“I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does.” This song came out when I was 14. It goes to another level hearing again as a 50 year old!
This is also applicable with me. Same time period as well. Right around 1984 for me though. To this day I prefer being content with who I am and face depression with The Smith's, working out and other things that are far away from medication.
I thought so too. I also thought he said "shinus" like it was some antiquated word I'd never heard and would look up in the dictionary over and over as if it would suddenly appear in the same dictionary. So dumb.
You're absolutely spot on on your Joy Division comparison, both were Mancunian and both were contemporaries. Both wrote hymns to the loneliness of the human soul that all of us can relate to.
@Penderyn Lewsyn the band was still part of the Manchester music scene. It’s not inaccurate to use the music scene the band was from as the place the band is from and not the place where the members actually lived.
Oh Brian, I was in my late 20 s when they came on the scene. They had a cult following, still have.. I couldn't agree more. They are addictive. Its Morrisey.. not taking anything away from the rest of the band, he is a bloody genius .
You are one of VERY few reaction channels who have remained sincere and authentic to your purpose... thank you for not "faking it" and compromising your vision! It keeps us coming back xx
No word of a lie I sent my 12 yr old daughter ..this exact verse .”so u go to a club on your own ...etc ..”...and then thought .shit .she thinks I’m depressed and lonely ?.haha .but no I’m happy as fk and just love the smiths and morrisseys lyrics .she understood !!.and hopefully will fully get it at 16-17 yr old ..😊
Great reaction. You called it with the Joy Division comparison. The Smiths and Joy Division were both from Manchester, England, and they are a huge part of the city's cultural legacy. They are also both known for their haunting, depressive lyrics. Joy Division had broken up a few years earlier (in a time when everything was moving very fast), but were the leading lights of Postpunk at its peak, and their end is often referred to academically as the beginning of New Pop, when all that darkness and gloom gave way to chart-friendly Synthpop and New Wave acts. Meanwhile, Joy Division's followers were sowing the seeds of Goth. In the midst of all this, Morrissey and Johnny Marr of The Smiths were rewriting the rule book for a whole new, miserablist brand of Rock that has since become known as Indie. There were Indie bands before (including Joy Division), but The Smiths became the ultimate UK Indie act of the 80s. (In the US, our closest equivalent would have been R.E.M. but we used the term "Alternative" more back then, over here in the states). As you probably know, Joy Division became New Order after the death of singer/lyricist Ian Curtis. Did you know that their guitarist (and New Order vocalist) Bernard Sumner also had a hit supergroup with Johnny Marr of The Smiths? In fact, two of their biggest hits also featured Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. The band was called Electronic, they made three albums in the 1990s, and the first songs to check out are "Getting Away with It" (1989/US#38, USd#7, USmr#4, UK#12) "Get the Message" (1991/USd#8, USmr#1, UK#8), "Disappointed" (1992/USd#6, USmr#9, UK#6), and "Forbidden City (1996/UK#14). The Smiths were only around for a few years (1983-87) but they released a BOATLOAD of classic singles (19!!!), four LPs, and three compilations. And this is when singles were on 7" records, and The Smiths put as much love and care into their B-Sides as they did their A-sides and their LPs, so almost everything they did was pretty darn great. A more rabid fan might ask for all their singles to be reacted to, but I'll throw out a selected list. They only made a handful of videos, so that's a good place to start since their songs with videos are among their best known. And before you dive in, you should probably know that "How Soon Is Now?" was a one-off and nothing they ever did would sound like that again. Morrissey's solo B-side "Disappointed" has a similar guitar part, and Johnny Marr's Alternative classic "Dogs of Lust" with the band The The has a similar, swampy atmosphere, but that's as close as they'd get. As stylistically diverse as they were, their other stuff almost always had a jangly guitar sound between The Byrds, R.E.M., and The Pretenders, but somehow better than all of those (which is no mean feat). I know you checked out "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" and How Soon Is Now?" but here are a few others to get you started. Most of the "official videos" are the right versions. Their videos are rarely as artsy as their audience might suggest. Most are straightforward performance clips and some are just their Top of the Pops (a UK chart show) performances, which were typically lipsynced. These performances are still classic, though, giving an insight into the persona of Morrissey - a frontman like no other: "This Charming Man" (1983/UK#25) "What Difference Does It Make?" (1984/UK#12) "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (1984/UK#10) "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (1985/UK#23) "Bigmouth Strikes Again" (1986/UK#26) "Panic" (1986/UK#11) "Ask" (1986/UK#14) "Shoplifters of the World Unite" (1987/UK#12) "Girlfriend in a Coma" (1987/UK#13) "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" (1987)
That was great info....have you seen the episode of Eight Days A Week were Morrissey talks about his dislike of Joy Division? I was watching it only yesterday
One of the three best songs that define this genre...the other two are "Love will Tear Us a Part" by Joy Division and "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen.
The part where he says "it's a club, and you've got to go, you could meet somebody who really loves you " is haunting and familiar to those who go out to a social environment, like a nightclub/bar with all intentions of meeting up with someone, but are too shy or socially closed off to meet anyone, and end up leaving alone is depressing and sad
I love "heaven knows I'm miserable now ". It perfectly exemplifies the Smiths trademark of a poppy upbeat song with the most dismal lyrics ever written. "I went looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I'm miserable now..." It cracks me up, always has...
This song is PERFECTION!! In my top 25 favorite songs of all time...dont judge me...I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does...😎🔥🤘❤
The sound of North England. Overcast, blackened brick industrial estates, coal ashes dating back to the industrial revolution paving back alleys. The birthplace of steam driven cotton mills, water pumps in deep mines, powered locamotion, economy of mass production, and power base of the Global Empires, and of our modern civilization.
@@cernegiant398 Thanks, appreciate the feedback. I grew up in NE England in the late '70s & '80s. Dirty gritty industry is the foundation of all our wealth.
One of my fav lines comes from that song. But my fav will always be bigmouth strikes again and this one. My punk babysitter would play them for me and as a little kid the eerie feel of those songs really struck a cord in me. I thought my babysitter was the coolest chick on the planet.
