Meaning of “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” by The Smiths

For someone who has been an A list celebrity (particularly in his homeland, the tabloid-rich United Kingdom) for several decades, Morrissey did an excellent job of keeping his sexual orientation under wraps. That is to say that it’s long been speculated that he’s a homosexual or in the very least bisexual, yet no one has ever been able to conclusively prove those theories.

It may be that he’s not gay at all, but certain aspects of his well-publicized life and thoroughly-researched artistry may suggest so, as some interpret it. For instance, it does seem kinda weird to have a man who’s nearing the age of 30 admit he never particularly noticed different body types, particularly as far as the shapes of women are concerned. But so is the premise behind this song, i.e. Morrissey, at the age of 26, then coming to the realization that “some girls are bigger than others”.

“Some girls’ are bigger than others
Some girls’ mothers are bigger than other girls’ mothers”

That actually reads to be the thesis sentiment of the lyrics, i.e. the vocalist ‘just discovering’ that women come in different sizes. In the process, he seems to allude to the notion of how female beauty, or men being attracted to ladies has influenced society and history. 

But as for the outro, it’s not really clear what Morrissey is trying to get at within the overall context of this piece.  However, going out on a limb, perhaps he’s saying something like ultimately, as far female attractiveness is concerned, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Morrissey talks about “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”

Speaking to NME about the song, Morrissey said he wrote the lyrics about the different sizes of women mainly because he felt that the “idea of womanhood” was something that wasn’t explored very well. According to him, as of the moment he wrote the song, he was for the first time getting to notice things about women that he never knew.

Interesting Facts!

The music for “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” was written by guitarist Johnny Marr whereas the lyrics were written by singer Morrissey.

According to a 2011 interview Marr had with NME, he confessed to have been totally surprised when Morrissey suggested the title of the song be “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”.

The song was formally released on n June the 16th, 1986.

The line in the song where Morrissey sings about Anthony speaking to Cleopatra while opening a crate of ale was derived from the 1964 British comedy film titled Carry On Cleo which starred actors such as Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Amanda Barrie.

“As Anthony said to Cleopatra as he opened a crate of ale”

The song has a total length of 3 minutes and 16 seconds and appeared on The Smiths’ legendary third studio album The Queen Is Dead.

The line in the song in which Morrissey asks someone to send him the pillow that they dream on was inspired by the title of Hank Locklin’s 1949 song Send Me the Pillow You Dream On.

The song was performed live by The Smiths only once – at the Brixton Academy in London on December 12th, 1986. During the live performance of the song, Morrissey added a new verse to the song.

The song has been covered multiple times by different artists over the years. One of the most notable covers of the song was done by the English rock band Supergrass. The cover in question appeared as the tenth track on the 1996 Smiths’ tribute album The Smiths Is Dead.