Rating: 8.5/10

Top Track: ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’

Okay, I needed a break from the 70s. I wanted to listen to something that was younger than 40 years old. I do believe that this is the first album I am covering from my dear mother’s collection. I don’t know for sure, but The Smiths are one of her favorite bands and my dad was never really big into new wave music. So, I deduce that this classic album belongs to my Mama. I admit that I did not know much about this album other than ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’ and that Morrissey was the lead singer of the group. Since listening to it many times through, I must say I have fallen somewhat in love with the record. I really love the sound of the band and they way Morrissey sings; it’s extremely unique and will probably never be recreated by anyone else. As for the record itself, there is a picture of the band standing in front of the Sanford lads club on the inside cover with lyrics of all the songs printed on the other inside cover. Morrissey’s hair is standing straight up in a hilarious gravity-defying, Frankenstein monster look. As much I adore the soft sound the band achieves on the album, I was surprised to learn they were influenced by early punk acts of the 1970s like The Velvet Underground and The Stooges. I still can’t get away from the 70s! Considering all this gushing I’m doing about the sound and whatnot, why only give the album an 8.5 instead of a 9 or higher? Fair question. I do really like the sound of the music and Morrissey’s voice along with his lyrics, but I feel like the band stayed in that pocket for the whole album and didn’t take any real risks or expand their sound. I know that’s a lot to ask, but considering all of the legendary albums I’ve covered thus far, I had to go with an 8.5. Still Morrissey’s lyrics and Johnny Marr’s music composition is probably one of the greatest songwriting combinations of the 80s.

Super easy decision for top track this week. While ‘Cemetery Gates’, ‘Vicar in a Tutu’, and ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ definitely turned my head, ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’ is a timeless classic. It’s instantly recognizable from the first chord and can get anyone tapping their foot. Not to mention my mom knows all the words and will not hesitate to sing the song in its entirety at me when it comes on the car radio. Love ya Mama. The track is also super danceable. In fact, I’m dancing right now. Good thing no one can see me. If i was asked to make a playlist of 100 songs to play at my wedding, this song is making the list. I like it that much. I also picked the song because of of the creativity of Morrissey’s lyrics. Creative and unique lyrics always get me. I remember hearing the song for the first time over the radio and thinking if a double-decker bus does what? It’s such a violent and romantic lyric, it’s got to be one of my favorite lines ever from a song. I just want to give a quick shoutout to the bassist, Andy Rourke, who lays down a great bass line that is often overlooked on this track. In fact, Rourke does a great job on every track on the album. Also, Johnny Marr did a great job with the chord progression on this song. Simple, but effective. When you’ve got great lyrics like that, why cover it up with complicated musical composition? The keyboards on the track make the breaks in the song very memorable and tie the track up as a whole with a nice bow. I don’t know how this band didn’t use this song as the single for the album, but I still love it nevertheless.

The thing I fell in love with the most about the sound of this album is the combination of the acoustic and electric guitar. Johnny Marr is a genius. I had to say it. The way he played his Fender Jaguar and came up with that signature sound is the stuff of legend. This type of sound would inspire future bands such as Oasis and The Killers. I think the only song that doesn’t have this combination is the first track, ‘The Queen Is Dead’. With heavy drums and a rockin’ bass, this title track starts off the album with a bang. The lyrics are clever as ever and I just cannot get over how Morrissey pronounces “piano”. Listen to the song to hear what I’m talking about. I think this song is the closest to a risk the band has on the album. But it’s still very cohesive with the other tracks. That’s the thing I kind of like about this album; I know I said I didn’t give the album a higher rating because the band played it safe, but I like the cohesiveness of the entire album. It makes it easy to sit through (or dance through) as a whole. It also makes it easy to listen to the tracks out of order, if anyone feels so inclined.

The biggest surprise of listening to the album all the way through for the first time was how much humor was on the album. Songs like ‘Frankly, Mr. Shankly’, ‘Vicar in a Tutu’, and ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ have some very funny lyrics and a fun melody. All of those titles are very funny in of themselves, but the songs themselves genuinely make me smile. I don’t know why I was so surprised by this element of humor. I guess I just thought of Morrissey and The Smiths as having a kind of soft, serious sound, but this album has completely changed my perspective. So, it was a very pleasant surprise. I like the way the band messes with the listener by fading the sound in and out at the beginning of ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’, I thought something was wrong with my speakers for a second. Overall, I think this album is a great one and has aged very well. I think if this album was released today, it would do very well. I have a newfound affection for The Smiths as well as “The Queen Is Dead”. For anyone who hasn’t given the band or the album a chance yet, I highly recommend listening to it. I think I might even know more lyrics off of this album than my mom now. Anyways, thank you for introducing me to this music Mama; and thank you to Morrissey and Johnny Marr for writing such beautiful songs.