Really? Smiths were quite unique for the time, and many of their songs (less so this one) harken back to 60s jangle pop. This is probably the most 80s Smiths song, but it’s still not that 80s; no synth, sax, or drum machine. And it’s also nothing like the other end of distinctive 80s music (hair metal).
@@henrywallace7996 I wasn't looking for the most cliched song available, I'm talking about a song that was everywhere, for a long time, completely inescapable if you went to a night club.
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want is a classic Smiths track. Honourable mentions to There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, This Charming Man and Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. They're synonymous with slightly distorted, depressing and pessimistic music. Morrissey's voice is iconic, it's a voice that you instantly know it's him.
My nephew had an acoustic version of “please, please, please” when they were signing the certificate at his second wedding. On their way out he stopped and said to me “that was for you. I know you were the only one who’s know it.” I introduced him to the Smiths.
The boy with the thorn in his side; Rubber ring; Well I wonder; Ask; Bigmouth strikes again; Shoplifters of the world unite; Heaven knows I'm misereable now. These are good choices to listen to. The video clip for "How soon is know" brings a much shorter version of the original song, with part of the lyrics being left out as well.
Dude, you *must* listen to the full length version. 6m 36s IIRC. Shorter cut misses the guitar solo (a rarity for a Smiths song) and a phenomenal beat-drop & rebuild sequence which still does the goosebump shit for me 35+ years later. Thanks for another great vid.
in 2009 i went to a Morrissey concert. it was amazing - dude's voice stayed exactly the same as it was 30 years back! it sounded so good i could have sworn i was listening to a studio recording rather than live performance. his music is so rich and unique. one of the best contributors to music ever.
@Luna Raven hahaha yeah this track and Psychedelic Furs Love my Way were 2 of my go to chill tracks. I'd listen to Viva Hate a few times but there was so much good music about.
@Luna Raven And check this out... the show is a birthday present from my daughter. I got her into The Smith's & Morrissey so she and I are going together. 😃 She recently got her 1st full time job so she has $$$ to spend. 😉
Only The Smiths could being miserable so much fun. Marr on ace guitar. My own favourite is the Never Played Symphonies, though that's Morrissey solo I think. Well worth the listen.
This song is utterly insane. Marr said he was never able to replicate the guitars properly if I remember correctly. Listen to last night I dreamt that somebody loved me
I would pay money to go back and hear this song for the first time again, the intensity of things at that age, feel so lucky to have been a 15 year old and experience that music when it was released.
Billy Corgan said when he first heard this song his mind was blown, nothing had ever sounded like it before. And you're very right its got Joy Division vibes... pretty much the people who were listening to the Smiths were also listening to Joy Division at the time, good observation. Basically you'd be called a "new waver" if you were dressing like this and listening to his music.
"I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar." My favorite band of all-time. The first band that I heard as a 15-year old whose lyrics actually made sense to me.
This is one song I love to listen to in the dark to become totally immersed in the music.😁👍🎶❤️ There is a light that never goes out is one you have to listen to.
Panic, Everyday is like Sunday, I Know it's Over, Hairdresser on Fire When this song came out Morrissey made a point of saying that he had no idea who the girl is in the video nor had he ever met her. And that the Smiths basically had nothing to do with the video. The record company just put it together and released it. During their Queen Is Dead tour I was lucky enough to get pulled on stage by Morrissey along with many others to dance when he called all the security at the concert nothing but marshmallows. The difference between going to a Smith's concert and going to see Iggy Pop is that a Smith's concert the fans throw flowers to show their appreciation. And that an Iggy Pop concert they spit to show there's. Nobody does misery like Morrissey!
It's interesting you make the comparison with Joy Division. This is probably the only Smiths track that has that similarity. However, in later years Johnny Marr (the lead guitarist of the Smiths) and Bernard Sumner (of New Order, the group formed out of Joy Division) formed a band or "supergroup" called Electronic.
I love how Jayvee can pull off the freshness that he is hearing all these songs for the first time. I am guessing Jayvee is well versed in various music styles, genres and eras but he makes people feel warm and fuzzy about what they like.
Morrissey/The Smith's are the absolute epitome of melancholy. When you are in a depression, the lyrics, the voice it soothes you, it understands your pain...when you are in positive spirits they almost make you laugh with a strange nostalgia for what you have made it through. "When you're dancing and laughing and finally living, hear my voice in your head and think of me kindly"-- "Rubber Ring"/The Smiths
It's definitely one of the best, along with How Soon Is Now?, Cemetry Gates, Ask, You Just Haven't Earned It Baby, The Headmaster Ritual...the list goes on
"...of a shyness that is criminally vulgar" only Morrissey could come up with a line like that! I played this song on a loop after having had my heart broken. That crying, vibrating guitar, couldn't have expressed pain better. If you would reconsider reacting to Siouxie and the Banshees' "Rhapsody", or Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm", "Cherub Rock" or "Tonight", or Bad Brains' "I against I- it would so make my day! Any of these songs are 100% worth listening to!
Omg I love souxie and the banshees. My babysitter was punk and would play me the smiths, s & the banshees, etc. When I was young peepshow was one of my fav songs. I actually played it for my kid the other day. I was playing the sht I loved as a kid. Of all the songs I played her she likes the smiths songs and the s & banshees the best. One of my all time fav lines is from the smiths /if a double decker bus, hits the two of us, to die by your side, the pleasure, the privledge is mine / I love that line.
@@Comrade_mommy yes! I don't think there is one bad song on "Peepshow" ; it is one of the rare albums I still listen to today and never grow tired of. I also saw them twice in concert. I am so glad I am not the only one remembering how great they were.
@@Bee-28 That’s very cool. I think I really got into them when Souxie Sioux (I always spell it wrong) was in her 40’s maybe 50’s and she was still epically cool and beautiful. I wanted to look like Souxie. I even dyed my hair black for a bit. I wish I could have seen them live. I love female fronted bands and there aren’t a lot who have that dark sound I love. I love dark and melancholy or dark and gritty songs. I loved the kinda dark fairy tale or dark twisted circus sound that Souxie and the banshees had. I’m surprised they never got bigger then they did bc they’re just so good.
