Frankly, Mr. Shankly: Why The Smiths’ Funniest Song Is So Brilliant

“Frankly, Mr. Shankly” is arguably The Smiths’ funniest song, not just on their 1986 masterpiece The Queen is Dead, but in their entire catalog. While the band is renowned for their sharp melancholy and poetic despair, this breezy, music-hall-inspired gem bursts through with pure cheeky comedy: a hilariously passive-aggressive resignation letter where Morrissey unleashes insults like calling his boss a ‘flatulent pain in the arse’ and mocking his ‘bloody awful poetry,’ all set to Johnny Marr’s galloping, upbeat jangle. But the real genius lies in the backstory. This song is a thinly veiled (and delightfully savage) jab at the frustrations The Smiths were feeling with their indie label Rough Trade and its head, Geoff Travis, complete with real-life references to Travis’s poetry that Morrissey clearly didn’t rate. Layer in nods to the 1963 classic film Billy Liar (where the hapless protagonist dreams big while stuck in a dead-end job under a tyrannical boss named Mr. Shadrack), and you get a perfect storm of personal gripes, industry satire, and surreal humor.

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WATCH NEXT:
✓ The Story of Bigmouth Strikes Again: https://youtu.be/_RTDWQ0jM7o
✓ Why “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” is Morrissey’s Favorite: https://youtu.be/7-Xn4reY1RA
✓ The Smiths’ Savage Attack On The Monarchy: https://youtu.be/qsaG7GJF99c
🎥 The Smiths on Poetic Wax:

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REFERENCES / CLIPS:
The Smiths – The South Bank Show, ITV, UK – 18 October 1987 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFQd6ZHcKwM
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead: Under Review (Documentary 2008) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFgLFrSTuL0

CHAPTERS:
0:00 The Story of “Frankly, Mr. Shankly”
1:58 The Birth of a Marathon Masterpiece
4:43 Bridging Albums Amid Mounting Frustration
8:32 A Veiled Attack on Fame and Frustration
11:46 Context Within The Queen Is Dead and The Smiths’ Saga
13:31 Why “Frankly, Mr. Shankly” Is The Smiths’ Funniest Song

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Written by Poetic Wax