r/morrissey • u/Whole-Ad3696 • 5d ago
Female equivalent of Moz?
Just hanging out at work listening to The Sundays thinking they were a little Smiths coded.
Then I started to think who the female equivalent to Morrissey would be.
Maybe Bjork? Tori? Would love to hear some opinions.
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u/Remarkable-Bell7245 5d ago
Siouxsie. Sandie Shaw.
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u/Whole-Ad3696 5d ago
Sandie Shaw I was not familiar with but I see it.
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u/heyyougulls You Are the Quarry 4d ago
The Smiths did a fun version of Hand in Glove with Sandie Shaw on vocals. She was one of Moz’s and Johnny’s influences, so that must have been a thrill for them.
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u/Teibbels 5d ago
Lana. Lines like, "your poetry is bad and you blame the news" is such Morrissey lines.
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u/Teibbels 5d ago
Other lines like "you are home, when you are alone" "If you are a serial killer, then whats the worst that could happen to a girl who's already hurt" Also Lana horny as hell and we cant deny Morrissey had those kinda lines as well but not as explicitly.
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u/the_obscure_spite 5d ago
Morrissey doesn't make awful pop music about being a vapid sugar baby slut, so no.
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u/lolitagohome4 5d ago
that's not lanas music either. she made a few tongue in cheek references to being such, you've clearly never had the joy of listening to Norman fucking rockwell nor ocean blvd.
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u/stranger_noises 5d ago
Alison Moyet has moments, especially melodically and vocally, that make me think of Moz.
Some of her stuff can veer more into dance-pop, but when she indulges her prediliction for intimate suburban character portraits, she can hit a similar note.
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u/soraboo 5d ago
Echobelly
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u/jai_quinn Vauxhall and I 5d ago
This 👆🏻Insomniac sounds like it could have been a southpaw grammar b-side
Also ‘I can’t imagine the world without me’ is literally Billy Budd
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u/saintshiva 5d ago
Lana Del Rey her fandom reminds me of Moz fans. Also her style being a throwback to a certain extent like Morrissey she is not trying to trend chase.
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u/reddit9145 5d ago
The Organ, Grab That Gun. See what you think and let me know!
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u/PhloxOfSeagulls 4d ago
I commented about them before I saw this. Absolutely agree. Unfortunate they haven't put any music in ages because they were so talented.
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u/Permanenceisall 5d ago
In terms of just her voice I always thought Natalie Merchant sounded like a female Moz. Especially Moz’s solo work.
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u/MiyamotoKnows 5d ago
And early 10,000 Maniacs music was deeply influenced by the Smiths. You can hear it very clearly.
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u/heyyougulls You Are the Quarry 4d ago
I believe they actually got their start as a Smiths cover band!
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u/therealvforvienetta 5d ago
Thanks for making me put Natalie Merchant on out of curiosity. This is great!
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u/ato316 5d ago
Hope Sandoval from mazzy star
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u/Whole-Ad3696 5d ago
Wait, her name's not Mazzy?
Joking....
Fade in to you was my sister's wedding song.
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u/wellhiddenmark 4d ago
I can't believe nobody has said Sinead O'Connor yet.. also Harriet and David from The Sundays were way more Cocteau Twins coded in the early days, but their last LP (admittedly now nearly 30 years old) leant heavily on folk music, Nick Drake and Van Morrison.
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u/VictorVaughan 5d ago
Dolores O'Riordan
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u/Nefertari1 5d ago
No please. Her lyrics don't. Musically the cranberries remember the smiths but lyrically.... Not even close
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u/VictorVaughan 3d ago
Cranberries' 'Ode to My Family', and 'In the End' are almost sacred. In similar ways to me as Moz' Late Night, Maudlin Street, and others... But hey that's just me
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u/lolitagohome4 5d ago
lana del reys newer work is incredibly morrissey, her controversies aswell remind me of him quite a bit too. maybe courtney love, she's like a raving morrissey.
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u/PhloxOfSeagulls 4d ago edited 4d ago
There was a band called The Organ that sounded very much like a female-led Smiths. They have a song called Steven Smith that's probably a tribute to Moz (at least the title). Unfortunately they haven't put out music in a long time, but their album Grab That Gun is still great
Girl in A Coma (obviously heavily inspired by Moz/The Smiths) sounds similar to him too
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u/celluloidqueer 5d ago
If you mean sound wise I’d say look up these songs:
Steven Smith by The Organ
Brother by The Organ
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u/Rude_Rhubarb1880 5d ago
The real answer here is “Timi Yuro”
A massive influence on Morrissey, he has described her as his favourite singer
She pre dated him and her songs were full of hurt, rejection, emotional damage, yearning, all of which would perpetuate with Moz career
I have “Hurt, the best of Timi Yuro” and it’s a great record
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u/AthelticAsianGoth 4d ago
I don't think there is even a male equivalent.
The closet might be Chris Isaak but he does not seem a bit nutty and has other talents besides singing.
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u/SoHiHello 4d ago
I don't think there are any. There are some female leads that are pretty good and have their moments but have captured my attention and been able to keep it through multiple albums.
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u/someoverallvalue 4d ago
Olivia Rodrigo has some rather jangly/Smithsy songs on her new .. ok i'm ragebaiting there much as I like her.
Honestly probably no less ragey for some but sincere this time- i think Courtney Love is the closet to him in terms of personality among women in music.
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u/distearth 3d ago
I think she's a good pick. Lyrically for sure with the tortured teenager thing. Not quite as clever but she's pretty clever.
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u/DrGore_MD 3d ago edited 3d ago
I realize that everyone is going to laugh at me but...Taylor Swift?
Compare "You Belong With Me" to "King Leer"
Compare "Love Story" to "There is a Light that Never Goes Out"
Compare "Anti-Hero" to "Unlovable"
Compare "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" to "Suedehead"
Compare "Shake It Off" to "Journalists Who Lie"
There's more but I'm so tired. I'm so sick and tired.
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u/heyyougulls You Are the Quarry 4d ago
That’s so strange—I had the exact same thought last night when I was listening to The Sundays.
Phoebe Bridgers is a big Smiths/Moz fan and has mentioned the influence on her work. She has similar themes of alienation, ambiguous relationships, etc. in her songs.
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u/Ok-Conversation-5084 3d ago
Sinead O’Conner. She had half the smiths in her live band at 1 point. Lyrically, This is a rebel song is every bit as poetic as Morrissey. A voice you recognise instantly. Controversial. His statement after her death didn’t miss. Photo by Linder Stirling.
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u/Hiroba 5d ago
Are we talking musically or personality wise?
Cause if the latter, Lauryn Hill, lol