@@Comrade_mommy Yes, I feel privileged to have seen them & many other bands; BTW, apparently it's spelled Siouxsie, which is weird, I could have sworn there was no second s in there! Maybe a Mandela Effect?
@@Bee-28 I always remember it’s spelled in an interesting way but never remember exactly how it’s spelled. But I’m sht at spelling. I’m also someone who apparently spelled her child’s name in a way a lot of ppl mispronounce it so I get it.
The Smiths are Champions and spokespeople for awkward teenagers everywhere. Lead singer is a huge Oscar Wilde fan. They helped me out so much when I was young and, as an older adult, I enjoy them just as much. In fact, I wore my Smiths "Meat is Murder" shirt today while I was out running errands. ❤ Too many good songs with good memories for me to request but I hope you do more of them.
Anything by The Stone Roses... criminally under-reacted to... you might need to make the screen the size of a postage stamp to get past RUclipss banhammer though.
Oh my! It reminds me of high school. Listening to The Smiths, driving to the coffee shop at 2 a.m., smoking clove cigs and drinking loads of coffee, and talk about the most important and intellectual philosophies of life.
The only good thing about the tv show Charmed was the time the intro song got stuck in my head, i looked it up 5 years later in college, and discovered The Smiths.
I heard this when I was 16 years old. It was the first song I ever heard that really resonated with me. So different than anything else on the radio at the time. I started listening to WFNX in Boston. It was the birth of the alternative format. A great time to be into this stuff.
16 years old, living alone working a YTS . Johnny and Morrisey got me through some hard ,tough , cold and mad times.Keep it up Jayvee you're speaking my language.🏴👍🏴
Jovaughn definitely needs to hit up some more Depeche Mode, he's only done 2 songs (PJ and ETS). I would send him down the Policy of Truth or Strangelove '88 path next.
@@devenscience8894 Al Jourgensen hated that first album with a passion, only very recently has he come round to accepting it as part of Ministry's history and even recorded an 'acoustic' version of 'Everyday Is Halloween'.
I had a punk babysitter who was into this kind of 80’s alternative and goth music, and she used to play The Smith’s for me. I loved the dark and melancholy feel of their songs. For some reason I didn’t really listen to the SMITHS until my 20’s. I knew a few songs like this one, big mouth strikes again and there is a light that never goes out, (still my fav smiths songs) but i didn’t buy any of their music band really listen until I was older. An older guy who listened back when they were big told me that kids like him always were either team Smiths or team The Cure. Idk how true that is but it reminded me how ppl used to be team Beatles or team stones. I think I’d have been team stones and team smiths bc I like darker sounding bands. As it is I like songs from all of them. Less so the Beatles although there’s a lot of nostalgia with the Beatles bc I had a step dad for a few years (who was one of my fav step parents) who was big into the Beatles. But anyways one of my fav lines of all time comes from a smiths song. /if a double decker bus, hits the two of us, to die by your side, the pleasure the privledge is mine/
I'm not a huge Smiths fan really. But this is in my top 3 songs of all time. It's genius. The guitar riff is unbelievable. I did have the rare experience of meeting Morrisey when I worked at a London radio station.
If you were in an alternative clique in high school you listened to the Smiths. You just did. Morrissey, the lead singer, had a solo career too. If you want to go that way try 'Suedehead'.
I went alternative clubbing in the late 80s and early 90s, and this song always got played once a night.,... when those opening notes would start, the whole vibe of the club would change and a whole different group of people would take the floor... some of the most artistic and expressionful dancing I ever saw in a club. You never left the club til after this song was played (well, and : Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus). Just meandering memories of an old X'er
Absolutely one of my favorite recording artists (The Smiths & Morrisey). This is definitely one of my favorite songs ever. The song is classic. One of the best ever produced from lyrics to production values. Still fresh 30+ years later.
Isn't it a joy to watch someone that loves music hear a song you really like for the first time? It's like watching them open a gift you treasure as well.
It's something a lot of people missed in the 80's somehow: Morrissey is a gay man from working class Northern England. When he says "You shut your mouth How can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved Just like everybody else does", that's a big part of what he is talking about. And in being the heir of "nothing in particular", its not just about his isolation and shyness, but about being from Northern England, which was the industrial, working class part of England getting utterly destroyed in the 1980's, the "heir of nothing in particular". He always has this back and forth with where he is from that comes out in the music, so even if it feels universal, it is grounded very much in his and his band mates' lives.
The impact of this band was immense back in 1983/1984. When you remember what sort of pop tunes were constantly played on the radio stations, this band came to the surface with such an exquisite and deep tunes/sensations. And the music, oh the music. Back to basics, this was the mantra with The Smiths, when pop music was full of keyboards and all kinds of ultra electronic sounds.
The Smiths had many, many good songs, but my favourites are "What Difference Does It Make" and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" .. I think you'll really enjoy them too .. Wayne
@@rubyfruit17 Yep, Kirsty totally does justice to this great song with her version .. It's among my very favourite Kirsty songs, and I'm a huge fan of hers .. Cheers, Wayne
You are very clever to link The Smiths to Joy Division. Genre wise they could be both considered - post punk - among other things and it's the same era and such. yeah you did good! :-D
Love The Smiths...have for years. There is a unique and odd beauty in the contrast between music that makes you want to happily dance and lyrics that make you want to cry.
I had typed up the lyrics and asked the high school librarian to make a copy. She read it and had the most concerned look when she asked, “Did you right this?” Love the Smiths.
And here...The Smiths got me through my teenage years and never, till you just said it, did I think of them in relation to Joy Division. You aren't wrong. There is a Manchester thing going on there.
It's too bad that this wasn't the complete version of the song. It's missing the last verse, which ties the whole message. The lead singer for The Smiths is Morrissey, he has been bisexual, asexual/celibate and has expressed that he doesn't like any of those labels. In other words, he's complex and different. This song is about him not finding where he belongs, then he hears about a club with people like him, he goes there just to find out that he's an outcast even among outcasts. Then he's told to not worry and that he will soon find someone to love, which is when he asks how soon is now? Because he's been waiting his whole life.
