Reprinting from my LiveJournal:
The second song in my series of song focuses is a bit a shocker for me. I actually really dislike Morrissey and The Smiths. I find them preachy and self-important most of the time. In fact, this is the only song besides "Interesting Drug" I like from either of them.
When I first heard this song, I thought it was another typical British song, about living in a backwards town where no one understands you. Like you are the only smart and cultured one there and that the town is so boring, you want everything to disappear. You can see how the sentiment would appeal to a teenager. Every teen in every small town thinks their town is boring and drab. I still feel that way about my hometown. But, this song takes a disturbing twist in the second verse. The town becomes the "town they forgot to bomb" and Morrissey is suddenly asking for it to be hit by a nuclear bomb. Then, the bored teen is surprised by "strange dust" falling on their hands, like nuclear fallout. The song becomes not a plea to get out of a small town, but a plea for the ugliness in the world to go away. A desire so strong that only being obliterated by a nuclear warhead will do it. The song is about the hatred for the shallowness of humanity. You see this a bit clearer in the video, where the young girl drops the postcard on the old ladies and let's the spoiled dog run away. The women laughing at the mechanical dancing bear seems grotesque and artificial too.
Of course, some of the message gets lost in Morrissey's own personality. There's a lot of self-adulation in the video. Whether it's intentional or ironic, it still detracts from the overall message of the song.
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