THE QUEEN IS DEAD - Song 1: THE QUEEN IS DEAD

In 1967, Jayne Mansfield was killed in her mid-30's (34) in a car crash along with her boyfriend and their temporary driver for the night. ...

In 1997, Princess Diana was killed in her mid-30's (36) in a car crash along with her boyfriend and their temporary driver for the night. ...

Those were the only two car crashes ever in which the only people killed were a world-famous woman, her boyfriend and their driver. ...

Actress Jayne Mansfield and Princess Diana were victims of the only two car crashes in history in which the only three people killed were a world-famous woman, her boyfriend and their driver. ... 

Morrissey's first verse on THE QUEEN IS DEAD has two consecutive lines corresponding firstly to Diana's death, and secondly to Jayne Mansfield's death. ...

hemmed in like a boar between arches ................... Princess Diana

her very lowness with her head in a sling ............. Jayne Mansfield

Firstly, the death of Princess Diana:   

hemmed in like a boar between arches

Princess Diana will crash into the row of "arches" (formed by the support pillars) in an underpass. ...
 
Diana is "hemmed in" between the "arches" while being chased like a hunted animal, "like a boar." ...

Diana's car crashed into the row of arches in the underpass where she was hemmed in by the paparazzi while being chased liked a hunted animal: "hemmed in like a boar between arches." ...

Secondly, the death of Jayne Mansfield: 

"her very lowness with her head in a sling"

Morrissey refers to a woman who has "her head in a sling." ...  

In the earliest accounts of her death, and continuing for decades, it was reported that Jayne Mansfield's head was cut off: 

Beginning with the first accounts of her death and continuing for decades, it was incorrectly reported that Jayne Mansfield was beheaded: "her very lowness with her head in a sling." ...  

"The face that was known the world over was completely severed from the body
  that made her world-famous.  It was the most dreadful sight anyone had ever seen."

 - MOTION PICTURE Magazine.  September 1967.


"Jayne was killed, her head severed from her body by the broken windshield of a speeding car
  in the early morning hours outside New Orleans. ...
 Several TV and radio commentators speculated on whether the head had been sewed back on." 

 - May Mann: "JAYNE MANSFIELD - A BIOGRAPHY".  Published 1973.


"I got the news from Martha Powell, a friend.  The phone by my bed rang. ...
 Martha spoke plainly but her voice was razor sharp: 
 'Jayne Mansfield had her head cut off in an automobile accident!' "
 - Ray Strait, (Jayne Mansfield's press secretary).  

 - "THE TRAGIC SECRET LIFE OF JAYNE MANSFIELD" by Ray Strait.  Published 1974.


"Jayne was decapitated."

 - Martha Saxton: "JAYNE MANSFIELD AND THE AMERICAN FIFTIES".  Published 1975.


"The top of the car was sheared off, leaving Jayne Mansfield decapitated."

 - HOLLYWOOD AND THE SUPERNATURAL.  Sherry Hansen-Steiger and Brad Steiger.  Published 1990.


"Mansfield was decapitated in a car crash."

 - HOLLYWOOD HEAVEN.  David Barraclough.  Published 1991.

In Morrissey's line, the woman "with her head in a sling" is identified as "her very lowness." ...    

"her very lowness with her head in a sling"   

More than any previous actress, Jayne Mansfield was notorious for wearing low-cut necklines to gain publicity over her Hollywood rivals. ...    

Jayne Mansfield's most famous photos are from the night she wore a low-cut dress to steal attention from guest-of-honour Sophia Loren. ...

In her most famous set of photographs, Jayne Mansfield uses a low-cut dress to steal media attention from guest-of-honour Sophia Loren at Romanoff's Restaurant in Hollywood on April 12, 1957. ...  

"The 1957 cocktail party for Sophia Loren at which Jayne reveals her ample assets in an extremely low-cut dress." 

 - Jocelyn Faris: "JAYNE MANSFIELD - A Bio-Bibliography".  Bio-Bibliographies in the Performing Arts, Number 60.  Published 1994


"At a party held at Romanoff's Crown Room in Hollywood to launch Loren upon Tinseltown society, the two ladies met ... 
 Jayne's publicity agents had shoehorned her into a gown that even by Hollywood standards was breathtakingly low."

 - PLAYBOY Magazine. November 1957. 


"The party at Romanoff's made Jayne Mansfield widely disliked and infamous on a global scale. 
  Several Italian newspapers, which turned the battle into an international incident,
  refused to publish the photograph of Jayne in that low-cut white evening gown."

 - "WHEN JAYNE MANSFIELD OUT-BOSOMED SOPHIA LOREN".  TOP SECRET Magazine.  October 1957.


"... at a party to launch Sophia Loren's American career. ... Jayne managed to get seated next to Loren. ...
 There is a series of wonderful pictures from the event.  First Loren looks disapprovingly down Jayne's bosom.  
 Then Jayne, smiling broadly, stands over the doubtful Loren. ... Loren said, 'I would never wear a dress like that.' ""

 - Jayne Mansfield. "JAYNE MANSFIELD AND THE AMERICAN FIFTIES".  Martha Saxton.  Published 1975.


"Sophia Loren came to Hollywood ... A welcome party was given for Sophia at Romanoff's ...
 the photographers caught pictures of Sophia's eyes looking at Jayne's all-but-bare cleavage popping out!
 ... the picture made front pages all around the world."

 - May Mann: "JAYNE MANSFIELD - A BIOGRAPHY".  Published 1973. 


"A party was being held at Romanoff's to welcome actress Sophia Loren to America. ...
 Jayne kept looking at the photographers, smiling; once Sophia had the chance to look up,
 she looked over at Jayne's breasts basically sitting out on the table. 
 The next photo is the most famous one of Jayne Mansfield to this current day. 
 Sophia Loren was leering at Jayne's breasts while Jayne happily posed for the press."  

 - Frank Ferruccio. "DID SUCCESS SPOIL JAYNE MANSFIELD?"  Published 2010. 

In the most widespread photo of Jayne Mansfield, actress Sophia Loren stares at Jayne's low neckline, (1957 photo by Joe Shere).  Fifty years later, the image was still being spoofed on TV and was still front-page material. ...

In her 1979 autobiography, actress Sophia Loren wrote about her memorable encounter with Jayne Mansfield:


"And at Romanoff's, first taste of Hollywood mores, in the person of Jayne Mansfield.  As photographers surrounded my table,
 precipitous arrival of Jayne Mansfield, whom I had never heard of, in a very low cut dress; ...  Welcome to Hollywood."
 - Sophia Loren.

 - SOPHIA: LIVING AND LOVING.  Sophia Loren.  Published 1979.


Jayne Mansfield was normally an unrepentant exhibitionist, but this time she admitted she had gone too low: 


"I know now that I must not wear dresses too low... I can't say I blame some of the newspaper people for saying it was too low,
 because when I bent over Sophia Loren too much of me was exposed.  I saw it in the photographs and I was shocked myself." 
- Jayne Mansfield

- JAYNE MANSFIELD AND THE AMERICAN FIFTIES.  Martha Saxton.  Published 1975. 

Jayne Mansfield, known for wearing low-cut necklines to gain publicity, was reported to have been beheaded. 
In his first verse on THE QUEEN IS DEAD, Morrissey refers to, "her very lowness with her head in a sling."  

THE DIANA-MORRISSEY PHENOMENON