The Smiths provided the soundtrack for my life; I’ve been listening to them since the summer of 89 entering my Senior year of high school; The Queen is Dead was the first album I bought; I saw Morrissey Your Arsenal concert in 92.
The mystique of Morrissey is an acquired taste to be sure, but once you understand the poetic beauty of his voice & lyrics - no one else can compare. He is the master of melancholy, and his followers have become connoisseurs of that quality all over the world. 🎉❤
He was the proto-incel archetype who had to hide being gay in a very depressing and intolerant period of English history. Not a very good person to work with or life example to follow, especially now… but he’s the key for a lot of closeted Catholics like me to coming out.
So what? Melancholy isn't a musical virtue in itself. Yes, some of his lyrics are clever and poetic, but his solo career has shown how monotonous and tedious singing the same bloody song, over and over again, is. Without Marr, Morrissey is just mediocre.
@@MrDLOC11 The magic of the Smiths was a tension between Marr's chirpy, energetic melodies and Morrissey's downbeat moaning. On songs like "This Charming Man" or "Boy with a Thorn...." that tension was exhilarating. And that magic ended on Viva Hate, although I do concede Suedehead is a pretty good song. Every Day is Like Sunday feels like what you would get if you asked AI to write a Smith's song---it's really formulaic and kind of silly. Come, come nuclear bomb. Yeah--I get it, teen angst blah blah---we've heard it all before. I have seen clips of him singing the old classics on stage and it just looked really old and tired. You couldn't pay me to go to one of those concerts.
I think an interesting thing about Morrissey is that when you see him live or watch live performances, especially older performances, it mostly men having the highly emotional experiences.
What a pleasant surprise to stumble onto this channel! You guys are great. As to the Smiths, I would suggest “The Queen Is Dead,” which is a true classic “desert island album,” and “Louder Than Bombs,” which is a compilation of their best tracks from their previous albums. Lastly, let’s not forget that Johnny Marr is one of the greatest guitarists of all time and has released some surprisingly good solo albums (where he is also the singer).
I watched this video as I am a Smiths fan and it came up as a suggestion on youtube. The discussion reminded me of a comment I read last week. 'Before the rise of social media, nobody wanted to appear stupid. Now everyone doesn't care and quite openly advertise their stupidity for the world to see'.
That’s interesting, I see it as everyone trying their very hardest to portray a life of meaning and riches, record labels, modeling contracts, bootleg band shirts, then there’s the virtue signaling, which seems to be dying down a bit, but everyone, without doing any seriously research, without so much as a childhood practice where you right out the positives and negatives of a choice you have to make, or in regard to something that is occurring. BLM, Ukraine donations (I don’t know which is worse of those two, they’re different, but in a way similar). Then there’s trans right and even black trans rights, human rights is an insult and if someone is offended then another person is canceled. This wasn’t how liberalism used to be. I’ve never been political but I know just from the lay of the land. Dunno what all this has to do w the smiths and morrissey, or if your comment is in regard to something said in the discussion. Regardless, what you said struck a chord, didn’t trigger me, just found it very interesting. I guess I should add that I’ve never used tik tok, so if you’re speaking on behalf of that, I guess I can’t say much, though a lot of what I’ve seen or has been shared w me has been people being serious, doing stupid shit, but seemingly unaware of their stupidity, which frankly is utterly sad.
@@deathxcountrywell put! I am from Brazil, and here is exactly the same. I think the live suddenly became bored and dangerous. We lost our possibility of expression. This is not liberalism, is like a New dictatorship.
