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Cover of Vauxhall and I by Morrissey — Cover: Vauxhall and I

Song · Morrissey

“The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” by Morrissey

From the album Vauxhall and I (1994)

“The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” by Morrissey appears on 27 radio countdowns from 13 stations between 1994 and 2022. It was first released in 1994 on the album Vauxhall and I. Its best result is #3 on the Radio & Records Top 94 Songs of 1994. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #40 alternative song of 1994, #710 alternative song of all time and #473 of the '90s.

27countdowns

13stations

#3best position

0#1 finishes

1top 10 finishes

1994–2022years charted

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Morrissey - The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get

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"The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get" was the single that opened the door on Morrissey's Vauxhall and I in 1994, out on Parlophone ahead of the album, and it marked a first: Steve Lillywhite producing a Morrissey single. Boz Boorer wrote the music and Morrissey the words, and the title alone is pure Mozzer, a threat dressed up as a valentine and delivered with a raised eyebrow.

Boorer and Alain Whyte play the guitars, with Whyte also singing backup, Jonny Bridgwood holds down the bass and Woodie Taylor the drums, while Chris Dickie engineered. Lillywhite keeps it lean and glinting, indie pop with the jangle buffed to a shine and the rhythm section nudging it along, and Morrissey croons over the top like a man fully aware of how unsettling he sounds.

It put him back in the UK top 10 for the first time since "Interesting Drug" in 1989, and it remains the only one of his singles ever to make the Billboard Hot 100, stalling at 46 while going all the way to the top of the Modern Rock chart, his second trip there. Iceland loved it most of all and kept it at number two for three weeks. Fans who picked up the single also got an extra B-side, "I'd Love To", with Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

#801 of the '90s

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
1994	40	KROQ Los Angeles, CA	KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1994	107
1994	65	91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana	91X Top 91 Songs of 1994	91
1994	47	Live 105 San Francisco, CA	Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1994	106
1994	53	Q101 Chicago, IL	Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1994	101
1994	60	WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD	WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1994	100
1994	87	Triple J Australia (national)	Triple J Hottest 100 of 1994	100
1994	3	Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart)	Radio & Records Top 94 Songs of 1994	94

All-time and decade countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
1999	333	CD101	CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)	2000
2000	333	CD101	CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)	2001
2001	338	CD101	CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)	2002
2001	398	WBRU	WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001)	500
2002	338	CD101	CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)	2003
2002	957	Fred (XM 44)	Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)	2002
2003	338	CD101	CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)	2004
2003	749	Fred (XM 44)	Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)	2044
2004	338	CD101	CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)	2005
2005	335	CD101	CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)	1994
2005	817	99X	99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005)	1000
2007	485	CD101	CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)	2008
2008	493	CD101	CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)	2009
2009	481	CD101	CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)	2010
2010	495	CD101	CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)	2011
2011	510	CD101	CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)	2011
2013	507	CD101	CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)	2012
2014	513	CD101	CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)	2013
2021	689	90.9 The Bridge	90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s	908
2022	487	The Colorado Sound	The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s	900

Also listed as: The More You Ignore Me the Closer I Get; The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get; The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get; More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get.

Charting alongside it in 1994

Best songs of 1994 →

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