You'll find that there is no "type" of people who love The Smiths/Morrissey. From gang members, to housewives, to lawyers, to strippers, to school teachers, to, well, anyone can be a fan of The Smiths/Morrissey. I love them, but would I die for them? Probably not. So maybe I'm not a real fan, then.
Oh, you've opened the floodgates now. Smiths fans are a passionate and particular lot.
Yup
True true
Exactly! I dragged my husband to see Morrissey right after we got married around 2000 or 2001 and he was in shock and still brings that concert up.
So true 😂 glad I inherited it from my dad. Shame about Morrissey though.
@@deaninit8617 Yeah. I can't really appreciate some of the old songs anymore. Others, I can hold onto.
“I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does.”
This song came out when I was 14.
It goes to another level hearing again as a 50 year old!
I absolutely know you, my feelings too.
I was 16 🥰
Mid teens, felt like Morrissey was singing about me, square peg in a round hole , they captured teenage angst so well
@@yasminmant2666 Yep!
We are the same age. Totally understand what your saying.
The Smiths changed my life in 1985. I learned to be happily depressed!😃
You're certainly not alone.
Yes
The Smiths my 80s soundtrack they where song smiths for sure.
lots of happy sounding, danceable, sad songs :) huge fan!
This is also applicable with me. Same time period as well. Right around 1984 for me though. To this day I prefer being content with who I am and face depression with The Smith's, working out and other things that are far away from medication.
I used to think as a kid that He was saying "I Am the Sun; I Am the Air" but it's "I Am the Son; I Am the Heir" lmao
Me too ... I thought Son and Air too
@@LLLL-dz9wb I thought "I am the Sun; I am the Earth..." ha!
I thought it was Sun and Air until I read the lyrics.
I think that’s the point of choosing those words. Definitely intentional.
I thought so too. I also thought he said "shinus" like it was some antiquated word I'd never heard and would look up in the dictionary over and over as if it would suddenly appear in the same dictionary. So dumb.
You're absolutely spot on on your Joy Division comparison, both were Mancunian and both were contemporaries. Both wrote hymns to the loneliness of the human soul that all of us can relate to.
@Penderyn Lewsyn Shouldn't you say Salford, in the Greater Manchester area, then?
@@asolitaryreign 2 Salford lads, 2 Macclesfield lads.
Let's just say both were from the Manchester scene and brilliant. 😀
@Penderyn Lewsyn the band was still part of the Manchester music scene. It’s not inaccurate to use the music scene the band was from as the place the band is from and not the place where the members actually lived.
This song is joy division esque. But it's an exception. Very different from their main style of sound.
The Smith's - one of the best bands of the 80s. Listen to "Bigmouth Strikes Again", "Panic", "Ask"
Oh Brian, I was in my late 20 s when they came on the scene. They had a cult following, still have.. I couldn't agree more. They are addictive. Its Morrisey.. not taking anything away from the rest of the band, he is a bloody genius .
Headmasters Ritual, That joke isn’t funny anymore.
@@sallybannister6224 Most of Morrissey's solo stuff just doesn't hit the same. Johnny Marr was just as important in them making the impact they did.
@@markhayes637 You are right actually Mark... I shouldn't have been a disrespectful regarding JM, 👍🏼
Asleep is a great song by The Smiths, deep lyrics.
That intro is one of the most imitated guitar riffs. Very iconic.
Too true.
"Hippie Chick" sampled it.
Borrowed from Bo Diddley though?
@@leecoulson4224 yep. but distorted into something strange and new!
Well in general that chord progression (E, G, and A) is really generic/common in rock music.
You are one of VERY few reaction channels who have remained sincere and authentic to your purpose... thank you for not "faking it" and compromising your vision! It keeps us coming back xx
No word of a lie I sent my 12 yr old daughter ..this exact verse .”so u go to a club on your own ...etc ..”...and then thought .shit .she thinks I’m depressed and lonely ?.haha .but no I’m happy as fk and just love the smiths and morrisseys lyrics .she understood !!.and hopefully will fully get it at 16-17 yr old ..😊
Great reaction. You called it with the Joy Division comparison. The Smiths and Joy Division were both from Manchester, England, and they are a huge part of the city's cultural legacy. They are also both known for their haunting, depressive lyrics. Joy Division had broken up a few years earlier (in a time when everything was moving very fast), but were the leading lights of Postpunk at its peak, and their end is often referred to academically as the beginning of New Pop, when all that darkness and gloom gave way to chart-friendly Synthpop and New Wave acts.
Meanwhile, Joy Division's followers were sowing the seeds of Goth. In the midst of all this, Morrissey and Johnny Marr of The Smiths were rewriting the rule book for a whole new, miserablist brand of Rock that has since become known as Indie. There were Indie bands before (including Joy Division), but The Smiths became the ultimate UK Indie act of the 80s. (In the US, our closest equivalent would have been R.E.M. but we used the term "Alternative" more back then, over here in the states).
As you probably know, Joy Division became New Order after the death of singer/lyricist Ian Curtis. Did you know that their guitarist (and New Order vocalist) Bernard Sumner also had a hit supergroup with Johnny Marr of The Smiths? In fact, two of their biggest hits also featured Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. The band was called Electronic, they made three albums in the 1990s, and the first songs to check out are "Getting Away with It" (1989/US#38, USd#7, USmr#4, UK#12) "Get the Message" (1991/USd#8, USmr#1, UK#8), "Disappointed" (1992/USd#6, USmr#9, UK#6), and "Forbidden City (1996/UK#14).
The Smiths were only around for a few years (1983-87) but they released a BOATLOAD of classic singles (19!!!), four LPs, and three compilations. And this is when singles were on 7" records, and The Smiths put as much love and care into their B-Sides as they did their A-sides and their LPs, so almost everything they did was pretty darn great. A more rabid fan might ask for all their singles to be reacted to, but I'll throw out a selected list. They only made a handful of videos, so that's a good place to start since their songs with videos are among their best known.
