Meaning of “Girlfriend in a Coma” by The Smiths
Girlfriend in a Coma is a song by the Smiths which is basically about a man whose girlfriend is in a coma. From the lyrics of the song, it is uncertain if this man is truly bothered about his girlfriend’s condition or not. It is also uncertain as to whether the man was responsible for her going into coma or not, considering the fact that he confesses that there were times when he hated her so much that he could have murdered her.
Facts about “Girlfriend in a Coma”
- The Smiths’ singer and front man Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr wrote Girlfriend in a Coma.
- The song was released on 10th August, 1987 and was produced by Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Stephen Street.
- Girlfriend in a Coma reached the 13th position on the UK Singles Chart.
- The artwork of the song has the image of the famous English dramatist called Shelagh Delaney who inspired Morrissey greatly.
- The Canadian novelist and artist Douglas Coupland named his 1998 novel Girlfriend in a Coma after the song.
- When the song came out, BBC Radio 1 decided not to play it, leading Morrissey to say that he understands why the song was not played because it is so depressing.
- The music video of the song was directed by the late British film director Tim Broad. Broad was a very close friend of Morrissey and died at the age of 38 in 1993 from an illness brought on by HIV.
- The song was used in an episode of the popular ABC sitcom The Drew Carey Show titled Drew’s In a Coma.
- Marr revealed that the song was influenced by the 1970 song Young, Gifted and Black by the popular Jamaican vocal duo Bob and Marcia.
- The song was one of the four singles from The Smiths’ fourth and last studio album Strangeways, Here We Come which came out in 1987.
- With a length of just 2 minutes and about 2 seconds, the song is one of The Smiths’ shortest songs ever released.
- The song has been covered by numerous musical acts, making it one of the most covered Smiths’ songs.
