Ranking Moz’s lead singles

HengeBoy

Active Member
Lead singles are very important to ANY album cycle because the lead single conceptually defines the foretaste of what’s to come and what it represents for the album.

Moz’s 13 lead singles are representations ranging from amazing to not so good, let’s share our rankings.

1. “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
2. “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful”
3. “Suedehead”
4. “Irish Blood, English Heart”
5. “Dagenham Dave”
6. “Spent the Day in Bed”
7. “You Have Killed Me”
8. “I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris”
9. “World Peace Is None of Your Business”
10. “Wedding Bell Blues
11. “Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?”
12. “Our Frank”
13. “Alma Matters”
 
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Ok. It's only looking at this list of songs that I realise that lead singles haven't necessarily been Moz's strength. The album tracks are often superior.

1, Suedehead
2, The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
3, Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?
4, Irish Blood, English Heart
5, Spent the Day in Bed
6, You Have Killed Me
7, I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
8, Our Frank
9, Alma Matters
10, We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
11, Wedding Bell Blues
12, World Peace is None of Your Business
13, Dagenham Dave
 
Lead singles are very important to ANY album cycle because the lead single conceptually defines the foretaste of what’s to come and what it represents for the album.

Moz’s 13 lead singles are representations ranging from amazing to not so good, let’s share our rankings.

1. “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
2. “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful”
3. “Suedehead”
4. “Irish Blood, English Heart”
5. “Dagenham Dave”
6. “Spent the Day in Bed”
7. “You Have Killed Me”
8. “I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris”
9. “World Peace Is None of Your Business”
10. “Wedding Bell Blues
11. “Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?”
12. “Our Frank”
13. “Alma Matters”
But... but... Alma Matters is a great song :confused:
 
To expand a little further...

There are only 3 of those singles that I really like. Several of them feel a little Moz-by-numbers lyrically, and some of them are more repetitive than they are catchy.

Alma Matters has always fallen into the latter category and it is at least 90 seconds too long. It was trimmed down to 3 minutes on Top of the Pops which was no bad thing. It's also a really dodgy pun, and the lyrics are so vague as to be meaningless.
 
1. Suedehead (10/10)
= 2. The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
= 2.Bobby, Don't You Think They Know? (9/10)
4. Alma (8.5/10)
5. Our Frank (8/10)
6. Spent the Day (7.5)
7. Arms around Paris (7)
= 8. Killed Me/Hate it When (6/10)
=10. Irish blood muddled politics/World peace (4/10)
12. Dagenham Dave (0/10 - one of the worst songs ever written)
 
Suedehead
Alma Matters
You Have Killed Me
Irish Blood
Spent the Day
Dagenham Dave
The More You Ignore
Wedding Bell Blues
Paris
Our Frank
Bobby
We hate it
World Peace
 
Is it worthy of comment that the second single released from every album is usually better than the first? e.g. Sing Your Life, FotGtD, EiLS, Fatty etc. Is it just Moz being contrary? Does he even have a say in these things?
 
Is it worthy of comment that the second single released from every album is usually better than the first? e.g. Sing Your Life, FotGtD, EiLS, Fatty etc. Is it just Moz being contrary? Does he even have a say in these things?
Yes, alas he has pretty much all the say. His judgement of his own songs has proved appalling over the years e.g. Roy's Keen was a single and played live non-stop for a couple of years before he realised what we all knew all along (it's awful), and took it off the re-issue completely. He's a non-musician (his words) so often doesn't seem to understand how good or bad his songs are, musically. If they were joint decisions made with the actual song composers, we wouldn't have had so many duff singles over the years.
 
1. “Suedehead” (10/10)
2. “Irish Blood, English Heart” (9.5)
3. “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get” (9,5)
4. “You Have Killed Me” (9,5)
5. “I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris” (9)
6. “Alma Matters” (9)
7. “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful” (8,5)
8. “Spent the Day in Bed” (8,5)
9. “Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?” (8)
10. “Our Frank” (8)
11. “World Peace Is None of Your Business” (7,5)
12. “Dagenham Dave” (7)
13. “Wedding Bell Blues (7)

First 8 promoted its album more dan adequately. Bottom 5 less so.
 