And before you dive in, you should probably know that "How Soon Is Now?" was a one-off and nothing they ever did would sound like that again. Morrissey's solo B-side "Disappointed" has a similar guitar part, and Johnny Marr's Alternative classic "Dogs of Lust" with the band The The has a similar, swampy atmosphere, but that's as close as they'd get. As stylistically diverse as they were, their other stuff almost always had a jangly guitar sound between The Byrds, R.E.M., and The Pretenders, but somehow better than all of those (which is no mean feat).
I know you checked out "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" and How Soon Is Now?" but here are a few others to get you started. Most of the "official videos" are the right versions. Their videos are rarely as artsy as their audience might suggest. Most are straightforward performance clips and some are just their Top of the Pops (a UK chart show) performances, which were typically lipsynced. These performances are still classic, though, giving an insight into the persona of Morrissey - a frontman like no other:
"This Charming Man" (1983/UK#25)
"What Difference Does It Make?" (1984/UK#12)
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (1984/UK#10)
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (1985/UK#23)
"Bigmouth Strikes Again" (1986/UK#26)
"Panic" (1986/UK#11)
"Ask" (1986/UK#14)
"Shoplifters of the World Unite" (1987/UK#12)
"Girlfriend in a Coma" (1987/UK#13)
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" (1987)
That was great info....have you seen the episode of Eight Days A Week were Morrissey talks about his dislike of Joy Division? I was watching it only yesterday
@@Discobiscuit372 Morrissey hated everything his peers loved. It was his brand.
@@MRoyClark
👍
I was in Manchester in the 80s, didn't realise how lucky I was then!
I love Getting away with it ❤️
One of the three best songs that define this genre...the other two are "Love will Tear Us a Part" by Joy Division and "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen.
Killing moon is top
Had all of those... great. Echo & the Bunnymen... oh yeah.
And "The Cutter" by Echo and the Bunnymen
The Smiths are my all time favorite band. The killing moon is one of the most haunting beautiful songs in history!
Blue Monday as well
The part where he says "it's a club, and you've got to go, you could meet somebody who really loves you " is haunting and familiar to those who go out to a social environment, like a nightclub/bar with all intentions of meeting up with someone, but are too shy or socially closed off to meet anyone, and end up leaving alone is depressing and sad
actually being in a club in the 80's and dancing to that song and feeling it... quite an unforgettable experience
That line was every club night out right up to my 30's! I first heard this lyric and thought Wow!!! I was very shy but eventually came out of myself!
Jayvee snapped when he heard that, what a song!
All of The Smiths and Morrisseys songs are sad and depressing. Thats all part of the charm and why we love them ☺
@@stephenulmer3781 You're right, one of their most beautiful songs - "And if a ten ton truck crashes into us..."
Johnny Marr's guitar is haunting and beautiful and is the sound of British 80's rock. One of my favorite songs ever.
Johnny smashing it as a solo artist - his band is as tight as level 42 were and thats saying something
check out "this Charming Man" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by The Smiths.
I love "heaven knows I'm miserable now ". It perfectly exemplifies the Smiths trademark of a poppy upbeat song with the most dismal lyrics ever written. "I went looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I'm miserable now..." It cracks me up, always has...
Particularly the peel session
What Difference Does It Make is the song I would point Jayvee towards having seen his reactions thus far
YESSS
This song is PERFECTION!! In my top 25 favorite songs of all time...dont judge me...I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does...😎🔥🤘❤
This song defined the sound of the 80’s for me.
Last verse has been cut...
"When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
See I've already waited too long
And all my hope is gone.."
You are so right to point this out. What a crucial verse to be left out! Listen to the full extended remastered version on RUclips. Stunning.
Not only the verse but that stunning reintegration of that amazing guitar riff.
The sound of North England. Overcast, blackened brick industrial estates, coal ashes dating back to the industrial revolution paving back alleys.
The birthplace of steam driven cotton mills, water pumps in deep mines, powered locamotion, economy of mass production, and power base of the Global Empires, and of our modern civilization.
Aye, and what's wrong with that - the NORTH WEST of England to be precise - was and is Great.
Sorry, I should have said and all this stuff is now done/made in CHINA!!
@@cernegiant398 Thanks, appreciate the feedback. I grew up in NE England in the late '70s & '80s. Dirty gritty industry is the foundation of all our wealth.
@@sandramalone9977 I make the effort to avoid buying anything made in China. I'd rather do without. The CCP can rot in hell.
“There is a light that never goes out” is a must!
he listen that months ago
Can't stand that song.
One of my fav lines comes from that song. But my fav will always be bigmouth strikes again and this one. My punk babysitter would play them for me and as a little kid the eerie feel of those songs really struck a cord in me. I thought my babysitter was the coolest chick on the planet.
Yes!!!😍🙏🙌
@@Comrade_mommy “ As the flames rose to her Roman nose and her Walkman started to melt”
I've not heard anything like this before, is why they were instantly famous.
They weren't "instantly famous" because of this. It was a b-side on their fifth single. They were "famous" well before this came out.
If somebody asked me what the 80's sounded like, it would be this song.
Early/mid 80's. Late 80's no longer sounded like this
Really? Smiths were quite unique for the time, and many of their songs (less so this one) harken back to 60s jangle pop. This is probably the most 80s Smiths song, but it’s still not that 80s; no synth, sax, or drum machine. And it’s also nothing like the other end of distinctive 80s music (hair metal).
Maybe in Britain.
@@henrywallace7996 I wasn't looking for the most cliched song available, I'm talking about a song that was everywhere, for a long time, completely inescapable if you went to a night club.
@@henrywallace7996 agreed! If I had to choose a song that described the 80s it would be Sussudio. Love The Smiths. Hated the 80s.
I'm 29 and my brother recently got me into this song, he's 23!
Your brother knows good music 👌
Good to hear you kids!
