"The National Front Disco" is a song by Morrissey

Morrissey

Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...

 which appears on the album Your Arsenal

Your Arsenal

Your Arsenal is a 1992 album by British singer Morrissey, which was released through HMV Records. The album was regarded by many fans and critics as his strongest and heaviest effort yet upon its release...

. The song also appears on the live album Beethoven Was Deaf

Beethoven Was Deaf

Beethoven Was Deaf is a live album by Morrissey, recorded around the time of the tour for Your Arsenal. The songs were recorded live at Paris Zenith on 22 December 1992, except for the titles followed by a *, which were recorded live in London 2 days before. The sleeve notes incorrectly state that...

. The title of the song refers to the National Front, a far-right nationalist organisation. The lyrics describe how the friends and relatives of a young man, David, watch him drift away into racist extremism.

Controversy

The song proved controversial because of lyrics such as "England for the English, England for the English."
Regarding the controversy Morrissey has stated:

"The reason why 'The National Front Disco' was pounced upon was really because - if I may say so - it was actually a very good song. And if the song had been utter crap, no one would have cared. I was stopped by many many journalists who obviously raised the topic in an accusatory way, and I would say to them, Please, now, list the lines in the song which you feel are racist and dangerous and hateful. And they couldn't. Nobody ever ever could, and that irked me. Even though, simply in the voice on all of those songs, on 'Asian Rut' or 'Bengali in Platforms

Bengali in Platforms

"Bengali in Platforms" is a Morrissey song from his debut album Viva Hate. It refers to a Bengali boy who is living in the UK, and trying, but failing, to fit in...

' or 'The National Front Disco', one can plainly hear that here is no hate at all."

External links

• Flying the flag or flirting with disaster?