Popular Culture Review Vol. 5, No. 1, February 1994 | Page 86

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words" and forgiveness. However, at the end of the song, Morrissey
repeats the opening phrase, "There is a place . . ." but continues to
finish, " . . . a place in hell reserved for me and my friends."
Moreover, in this place, "if I ever wanted to cry/then I will because 1
can." The reversal-from heaven to hell-is made even more powerful
since Morrissey's restrained, almost solemn rendition of the song
underlines its connection to the ethereal. Like much of the music from
Morrissey and The Smiths, the appeal of the song falls along several
different parameters, thereby increasing its market appeal.
A case could be presented for a reading of the song as an ode to
teenage angst and rebellion. Following in the anarchic tradition of
punk, "There is a Place In Hell" might be interpreted as a plea by the
misunderstood teen, choosing to place himself and others like him in
the place most designed to shock or offend. The defiance of youth and
the desire for their own emotional and physical space are
demonstrated in the lyric. Alternately, the song could be read not as a
rebellious statement, but rather as a plaintive cry by the
romantically estranged. Indeed, like a post-modern "Only the
Lonely," Morrissey's song might illustrate the bond between those
who have loved and lost, their pitiful status placing them in a
veritable hell. The final plea in the lyric for the freedom to cry, to
wallow in emotional pain would fit well with this reading. A third
interpretation of the song could be developed along sexual lines; as
Armond White suggests, the song describes "the psychologically
destructive effects of homophobia."^^ Ostracized by bigots and the
reactionary right seeking to place them "in hell," gays and lesbians
seek to utilize their new position for its transgressive power; if they
will be placed in hell, hell will be a place "with a bit more time, and
a few more gentler words." As such, this re-conception of hell also
follows directly from the punk rejection of nature and convention.
Nevertheless, a star's image structured in this manner (i.e.,
through the strategy of ambivalence) is extremely tenuous since the
truly subversive elements are always in danger of breaking through in
a forceful and clear way. Within Morrissey's image, this tension can
be located in those aspects which unequivocally advocate an
alteration in sexual norms or attitudes. For instance, "I'm the End of
the Family Line" ("With no complications/fifteen generations of
mine/All honoring nature/until I arrive/with incredible style")
celebrates the termination of a family tree by a man not "honoring