The Smiths are one of the most era defining and most prolific bands of the 80s . Just look at their output compared to the bands of today in their short three years of existence. Even their single B-sides were so strong that several of them later became more well known than most other bands A-sides. They sounded like no other band in the 80s, they looked like nobody else, the poetic lyrics were far from aloof, they spoke a language that connected with so many us that other bands couldn’t reach. Morrissey spoke our language, about our lives and our fears, about our anger, our frustration , our sadness and our failures that had just never been done before and with both a blunt agony and moreover a hilarious insight we’d never heard, from cry yourself to sleep to laugh out loud. Marr’s melodic tapestry oozes from every song with a rhythm section which was solid and punchy, the foundations of a towering creation. They burned so bright for a short time, like the Beatles without drugs, without radio air play, without management and without all the credit and plaudits from an industry that needs to be both spoon fed and bowed down to. The Smiths’ legacy speaks for itself, often copied and never equalled.
Absolutely loved this video (Morrissey is not conservative in the slightest!) His parents migrated from Ireland to Manchester, his mum was a librarian, they were working class, he grew up in a single mother family structure, he spent many years on unemployment benefits, he suffered from debilitating depression, he loved punk rock and even the name "The Smiths" was chosen because it's the most ordinary and common name there is and it was the ordinary and the "common people" who were looked down on by the upper class conservative party and the Thatcher government.
The Smiths are most certainly one of the most important bands of all time! 'The Queen is Dead' was voted the best album EVER not to mention they were also voted the most important Band of all time (which I don't actually think is the case but I don't think they're far off). The Smiths came out in 82, changed music and then split up in 87. Morrissey isn't far right, nor is he a racist he is completely true to himself which as you rightly say, should be respected. People don't like him mainly because they read the headline rather than what he actually said haha! They have also been offered an obscene amount of money (Far more than the massive eurhythmics offer that they just got) to reform and they have still turned it down which is unreal but definitely respectable and I suppose that Morrissey is massively rich and still packing stadiums so I think the only reason he'd do it is for the fans. Morrissey has done tours that broke records set by the Beatles and Michael Jackson and sold out the Holywood bowl in something stupid like half an hour (I know he broke the Beatles record time haha) !! ! I would definitely suggest watching the documentary 'The importance of being Morrissey' (2002) on youtube. As for Oasis and Blur, you're 100% right, they owe their career to the smiths and never reached their heights either (internationally speaking) and even though they (The Smiths) were only together for 5 years, they still reached international, unfathomable fame. 'How soon is Now' was called the greatest song of the 80s and also called the 'Stairway to heaven' of the 80s. It sure is the mother of all riffs. If there is one song I'd recommend, it is called 'asleep' and it is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. As for them being underground at the time, they were far from it, within 3 gigs they were playing to over 3000 people and meat is murder was a number 1 album! Just wondering, why did you put the Smiths at a 5 considering the level of fame and influence they've had? Is it just a person preference thing? Great video
I agree overall execpt fame International I guess it is not that clear as u say. Oasis have a solid fan base in Japan Australia South America and the North too.. Europe anyway If they would reform they would fill stadiums easily alao blur would be too far beyond. But if i had a wish I would reform the smiths because I never saw them...and unfo I was too young..heard suedheard in 89 without knowing who and what it was. Oasis came with all power in 95 But the smiths reached the same love which I retrospectively almost can't comprehend. They are fucking great
@@jensmoller6999 do you not think that they are huge in America then when morrissey’s solo tour in 91 broke box office records? And they have a big following in Japan too. Not to mention South America where they are hugely loved. I was never really a fan of Oasis but I respect the levels they reached but as I always heard and saw they were never big In America as I said before whereas the smiths/ morrissey are massively. It’s great to talk about this stuff. I don’t think Europe embraces the smiths/ morrissey as much as they use to though mainly due to the journalistic tirade not to say a reunion wouldn’t have been one of the greatest spectacles in music history that can now sadly never happen.
