Players
Martin (Boz) Boorer (guitar)
Alain Whyte (guitar)
Jonny Brigwood (bass guitar)
Spencer James Cobrin (drums)

Officially Released Versions
"Alma Matters" single (July 1997); Maladjusted album (July 1997) - Produced by Steve Lillywhite

Video
Official Video: A very strange video which features a short-haired Moz eating a donut, playing with a cat, and throwing cereal into a skinhead girl's face while wearing a Beck t-shirt, in addition to the usual "Morrissey standing in front of a camera in a decrepit hallway and singing" footage.
Jack Doherty Show: A great lip-sync performance from back in the days (1997) when Morrissey actually used to dance to his songs.

Live History
This song was played regularly during the Maladjusted tour in 1997 and the Oye Esteban! tour in 1999/2000.

Critical Commentary
"...the obligatory crap single" - Stephen Dalton, Uncut, 1998
"Smiths-model melancholy that could be from any time in the last ten years." - Select
"... a paean in defence of the introverted World of Morrissey (and his remaining followers who are doubtless just as hooked on Alma Cogan as La Moz)" - Bob Stanley, Uncut
"'Alma Matters' is the most perfect bittersweet pop confection that Morrissey has done since his days with the Smiths." - Matt Hendrickson, Rolling Stone
"In Alma Matters, the album's first single, he tells off critics and accepts responsibility for self-destructive behavior, yet still hopes that his actions matter to someone else." - Jeffery Kennedy, San Francisco Bay Reporter
"'Alma Matters' stumbles when it should skip along." - Spin

Comtesse Review (as if you care)
Musically, this songs bears a great similarity to the far-superior 1989 single "Interesting Drug". Lyrically, the song is a bit sub-par. It features the great line, "It's my life to wreck my own way" but also the utterly baffling "To someone somewhere Alma matters in mind body and soul, in part and in hole." (And yes, that is the correct spelling of "hole" - it is taken directly from the Maladjusted lyric booklet.) What exactly is Mozzer going on about? "Alma" is the Spanish word for "soul"... for what it's worth. Some have theorized he's singing about British pop singer Alma Cogan. Who knows. And the constant "oh yeahs" at the end of the song are annoying as well. In any case, this is Morrissey on cruise control — catchy but easily forgotten.