Make-up Is A Lie?

 Make-up is a Lie - Thoughts on the New Morrissey Single 💄

 

 

So I'm at Calgary airport on a 7 hour layover waiting to connect on a red-eye to Atlanta. I've read some pretty interesting takes on Morrissey’s new single Make-up is a Lie, from his forthcoming new album of the same name… and I thought since I haven't written in a while, I'd try my hand at it. Please bear with me as I'm typing on my new tablet and I'm sitting in a Chili’s… thank goodness for booze.

The announcement of Make-up is a Lie came as a Christmas surprise for music-starved Mozzer fans, who haven't been treated to a new album release since 2020’s I Am Not a Dog On a Chain, which feels like many lifetimes ago. What stands out to me right away about the title track is that it's composed by keyboardist Camila Grey, who has been a member of Morrissey's band since 2023. I think it's exciting to see a lead single composed by new blood, and I also really love the fact Morrissey has women in his band now. Have you seen Camila on stage wearing dark sunglasses with fingers nimble as butterfly wings playing DeBussy? It's divine!

Make-up is a catchy composition which marries classical style with quirky futuristic elements, including delicate guitar accents and intricate rhythm section interplay, building up to a musically layered, atmospheric chorus, which is lyrically minimalist… simply “Make-up is a Lie” repeated in Morrissey's warm, scrumptious baritone.

 

 

 

 

Now, what about those lyrics… I've seen a lot of different takes from various fans online through social media and blog posts, and there seems to be some debate about what exactly the “make-up” is. People have suggested everything from cosmetics, to relationships, to art, and some other interpretations in between. Originally, the hyphen in “make-up” looked strange to my North American eye, but apparently this spelling is not unusual in Britain, although I also believe it could be done purposely, perhaps for some kind of double-entendre, as Moz does enjoy a bit of wordplay on occasion. The verses focus on Morrissey's, or the narrator’s, meetings with a woman, seemingly a poet in Paris who keeps exclaiming “make-up is a lie,” even choosing, perhaps in emphatic frustration, upon her death, to have those same words carved into her headstone.

As for me, the title almost immediately irked me, being somewhat of a girly girl with a fairly robust makeup collection… if indeed the song is taken at more of an obvious face value interpretation, and is actually about cosmetics. What is the lie if so? One only has to venture so far online regarding the topic of what women (or others) choose to put on the faces they present to the world to find some rather disturbing opinions. The “manosph*re” and inc*l communities accuse women of using makeup to ‘falsely’ improve their appearances to lie to men that they are more attractive than they truly are with the bare face nature bestowed upon them. If you dare check Twitter these days (I would recommend against doing so), you can find a number of terminally online men complaining about this aesthetic romance ‘scam,’ and there is even a very popular account that posts before and after comparisons of women, presumably without the subjects' permission, asking other guys if they would feel “bamboozled,” as if it isnt rather obvious humans aren't typically born with black cat-winged eyes and sparkling pouts.

On the other hand, the statement could be more feminist than menimist. Think 2nd-wave feminists, which Morrissey has certainly been influenced by, and books like The Beauty Myth by Naomi Woolf, which reject the idea of women being attractive, obedient ornaments or objects for men. Pamela Anderson has made headlines over the past few years for unveiling a no-makeup look, often touted as "bold" or "brave."  But why should baring the faces we were born with be revolutionary? Why must we fit into acceptable boxes of presentation and behavior determined by others? Sometimes being a woman feels impossible.

I like the idea that makeup is personal choice, and we shouldn't feel obligated, as 41% of heterosexual women are uncomfortable going out in public without makeup, which is a pretty depressing statistic. While I at times go out without it, I am absolutely more insecure that way, which I'm not ashamed to admit. But there is also the artistic aspect of applying cosmetics, and it is also a channel of self-expression, not to be constantly laden with the burden of men's expectations, women's insecurities, or their churning dialogue against the big machine of capitalism, as the beauty industry is worth $500 billion plus in revenue. In my opinion, makeup is best considered neutral, neither inherently good or bad, and simply morphs to whatever value or purpose its wearer believes it to have.

But perhaps the lyrics have nothing to do with cosmetics at all? For Morrissey's Parisian poet seems very worked up about the topic. She may be lamenting her waning appearance, or the frivolities of vanity, but perhaps it's deeper than that, and “make-up” stands for the face we present to the world, when we don't present out true selves, or a form of masking. As humans we are often encouraged to bury our emotions, opinions, and personalities to mold ourselves into something more sanitized and palatable for others.

Art is one avenue where such unmasking may be more acceptable… thus art, itself made-up, is a form of truth. Picasso once said, “art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.” Maybe Morrissey's poet is frustrated in her repetition because she can't - or doesn't - finish the statement - we as observers have to find that truth within the art for ourselves. Is this the plight of the artist? Trying to convey truth through the make believe of the creative process while seeing the material world crumble? Would the world, for instance, be in less of a mess if it were run by artists?

One other interpretation is that make-up stands for making up in the context of relationships. Once a relationship is damaged, can it truly be repaired? Can it grow back stronger, or is this merely an illusion as mistrust may forever rumble underneath? In this sense is make-up just a miserable lie? The poet, in her outburst, may be lamenting failed romance, friendships, or even working relationships.

Maybe the cleverest thing about the lyrics to this song is it can mean so many different things at once, and invites discussion.

So make-up your own mind and enjoy this debut single from Morrissey's upcoming album.