@harrisongent5677 sure as far as I know or anticipate thes smiths were likely much bigger in the US. Oasis had quite a hard time to get through. They screwed up their first tour because of in band fucking nonsense. Of course I cannot judge what the smiths meant to the people...I discovered them of pure coincidence. Found an LP in my oncles old room when he was a kid. I just took it..and put it on at home. It knew instantly this band I have just discovered sounds quite cool. Hateful of hollow.. I found out that noel loves them and that he covered a song. That was a magic moment /time. Alao I found out that suedheas the song I listened as a kid was morrisey Another baam moment. Then alao my best friend told me that of course he knows them he was a big fan already..ever since my love just grew and grew. I started smiths evenings...and luckily found a couple of girlfirends that could also find something in their music. My question would be: Hey Laura let's have a smiths eve shall we?
First time listener from Eastbourne in the UK and new subscriber to your channel. Love the Smiths and Morrisy music. I'm not sure I'm a fan of Morrisy the man but the music is great and still sounds excellent today.
When Morrissey is invited to perform at a music festival he uses the opportunity to bring awareness to suffering of animals slaughtered for their meat and asks that for the duration of his performance, there not be any meat sold, only vegetarian meals. It's a good way for people who would automatically order a hamburger choose a veggie burger for example, they might then consider how easy it is to choose an alternative which wouldn't contribute to the suffering of animals and to the destruction of the environment. If Morrissey pulled out of a festival and cancelled a show because they refused to sell vegetarian food it would have been because the Festival organisers broke their agreement with Morrissey, this has happened before.
The subspecies comment was referring to the Chinese dog meat festival where over 10,000 dogs are skinned alive, and boiled alive and sold for meat. Not all Chinese people treat animals so cruelly but A LOT do and they have a belief that the fear induced in the dogs at their time of death and the adrenaline and cortisol levels make them tastier. I've seen photos of a dog in a boiling pot of water being skinned alive and the terror on its face is so horrific and I've seen film of a puppy being skinned alive with a knife, no audio but flashes of those images still haunt me and cross my mind even more than a year later. I know I felt an all consuming hatred for the people who are doing this, and when Morrissey was discussing this in an interview (and the journalist Simon Armitage asked a direct question about the inhumane treatment of animals in China, in conversation before the interview commenced and Morrissey responded giving his opinion and his feelings) when he added that the Chinese don't even have human or animal rights laws and he made that comment, subhuman, in anger and with dramatic expression for which he is well known for. If you Google the dog meat festival in China you'll understand where that outburst came from.
@@joyschlomer6866 yeah, it annoys me that so many people will react with self righteous condemnation but they completely overlook the animal abuse part, there's no curiosity about that part, they just want to display their moral objection of Morrissey to everyone else but there's no apparent moral objection to torturing animals!
When I saw Palestine attack Israel I didn’t think “wow all Palestinians are subhuman” lmao. If you’re a big boy with a superiority complex like morrissey then you should be big enough to not make generalizations as silly as he did. No need to justify him so hard lmao
I discovered the Smiths in 1987 my first year in college and since then haven’t found any band better than them. So tragic they broke up and now Rourke is RIP so…
My favorite of their songs at the minute is ask, girl afraid, still ill, last night i dreamt somebody loved me, handsome devil, well i wonder, headmasters ritual and barberism begins at home, but it constantly changes tbh lol
Heaven knows I'm miserable now contains one of the most misheard/misquoted lines in popular music, "people who don't care if I live or I die" is actually...."people who don't care if I LIVE A HARD LIFE" . Listen to it, then listen to it again and you'll hear I'm right.
I don't think they're the greatest band but they're definitely one of my favourites. I really love Nowhere Fast, it showcases the humour and darkness of Morissey. I don't agree with some of his views but he's uniquely talented and a legend. Marr is also a legend and the rest of the band are super tight. They have some great bass playing on just about every track.
People always asked will there ever be another band like The Beatles. And I say yes. The Smiths. Manchesters answer to The Beatles. The Smiths were my The Beatles.
For a certain kind of person, yes, I'm sure they are the "greatest" band in the world. You must remember, there are millions of "greatest" band in the world out there!!
