"Alma Matters" is a song by Morrissey, released in July 1997 as the first single from the Maladjusted album. It was released one week before the album.

The single reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Morrissey's first top 20 hit since "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" in 1994. The song was also notable for seeing Morrissey reference the film A Taste of Honey (1961) for the first time since his early days in the Smiths in the line "it's my life to ruin my own way".

The song title is a pun on alma mater.

Track listings 7-inch vinyl and cassette (UK) "Alma Matters" (Morrissey/Alain Whyte) "Heir Apparent" (Morrissey/Whyte)

12-inch vinyl and CD "Alma Matters" "Heir Apparent" "I Can Have Both" (Morrissey/Boz Boorer)

Country Record label Format Catalogue number UK Island 7-inch vinyl IS667 UK Island 12-inch vinyl 12IS667 UK Island Compact disc CID667 UK Island Cassette CIS667

Reviews Jack Rabid of AllMusic called this single "ho-hum", saying it was "a poor choice to represent Maladjusted". He also criticized guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte, asking when Morrissey was going to part company with them, and declared the B-sides "Heir Apparent" and "I Can Have Both" to be the better songs but still lacking in comparison to previous B-sides "Whatever Happens, I Love You" and "Nobody Loves Us". Rabid concludes his review, writing "Morrissey is a major talent with a special voice atrophying in underwhelming material and backing. To quote Joy Division, 'When will it end?'" NME'''s John Robinson wrote that it "confuses wordplay for songwriting". Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club, however, listed the song as a highlight of Maladjusted.

In a 2009 article Uncut described the song as 'Morrissey's worst single'.Spin''s list of '50 Best Morrissey Songs' from 2017 includes "Alma Matters" as his 12th best solo song.

Personnel Morrissey – voice Martin "Boz" Boorer – guitar Alain Whyte – guitar Jonny Bridgwood – bass Spencer James Cobrin – drums

Charts + Chart performance for "Alma Matters" Chart (1997) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 97

References