Lead singles are very important to ANY album cycle because the lead single conceptually defines the foretaste of what’s to come and what it represents for the album.

Moz’s 13 lead singles are representations ranging from amazing to not so good, let’s share our rankings.

1. “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
2. “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful”
3. “Suedehead”
4. “Irish Blood, English Heart”
5. “Dagenham Dave”
6. “Spent the Day in Bed”
7. “You Have Killed Me”
8. “I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris”
9. “World Peace Is None of Your Business”
10. “Wedding Bell Blues
11. “Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?”
12. “Our Frank”
13. “Alma Matters”
You seriously think Alma is his worst lead single? Bobby wasn't even a single, there's no singles off Dog.
 
You seriously think Alma is his worst lead single? Bobby wasn't even a single, there's no singles off Dog.

yeah.. it was it being pushed in alternative radio in the states where I’m from and yes.. Alma is just not appealing to me
 
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To expand a little further...

There are only 3 of those singles that I really like. Several of them feel a little Moz-by-numbers lyrically, and some of them are more repetitive than they are catchy.

Alma Matters has always fallen into the latter category and it is at least 90 seconds too long. It was trimmed down to 3 minutes on Top of the Pops which was no bad thing. It's also a really dodgy pun, and the lyrics are so vague as to be meaningless.
Alma's a great single, catchy as hell and deservedly received extensive airplay at the time so have to disagree with you there.
 
Alma's a great single, catchy as hell and deservedly received extensive airplay at the time so have to disagree with you there.

Each to their own.

I do remember it getting some airplay in the U.K., but I also remember one DJ saying, "When is this song going to end???" They really ought to have trimmed it down a fair bit. The video was broadcast relatively little in the U.K. from what I recall.
 
Each to their own.

I do remember it getting some airplay in the U.K., but I also remember one DJ saying, "When is this song going to end???" They really ought to have trimmed it down a fair bit. The video was broadcast relatively little in the U.K. from what I recall.
Yes, it was a flop commercially, as was the album. But I still really like Alma and prophetic lines in 'my career to wreck my own way' ;)
 
Yes, it was a flop commercially, as was the album. But I still really like Alma and prophetic lines in 'my career to wreck my own way' ;)

someone should make a thread explaining the messiness of the “Maladjusted” era, it’s entire development & aftermath is more interesting than the album itself.
 
1 suedehead
2 the more you ignore me the closer i get
3 our frank
4 we hate it when our friends become successful
5 wedding bell blues
6 dagenham dave
7 you have killed me
8 i’m throwing my arms around paris
9 alma matters
10 spent the day in bed
11 irish blood english heart
12 bobby don’t you think they know
13 world peace is none of your business
 
someone should make a thread explaining the messiness of the “Maladjusted” era, it’s entire development & aftermath is more interesting than the album itself.
I think it has probably already been done. The Maladjusted-era I really like, a bit Vauxhall pt 2. If you take the best b-sides of the era and replace them with the weakest songs on the album it would be a huge improvement. What let it down commercially was the lack of a hit song and perhaps the refusal to try something new.
 
I think it has probably already been done. The Maladjusted-era I really like, a bit Vauxhall pt 2. If you take the best b-sides of the era and replace them with the weakest songs on the album it would be a huge improvement. What let it down commercially was the lack of a hit song and perhaps the refusal to try something new.

Um.. I don’t know about that but it’s definitely one of my least favorite albums from Moz but not his absolute worst tho, there are good tracks on the album
 
Suedehead [9/10]
Irish Blood, English Heart [8.5/10]
You Have Killed Me [8.5/10]
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get [8/10]
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris [8/10]
World Peace Is None Of Your Business [8/10]
Dagenham Dave [8/10]
Spent The Day In Bed [8/10]
Our Frank [8/10]
Bobby, Don't You Think You Know? [7.5/10]
We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful [7.5/10]
Wedding Bell Blues [7.5/10]
Alma Matters [7/10]
 
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