Rediscovering The Smiths of my youth as Mart's band, which they were anyway, and Marr being way way more intelligent and creative than the frontman one grows out of.
My favourite band in the 1980s. Now---I can't listen to his voice. I actually think Marr is a far better singer and if he re-recorded all the songs I might be a fan any more.
... Yes they are !!! (french men - 68 in 2024) ... But THE MOZ is greater, THE MOZ is just THE MOZ, nothing to say more, the rest here is just bla bla bla, it doesn't matter ... Sorry guys, "good try" (The Moz said this to one of the public who tryed to reach him lol)) ... Hey "SPEEDWAY" just now, I'll listen to it, I love it so much !!! And SHIT to all the haters !!!
I don't think that The Smith are the greatest band of all-time, but they are most definitely NOT the worst band of all-time. I feel that Prince RIP is one of the greatest of ALL-TIME. His phase with The Revolution is my personal favorite. I love the song "How Soon Is Now" from The Smiths! That could be one of the most iconic recordings of all-time especially in 80's film. That song was literally everywhere. I'm not too familiar with the rest of The Smiths song catalog so I really can't say more. Nice video 🤟🏼
PRINCE THE GREATEST? I recommend going to enroll in a school,sir.... YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MUSIC !!!!!! That PONCE,sorry PRINCE said nothing in his music.
You mean PONCE,sorry PRINCE was BETTER than THE SMITHS? Hey, PONCE is one of the most over rated musicians of all time and no point of comparison to the greatest and truly English band of all time: THE SMITHS !!!!!!!!!!!
I doubt that Lennon and Mc Cartney ever read a book in their lives,dude.But MORRISSEY...MILLIONS!!!!!!! THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE. AND MOZ NEVER GOT HIGH LIKE THEM TO COMPOSE THE BEST LYRICS OF ALL TIME LIKE THEM....EVER !!!!!!! THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME AND THOSE OVER RATED SCOUSERS !!!!!!!
Pretty preposterous to even ask this question. Although undoubtedly one of, if not THE best band of the 1980s, there's no way to make the claim of "GOAT" band. The Smiths didn't have the longevity, the catalog, or the forward-going influence to make a case for that. That said, they are one of my favorite bands.
Bands such as The Beatles or Rolling Stones had a large catalogue but their music said NOTHING. The Smiths made A LOT in such a SHORT TIME...iN THIS CASE,LESS IS MUCH MORE.... The Smiths are the greatest band of all times because there hasn't been more smart and thoughtful singer than MORRISSEY EVER !!!!!! PERIOD !!!!!!!
NO OTHER BAND MADE SO MUCH IN SUCH A SHORT TIME LIKE THEM..... THEIR LEGACY IS HUGE AND NO BAND CAN COMPARE TO THEM....... WHY? BECAUSE NO SINGER WILL HAVE THE SMARTNESS AND SENSITIVITY THAT MORRISSEY HAD
Um, It's not women who rush the stage. For more information, see "The Importance of being Morrissey." Yes, they are in the in top 5 best bands of all time. Full stop.
The Beatles? They started like a teen pop band where only brainless girls followed them and they pretended to be intelligent and appealing when they recorded Rubber Soul but under the effects of drugs......But you know,dude MEANINGLESS LYRICS...The Smiths are the GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIMES cause Morrissey read much more than Lennon and Mc Cartney and he only did by himself.
I love the smiths, but I don’t think I would consider them the best band of all time. I think they were criminally underrated during their era, but the best of all time is definitely a stretch.
UNDOUBTELDLY THE BEATLES ARE THE MOST OVER RATED BAND OF ALL TIME...... MORRISSEY SWALLOWS LENNON AND MC CARTNEY IN ALL SENSE BECAUSE HE READ MUCH BUT MUCH MORE THAN THE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE BEATLES WHO NEVER READ A BOOK IN THEIR LIVES.
