiths in the 1980s. There are some lyrics that can be inferred as making the references to how much the industry did suffer. The importance of the metaphor of Joan of Arc may not do her justice and to the average listener of ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ would not have thought about this.
Bibliography:
Barstow, Anne Llewellyn. “Joan of Arc and Female Mysticism.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 1, no. 2 (1985): 29–42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25002016.
Song Facts, ‘The Smiths Bigmouth Strikes Again’ https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-smiths/bigmouth-strikes-again
The Smiths, 1986. “Bigmouth Strikes Again” The Queen is Dead
Tranmer, Jeremy. 2021 “independent labels in the 1980s: Between the Underground and Mainstream”
Woodacre, Elena. 2022 ‘Joan of Navarre: infanta, duchess, queen, witch?’
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