This is the "Angst" anthem for the Youth in the 1980's with a haunting musical melody and melancholy lyrics.. Simply brilliant !
Big Mouth Strikes Again by The Smiths, it's a great song.
Echo and the Bunny Men. It's time.
Yes, please. 💜💜💜
The Killing Moon
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want is a classic Smiths track.
Honourable mentions to There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, This Charming Man and Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now.
They're synonymous with slightly distorted, depressing and pessimistic music. Morrissey's voice is iconic, it's a voice that you instantly know it's him.
Girlfriend in a coma is very good too
My nephew had an acoustic version of “please, please, please” when they were signing the certificate at his second wedding. On their way out he stopped and said to me “that was for you. I know you were the only one who’s know it.” I introduced him to the Smiths.
The boy with the thorn in his side;
Rubber ring;
Well I wonder;
Ask;
Bigmouth strikes again;
Shoplifters of the world unite;
Heaven knows I'm misereable now.
These are good choices to listen to.
The video clip for "How soon is know" brings a much shorter version of the original song, with part of the lyrics being left out as well.
Anything really.
Last Night I Dreamed That Somebody Loved Me
Shoplifters of the World Unite is not mentioned nearly enough when people list great Smiths songs.
Dude, you *must* listen to the full length version. 6m 36s IIRC. Shorter cut misses the guitar solo (a rarity for a Smiths song) and a phenomenal beat-drop & rebuild sequence which still does the goosebump shit for me 35+ years later. Thanks for another great vid.
if you were into 80's New Wave, this song was probably in your top 10 (was for me), and every guy i knew, wanted to be with the girl in this video
in 2009 i went to a Morrissey concert. it was amazing - dude's voice stayed exactly the same as it was 30 years back! it sounded so good i could have sworn i was listening to a studio recording rather than live performance.
his music is so rich and unique. one of the best contributors to music ever.
Dude, your open mindedness about music is great to see. So many people are closed off to different styles, so more power to you.
I think Morrissey described himself as a “professional miserablist” once. He’s a unique cat.
Also described as music to slash your wrist too
Wasn't his first solo album Viva Hate? Still classic riff from Marr!
@Luna Raven hahaha yeah this track and Psychedelic Furs Love my Way were 2 of my go to chill tracks. I'd listen to Viva Hate a few times but there was so much good music about.
Going to see Morrissey in Vegas in August!
@Luna Raven And check this out... the show is a birthday present from my daughter. I got her into The Smith's & Morrissey so she and I are going together. 😃
She recently got her 1st full time job so she has $$$ to spend. 😉
Only The Smiths could being miserable so much fun. Marr on ace guitar. My own favourite is the Never Played Symphonies, though that's Morrissey solo I think. Well worth the listen.
fun?
This song is utterly insane. Marr said he was never able to replicate the guitars properly if I remember correctly. Listen to last night I dreamt that somebody loved me
I would pay money to go back and hear this song for the first time again, the intensity of things at that age, feel so lucky to have been a 15 year old and experience that music when it was released.
Billy Corgan said when he first heard this song his mind was blown, nothing had ever sounded like it before. And you're very right its got Joy Division vibes... pretty much the people who were listening to the Smiths were also listening to Joy Division at the time, good observation. Basically you'd be called a "new waver" if you were dressing like this and listening to his music.
"I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar." My favorite band of all-time. The first band that I heard as a 15-year old whose lyrics actually made sense to me.
"Girlfriend In a Coma" is my fav by The Smiths.
Black humour at its best.
My favourite also... macabre, but has a good rhythm/tune to it
This and Heaven Knows
This is one song I love to listen to in the dark to become totally immersed in the music.😁👍🎶❤️ There is a light that never goes out is one you have to listen to.
The "club if you'd like to go..." verse is absolutely timeless. Everybody visits this club at some stage. Hopefully not too often though.
"Every day is like Sunday"
Panic, Everyday is like Sunday, I Know it's Over, Hairdresser on Fire
When this song came out Morrissey made a point of saying that he had no idea who the girl is in the video nor had he ever met her. And that the Smiths basically had nothing to do with the video. The record company just put it together and released it.
During their Queen Is Dead tour I was lucky enough to get pulled on stage by Morrissey along with many others to dance when he called all the security at the concert nothing but marshmallows. The difference between going to a Smith's concert and going to see Iggy Pop is that a Smith's concert the fans throw flowers to show their appreciation. And that an Iggy Pop concert they spit to show there's.
Nobody does misery like Morrissey!
It's interesting you make the comparison with Joy Division. This is probably the only Smiths track that has that similarity. However, in later years Johnny Marr (the lead guitarist of the Smiths) and Bernard Sumner (of New Order, the group formed out of Joy Division) formed a band or "supergroup" called Electronic.
Fan for 31 yrs here. I'm 45. Fell in love with his music in 1991. He's changed my life. Love him so much. 💙Ⓜ💙Ⓜ💙Ⓜ💙Ⓜ
The UK 80's was full of nicey nice pop music but The Smiths kept us down and real . Amazing voice and amazing relatable lyrics ❤
Check out their song “Ask”!
Great pick
Please do some Roxy Music, "More Than This", "Avalon", "Love Is The Drug".
Oh Yeah, Same old Scene, Dance Away
Yes!
I love "Avalon"...I have a very specific memory around it
Also early glam rock Roxy Music please - Virginia Plain!! Top of the Pops version
Gotta do Roxy Music - Take a Chance With Me, and Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love
I love how Jayvee can pull off the freshness that he is hearing all these songs for the first time. I am guessing Jayvee is well versed in various music styles, genres and eras but he makes people feel warm and fuzzy about what they like.
He seems to know his stuff so there’s no way he hadn’t heard half this stuff before is there??
Morrissey/The Smith's are the absolute epitome of melancholy. When you are in a depression, the lyrics, the voice it soothes you, it understands your pain...when you are in positive spirits they almost make you laugh with a strange nostalgia for what you have made it through. "When you're dancing and laughing and finally living, hear my voice in your head and think of me kindly"-- "Rubber Ring"/The Smiths
Absolutely agreed. 👍
''The boy with the torn in his side.'' is their best song
I'd vote "Please let me get what I want"
Shoftlifters of the World Unite actually
It's definitely one of the best, along with How Soon Is Now?, Cemetry Gates, Ask, You Just Haven't Earned It Baby, The Headmaster Ritual...the list goes on
I don't think they have a "best" song... The Smiths are legendary in the music industry.
