Morrissey isn’t a cult singer, but rather a cult leader. Fewer fans are more dedicated to the music of one single pop star. And while he’s also outspoken, controversial, and plain wrong at times, some of his solo work, just as that with The Smiths, is of tremendous importance to pop culture. Morrissey is one of the greatest indie artists of all time.

And while not all of his solo records have the fame enjoyed by the brief discography of The Smiths, there are plenty of gems. Far more than 10. Still, let’s take it slowly and build tolerance first. These are the top 10 songs by Morrissey.

Greatest 10 Songs by Morrissey

10. “Margaret On the Guillotine”

Before many of his fans objected, Morrissey had created his public persona by taking things too far. And he’d been championed by the same fans, too.

The debut album, “Viva Hate,” promised to turn the opinionated Mancunian singer into a pop superstar. It certainly had the radio jingles and the record label muscle to do that.

What would Steven Patrick Morrissey do with all that fame? Torture his enemies, whether real or inherited from the history books.

“Margaret on the Guillotine” closed out the album with a fantasy of Margaret Thatcher’s execution.

What was the aftermath? Morrissey didn’t become a bona fide pop star. But he became a star of the liberal left for a few decades before, of course, alienating them as well.

9. “You’re the One for Me, Fatty”

No pop singer’s lyrics had as many fans in the 1980s and early 1990s as Morrissey’s. The Mancunian’s gift for seemingly writing what his audience was feeling was, really, the result of a background in journalism and the unwillingness to write about anything he didn’t care about.

He takes a similar approach when penning songs of love and admiration. Besides, “You’re the One for Me, Fatty” is married to one of the most gorgeous melodies produced by the singer and his stellar solo band.

8. “Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know?”

Morrissey never went away, and never went about changing his ways. The fallout from his politically tinged quotes was such that by 2020, the music industry had all but boycotted him.

That’s a shame! Those unconcerned with the drama (and there weren’t many) can still find strong material on the most recent albums. That’s especially true of the last released one, featuring the most typical Morrissey title of “I Am Not a Dog on a Chain.”

“Bobby, Don’t You think You Know?” is a real highlight. The entire album, with or without Thelma Houston’s vocal acrobatics, makes it sound like Morrissey’s finally getting to play the role of Oscar Wilde. Wrongly done and unwilling to beg for mercy, the artist’s sardonic grin stays glued on through the rough ride.

7. “Irish Blood, English Heart”

Morrissey made the kind of musical comeback to rival that of Santana, or post-Bon Scott AC/DC. Sure, the British singer didn’t sell nearly as many copies with “You Are the Quarry.”

But what the record did was make the cool indie-rock bands want to tip their hats. It made reviewers gush about the singer’s wit. And, frankly, it made radio listeners demand his songs be played once again.

“Irish Blood, English Heart” wasn’t just another bitter song about how terrible it is to be living in England. Morrissey has plenty of those. It was dramatic, energy-filled and memorable.

It started Morrissey on a late career comeback sprint, which lasted for a few more excellent albums.

6. “Jack the Ripper”

It seems that the mark of a great British songwriter is how many excellent, famous songs of theirs they manage to keep off official studio albums. Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller have a few between them. The Smiths, of course, were famous for this.

“Jack the Ripper” is one of Morrissey’s best songs. And it says plenty about the dedication of the fans that they’ve turned it into one of their favourites. And to think this wasn’t even a highlighted track on an official studio album.

Bands like My Chemical Romance or AFI have covered “Jack the Ripper.” But for the definitive version, seek out the one “Beethoven was Deaf” live recording. Here, Morrissey sounds ambivalent about violence, terror and horror, a trait you’ll notice throughout his career.

5. “The Last of the Famous International Playboys”

Everyone knows that the partnership between Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr was something special. Even the singer recognized this. The success of The Smiths casts doubts on his ability to strike out on his own.

“The Last of the Famous International Playboys” was one of the first songs to truly excite the singer. And why not? It’s a tale of Morrissey’s topics – cruelty and style.

But this song about the Kray twins, notorious London gangsters, is also one of the best pop jingles the singer ever produced on his own. It is, quite simply, as good as anything The Smiths ever released.

4. “Everyday Is Like Sunday”

Great songwriters have turned newspaper headlines or bits of conversation heard on the subway into tunes. Not Morrissey. You’ll know exactly what he’s up to from his lyrics.

In fact, he wasn’t usually up to much during the 1980s, and blamed this on dusty ol’ Britain, his education and the pigheaded cruelty of people.

“Everyday is Like Sunday” sounds superb even as Morrissey gets a taste of bitter disappointment from the English seaside and calls to Armageddon to hurry up and swallow the damned thing.

3. “Suedehead”

“Suedehead” is one of the greatest songs of the 1980s and quite an anomaly in the Moz discography. As excellent as the song is, this is the only song of his that sounds like a cover. Hell, the guitar intro is so well-designed that it could as well have been lifted off a Bach concerto.

What a piece of tremendous luck for Morrissey to substitute one genius guitarist, Johnny Marr, for someone capable of producing a work of genius, Vini Reilly.

“Suedehead” may just be about James Dean or the skinheads, both obsessions of Morrissey’s. At the very same time, it might just be nonsense that sounds terrific over that R.E.M.-like jangle guitar. Would the truth really set us free?

2. “First of the Gang to Die”

I, for one, am excited about Morrissey’s future albums, although I would not join a social or political organization headed by the man.

The fact is that “First of the Gang to Die” was delivered a full two decades into his career. By then, he’d been without a label for years, made fun of by Kurt Cobain and Richey Edwards, and had had his reputation dragged through the mud by the daily papers. You’d think it was all over.

Still, “First of the Gang to Die” is Morrissey’s best song and shows no signs of anxiety or fatigue. Nah, the singer’s still dreaming of violent rebels and doing it all against beautifully-sounding jingle-jangle guitars.

You’ll know you like it the first time you hear it. You’ll like it once you dig deeper to grasp the meaning of the lyrics. “First of the Gang to Die” is Morrissey’s shining hour and one of the greatest songs of all time.

1. “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get”

Morrissey would find it hard to admit it even to himself. But, surely, the Mancunian loves upsetting people nearly as much as he likes receiving public displays of admiration.

A song that could be about unrequited love just as much as about Morrissey’s unwillingness to back down from a round of public jousting, “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get” is sensational, one of the greatest songs of all time.

It’s a pure pop song, perfectly balanced and expertly crafted. It captures Morrissey at his very best. And, no, there won’t be any public apologies issued in the near future. “