“Shoplifters of the World Unite” by The Smiths
Personally I think that “Shoplifters of the World Unite” may be the most excitingly-titled song in The Smiths’ entire catalog. But listening to the lyrics, it becomes obvious that Morrissey and co. aren’t literally referring to shoplifting.
It is true that the song’s choruses may be encouraging all the “shoplifters of the world” to come together and not only “unite” but also ‘”take over” the world. However, the verses appear to focus on a motif more akin to loving your fellow man.
In fact Morrissey went on to explain that what he’s referring to is “more or less spiritual shoplifting, cultural shoplifting, taking things and using them to your advantage”. Contrary to what some people think, this song has absolutely nothing to do with physical shoplifting. For example, these are how a number of fans of The Smiths interpreted the song:
This song influenced me negatively
“This song had a pretty bad influence on the ‘young me’ and till today it holds a certain significance for me. Shortly after its release, my friends and I, all teens at the time, proudly engaged in shoplifting. We felt motivated by the song.
But it’s good that I made a decision to stop after getting caught a couple of times, but it’s unfortunate that my friends continued with that behavior. I always give this advice to young kids ‘it’s important to remember that our actions have consequences, and even though we may be fans of someone’s music or art, it doesn’t justify engaging in harmful or illegal behavior.’ It’s never too late to make better choices and move forward in a positive direction.”
I was a successful shoplifter
“Back in New York City in the 80s, I was a pretty busy and successful shoplifter. But nobody wanted to join me, and I guess my dreams of world domination were lost. ‘Shoplifters of the World Unite’ was always playing in the background during those days. Sometimes when I listen to it now, though I’m not proud of what I did, I laugh.”
“Shoplifters of the World Unite” isn’t about Engaging in real Shoplifting
Whilst Morrissey’s official explanation of the meaning of “Shoplifters of the World Unite” might be ambiguous, it still speaks to the fact that he’s not actually encouraging thieves to become globally organized.
“Shoplifters of the world
Unite and take over”
The above makes sense when you think of the fact that the song’s title was derived from the iconic communist slogan which goes as follows: “Workers of the World Unite”.
This slogan, which originated in the 19th century, was a call for all the ordinary workers of society to unite and squarely confront capitalist oppressors. The leaders of the communist movement had the belief that if workers formed a strong unified force, they could easily topple the oppressive capitalist system and create a society where equality prevails.
It is apparently a similar idea that Morrissey is expressing in “Shoplifters of the World Unite”. The chorus can be interpreted as Morrissey calling every marginalized person in society to come together and resist the system that is currently oppressing them.
It should be noted that growing up, Morrissey felt greatly marginalized.
When was “Shoplifters of the World Unite” released?
The “Shoplifters of the World Unite” song was officially made public on January 26 of 1987 as a non-album single.
It has appeared on several of The Smiths’ compilation albums including 1987’s “The World Won’t Listen”.
Credits
This track was authored by the group’s founding members Morrissey and Johnny Marr. Its production was solely taken care of by Marr.
Notable Highlights
Although it wasn’t a huge commercial success in most parts of the world, “Shoplifters of the World Unite” did achieve some success in the UK. It peaked at #12 on the official singles chart there.
Furthermore, it has been one of the most highly-ranked tracks from the band, appearing on several notable magazine’s list of top songs by the group. For instance, Rolling Stone magazine rated the track at #24 on their compilation of best songs from The Smiths.
