(5) MOJO: THE SMITHS (MORRISEY) – HOW SOON IS NOW (1984)

B-Side: Disappointed (1988)

 

“And you go home and you cry

And you want to die”

 

Well that pretty much sums up the common perception of The Smiths, depression tempered by apathy, or melancholy tempered by ennui. As an acquaintance of mine once quipped, summing up the ambience of The Smiths as “I’d kill myself if I could be bothered”. However, that is something of a misplaced stereotype of the Smiths and lead singer Morrissey (yet another musical artist known by his mononym) as ‘miserabilists’, albeit with an element of truth. While Morrissey’s combination of witty lyrics and campy vocals often seemed (or outright were) superficially depressing, they also often full of self-deprecatory or mordant sense of humor. They were also combined with guitarist Johnny Marr’s jangly, catchy pop-rock melodies.

Introducing its leading lights, Morrissey and Marr, effectively introduces The Smiths – that quintessentially British (albeit led by Morrissey and Marr of Irish origin) alternative or indie rock band that endured from 1982 to its breakup in 1987 or effectively as long as the rest of the band could put up with Morrissey (and something which has increasingly been difficult for the rest of the world to do whenever he opens his mouth to do anything but sing). But while it endured and since, The Smiths have been a cult favorite and one of the most important or influential bands to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980’s.

 

“I am the son

And the heir

Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar”

 

And which other Smiths song to choose than “How Soon is Now”? Ironically, it was originally released in 1984 as the B-side of another single, it has since become something of a Smiths signature song – noted by Marr to be their “most enduring record” and “most people’s favorite”, which is also ironic as many consider it not to be representative of the band’s usual style.

Of course, some may recognize the song from 1996 film The Craft – and from there it seems to have been associated with young witches such that it also was the theme song of the television series Charmed.

And for the B-side of this entry, I’ll choose something from Morrissey’s (early, more Smiths-like) solo career – the highlights of which are in his compilation album Bona Drag. And while I was tempted towards “November Spawned A Monster”, mainly due to its music video of three minutes of Morrisey writhing in a mesh-shirt (in the desert), I ultimately went with my favorite “Disappointed”, which was not released as a single.

 

“Drank too much

And I said too much

And there’s nowhere to go but down”

 

After all, who hasn’t been there?

 

And as for the balance of my Top 10 The Smiths / Morrisey songs:

(3) Suedehead (1988)

(4) Every Day is Like Sunday (1988)

(5) November Spawned a Monster (1990)

(6) What Difference Does It Make (1984)

(7) Bigmouth Strikes Again (1986)

(8) Panic (1986)

(9) Shoplifters of the World Unite (1987)

(10) Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before (1987)

 

RATING: 

A-TIER (TOP TIER)