Still Ill
"...of a shyness that is criminally vulgar" only Morrissey could come up with a line like that! I played this song on a loop after having had my heart broken. That crying, vibrating guitar, couldn't have expressed pain better. If you would reconsider reacting to Siouxie and the Banshees' "Rhapsody", or Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm", "Cherub Rock" or "Tonight", or Bad Brains' "I against I- it would so make my day! Any of these songs are 100% worth listening to!
Omg I love souxie and the banshees. My babysitter was punk and would play me the smiths, s & the banshees, etc. When I was young peepshow was one of my fav songs. I actually played it for my kid the other day. I was playing the sht I loved as a kid. Of all the songs I played her she likes the smiths songs and the s & banshees the best. One of my all time fav lines is from the smiths /if a double decker bus, hits the two of us, to die by your side, the pleasure, the privledge is mine / I love that line.
@@Comrade_mommy yes! I don't think there is one bad song on "Peepshow" ; it is one of the rare albums I still listen to today and never grow tired of. I also saw them twice in concert. I am so glad I am not the only one remembering how great they were.
@@Bee-28 That’s very cool. I think I really got into them when Souxie Sioux (I always spell it wrong) was in her 40’s maybe 50’s and she was still epically cool and beautiful. I wanted to look like Souxie. I even dyed my hair black for a bit. I wish I could have seen them live. I love female fronted bands and there aren’t a lot who have that dark sound I love. I love dark and melancholy or dark and gritty songs. I loved the kinda dark fairy tale or dark twisted circus sound that Souxie and the banshees had. I’m surprised they never got bigger then they did bc they’re just so good.
@@Comrade_mommy Yes, I feel privileged to have seen them & many other bands; BTW, apparently it's spelled Siouxsie, which is weird, I could have sworn there was no second s in there! Maybe a Mandela Effect?
@@Bee-28 I always remember it’s spelled in an interesting way but never remember exactly how it’s spelled. But I’m sht at spelling. I’m also someone who apparently spelled her child’s name in a way a lot of ppl mispronounce it so I get it.
Wow, so glad you’ve discovered The Smiths, there’s no turning back now...enjoy!!
The Smiths are Champions and spokespeople for awkward teenagers everywhere. Lead singer is a huge Oscar Wilde fan. They helped me out so much when I was young and, as an older adult, I enjoy them just as much. In fact, I wore my Smiths "Meat is Murder" shirt today while I was out running errands. ❤ Too many good songs with good memories for me to request but I hope you do more of them.
Just so you know Morrisey was not the Smiths lead singer. Morrissey was the singer. But I liked your comment anyway.
The Cure are better!
San Francisco was the perfect setting for this song in 1985 and every now and then still brings a tear to my eyes when I hear it.
The Stone Roses - I am the resurection PLEASE!!!
Great one!
Anything by The Stone Roses... criminally under-reacted to... you might need to make the screen the size of a postage stamp to get past RUclipss banhammer though.
Great suggestion!
In live is epic
@@lauce3998 never got to see them live, where did you see them?
Oh my! It reminds me of high school. Listening to The Smiths, driving to the coffee shop at 2 a.m., smoking clove cigs and drinking loads of coffee, and talk about the most important and intellectual philosophies of life.
The only good thing about the tv show Charmed was the time the intro song got stuck in my head, i looked it up 5 years later in college, and discovered The Smiths.
Every alternative dance club in the late 80s played this. And it was good.
I heard this when I was 16 years old. It was the first song I ever heard that really resonated with me. So different than anything else on the radio at the time. I started listening to WFNX in Boston. It was the birth of the alternative format. A great time to be into this stuff.
16 years old, living alone working a YTS . Johnny and Morrisey got me through some hard ,tough , cold and mad times.Keep it up Jayvee you're speaking my language.🏴👍🏴
This song, "Fly on the Windscreen" by Depeche Mode, and "Everyday is Halloween" by Ministry were all dancefloor fillers at my favorite haunt.
Jovaughn definitely needs to hit up some more Depeche Mode, he's only done 2 songs (PJ and ETS). I would send him down the Policy of Truth or Strangelove '88 path next.
Mine too!
Yep, same here, plus This Corrosion by Sisters of Mercy.
That was right before Ministry took a sudden left turn into a different genre of music altogether. haha
@@devenscience8894 Al Jourgensen hated that first album with a passion, only very recently has he come round to accepting it as part of Ministry's history and even recorded an 'acoustic' version of 'Everyday Is Halloween'.
"Well I Wonder" please if you dont mind, really want that song to reach bigger audience. Very underrated.
Even back in the 80s it took a few listens to get the Smiths 😊
30+ years of listening to this song and it still affects me when I listen to it.
MORRISSEY. The KING and QUEEN. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏻✊🏼♥️♥️♥️
The song that defined a decade. It's a masterpiece in my opinion. Glad you discovered it!
I had a punk babysitter who was into this kind of 80’s alternative and goth music, and she used to play The Smith’s for me. I loved the dark and melancholy feel of their songs. For some reason I didn’t really listen to the SMITHS until my 20’s. I knew a few songs like this one, big mouth strikes again and there is a light that never goes out, (still my fav smiths songs) but i didn’t buy any of their music band really listen until I was older. An older guy who listened back when they were big told me that kids like him always were either team Smiths or team The Cure. Idk how true that is but it reminded me how ppl used to be team Beatles or team stones. I think I’d have been team stones and team smiths bc I like darker sounding bands. As it is I like songs from all of them. Less so the Beatles although there’s a lot of nostalgia with the Beatles bc I had a step dad for a few years (who was one of my fav step parents) who was big into the Beatles. But anyways one of my fav lines of all time comes from a smiths song. /if a double decker bus, hits the two of us, to die by your side, the pleasure the privledge is mine/
I'd hate to have to choose between the smiths and the cure.
One of the ultimate 80s songs. Thanks for the reaction and I hope you introduce a new generation to The Smiths!
The soundtrack of my teen angst. Then it turned up as the theme music for Charmed in the 90s
Reminds me of The TV series Charmed with Shannen Doherty. This was the intro song in some parts of the world. Great song.
Just occurred to me that you need to check out The Cocteau Twins!
Omg, absolutely! Please do, Jay! They're one of the best Bands ever!🙏🙏🙏😍💞
I'm not a huge Smiths fan really. But this is in my top 3 songs of all time. It's genius. The guitar riff is unbelievable. I did have the rare experience of meeting Morrisey when I worked at a London radio station.
If you were in an alternative clique in high school you listened to the Smiths. You just did. Morrissey, the lead singer, had a solo career too. If you want to go that way try 'Suedehead'.
I went alternative clubbing in the late 80s and early 90s, and this song always got played once a night.,... when those opening notes would start, the whole vibe of the club would change and a whole different group of people would take the floor... some of the most artistic and expressionful dancing I ever saw in a club. You never left the club til after this song was played (well, and : Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus). Just meandering memories of an old X'er
that is so true. i was one of those alternatives :D
Oh my teenagers years, feeling no one understood me!
Yessss
Absolutely one of my favorite recording artists (The Smiths & Morrisey). This is definitely one of my favorite songs ever. The song is classic. One of the best ever produced from lyrics to production values. Still fresh 30+ years later.
Morrissey is a lyric master ❤️
Isn't it a joy to watch someone that loves music hear a song you really like for the first time? It's like watching them open a gift you treasure as well.
It's something a lot of people missed in the 80's somehow: Morrissey is a gay man from working class Northern England. When he says
"You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does",
that's a big part of what he is talking about.
And in being the heir of "nothing in particular", its not just about his isolation and shyness, but about being from Northern England, which was the industrial, working class part of England getting utterly destroyed in the 1980's, the "heir of nothing in particular". He always has this back and forth with where he is from that comes out in the music, so even if it feels universal, it is grounded very much in his and his band mates' lives.
Fantastic comment, and gives a lot of perspective for this awesome song. Thanks for posting!
Yeah, he's a poet.
At the time I genuinely thought he was a sexual, although I didn’t have a term for it.
This was the sound of my teen angst
The impact of this band was immense back in 1983/1984. When you remember what sort of pop tunes were constantly played on the radio stations, this band came to the surface with such an exquisite and deep tunes/sensations. And the music, oh the music. Back to basics, this was the mantra with The Smiths, when pop music was full of keyboards and all kinds of ultra electronic sounds.
The Smiths had many, many good songs, but my favourites are "What Difference Does It Make" and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" .. I think you'll really enjoy them too .. Wayne
I also love Kirsty MacColl’s version of “You just haven’t earned it yet baby.”
@@rubyfruit17 Yep, Kirsty totally does justice to this great song with her version .. It's among my very favourite Kirsty songs, and I'm a huge fan of hers .. Cheers, Wayne
I love how you described his voice as haunted! I think that is the perfect word to describe it, it carries an emotional weight to it
You have to check out their song “Ask!”
Spending warm summer days.....indoors
@@jimmymac4559 Writing frightening verse to a buck toothed girl from Luxembourg
Best song of the 80's! truly unique sounding!
This was an anthem for introverts, and could actually get them on the dancefloor when played :)
Smiths is the best band of all time by NME magazine
The very opening guitar riff has been sampled and used in so many tracks, it's had a life of it's own.
Cheers from Down Under;)
You are very clever to link The Smiths to Joy Division. Genre wise they could be both considered - post punk - among other things and it's the same era and such. yeah you did good! :-D
Love The Smiths...have for years.
There is a unique and odd beauty in the contrast between music that makes you want to happily dance and lyrics that make you want to cry.
The theme from CHARMED AND THE CRAFT
I had typed up the lyrics and asked the high school librarian to make a copy. She read it and had the most concerned look when she asked, “Did you right this?” Love the Smiths.
And here...The Smiths got me through my teenage years and never, till you just said it, did I think of them in relation to Joy Division. You aren't wrong. There is a Manchester thing going on there.
A clasic track by the smiths,I always loved Morrisey's vocals on this track, this song became the theme tune to the original Charmed Tv Series.
Jay you should check out 'Hazard' by Richard Marx, you might like it
Aaaah yes 🙌 The Smiths were with me the whole way through my nursing career in the 80’s.
Love Love Love 💕
Do Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now!
I did that one already
@@JayveeTV OK I'll search it.
@@JayveeTV I love it! I just saw it. I was waiting for this one. Great reaction!
One of my favorite songs by The Smiths
Watch old versions of Charmed and this was the theme tune
That version was done by Love Spit Love, 2 of the members being the Butler brothers from the Psychedelic Furs.
Absolutely iconic song. Johnny Marr doing fabulous guitar and the incomparable Morrissey on vocals.
It's too bad that this wasn't the complete version of the song. It's missing the last verse, which ties the whole message. The lead singer for The Smiths is Morrissey, he has been bisexual, asexual/celibate and has expressed that he doesn't like any of those labels. In other words, he's complex and different. This song is about him not finding where he belongs, then he hears about a club with people like him, he goes there just to find out that he's an outcast even among outcasts. Then he's told to not worry and that he will soon find someone to love, which is when he asks how soon is now? Because he's been waiting his whole life.
Still gives me goosebumps every time I hear this song.
You'll find that there is no "type" of people who love The Smiths/Morrissey. From gang members, to housewives, to lawyers, to strippers, to school teachers, to, well, anyone can be a fan of The Smiths/Morrissey. I love them, but would I die for them? Probably not. So maybe I'm not a real fan, then.
You wouldn't "leap in front of a flying bullet"??
Priceless reaction.. I'm a little jealous seeing you hear this for the first time, That Johnny Marr guitar sound is one of a kind...