What's your favourite Smiths song?

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Mine is Girl Afraid. But I must admit it is really one of the most difficult choices in the world of pop music ;-).

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 19:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh god... me and my friend (who listens to no music made post 1991 apart from Groove Armada, for some reason) argued this for about two hours last week. "Cemetary Gates". Sometimes you hear the song that's the anthem for your race... and that song's it for those who are too much like me.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 19:16 (twenty-three years ago)

"I Know It's Over": It's the most shocking song I know.

Runners up:
"Sweet & Tender Hooligan", "Some Girls are Bigger Than Others", "Handsome Devil". But these ones change daily.

― Eyeball Kicks, Tuesday, 27 August 2002 19:39 (twenty-three years ago)

rusholme ruffians. . .
definitely. it's my favorite.

― dk, Tuesday, 27 August 2002 19:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Either "Half a Person" or "Rusholme Ruffians." "Headmaster Ritual" certainly in the running. It'd be "How Soon Is Now" by a country mile if not for over-play, tho :(

― J0hn Darn1elle, Tuesday, 27 August 2002 19:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmmm...almost too much excellence to choose from. If pushed, I will go for either "Frankly Mr.Shankly" or "Cemetry Gates". Could an album POSSIBLY be greater than "The Queen is Dead"?

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 19:57 (twenty-three years ago)

You forgot to put the magic POO word, so I'll say three. Off the toppama: "What Difference Does It Make", "Cemetry Gates", "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out". kilian: It's certainly not easy.

― OleM (OleM), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 20:02 (twenty-three years ago)

"How Soon is Now?" The first song by them I loved, & still my favorite.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 20:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Still Ill.

― Venga, Tuesday, 27 August 2002 20:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Ooh! I forgot "Stretch Out and Wait"! Until about three people cited it as their favourite on another thread! Me too! Me too!

The thing is probably that I listened so intensely to the stuff at the time -- and some time after -- that I rarely feel the need to do so anymore. When playing back some of the songs mentioned here in my head, I feel a recap is due soon...

― OleM (OleM), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 20:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Does not compute, too many choices.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 20:20 (twenty-three years ago)

I never would have thought that "Stretch Out and Wait" was so popular with other people. I'd just assumed it was my own strange little personal favorite. Glad I'm not alone on this...

― paul cox, Tuesday, 27 August 2002 22:20 (twenty-three years ago)

This Night Has Opened My Eyes.. or the HOH version of Reel Around The Fountain.

How Soon Is Now would qualify for my Smiths GROOO. I seem to be in a remarkable minority for holding this opinion.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 22:41 (twenty-three years ago)

from the saddies i would pick 'that joke isn't funny anymore'
from the more pop file 'boy with the thorn in his side'

― keith, Tuesday, 27 August 2002 23:02 (twenty-three years ago)

critically, i'd say "still ill" is the best song they ever wrote. and, maybe coincidentally, it's also my favorite.

― Aaron A., Tuesday, 27 August 2002 23:11 (twenty-three years ago)

The Boy with a Thorn on His Side or Girl Afraid

― Micheline Gros-Jean (Micheline), Tuesday, 27 August 2002 23:34 (twenty-three years ago)

"sheila take a bow" REPRESENT!!

― ron (ron), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 00:16 (twenty-three years ago)

It's got to be "I won't share you", for being simple, effective and heartbreaking all at once. It's as if Mozz and Marr knew they'd never work together again, a farewell to each other. But WHY does it fade out just when it gets interesting at the end?

― Rob M, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 07:16 (twenty-three years ago)

well, it changes, but this year i think its probably been Suffer Little Children

― gareth (gareth), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 07:26 (twenty-three years ago)

"The Queen Is Dead"

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 09:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah Tom that's a good'n all right

― J0hn Darn1elle, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 09:12 (twenty-three years ago)

yessir.

― dave (Dave225), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 09:42 (twenty-three years ago)

"How Soon Is Now" still has to me one of the most interesting guitar signatures. It is no wonder it has been sampled often, as it just sounds cool.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 09:50 (twenty-three years ago)

i think they're all okay but only one smiths song has EVER struck me as remarkable and that's "there is a light that will never go out" because it came into my life at a time when i didn't know i needed such a song in it. and it turned out i did. astonishing thing....

― commonswings, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 11:52 (twenty-three years ago)

There is a Light that Never Goes Out.

The most romantic song ever written. Those nitwits that choose to dance to 'Love is all Around' at their weddings will never get it. That's maybe half the reason why it's so special. It's about being in love and being totally infatuated. And it's lovely. I think anyway.

Honourable mentions to:

I Know it's Over
How Soon is Now
The Boy with the Thorn in his Side
Well I Wonder
Half a Person
I Don't Owe you Anything
Shoplifters
I Want the One I Can't Have...

Oh shit... tons more really. Love them all!

― Calum, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 11:55 (twenty-three years ago)

It's about being in love and being totally infatuated. And it's lovely. I think anyway.

"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" is one of the most forlorn, deseperate, and frightening songs about love out there. The music is wonderful and the words are well-written, but if my wife had requested to dance to it at our wedding, I would have changed my name and run screaming in the opposite direction. That's Glenn-Close-in-Fatal-Attraction scary.

My favorite Smiths song will always be "This Night Has Opened My Eyes". It's just gorgeous through and through.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 12:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Half a Person
Reel Around the Fountain
The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
How Soon Is Now
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

― jml, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 12:18 (twenty-three years ago)

But love IS 'forlorn, desperate and frightening'. It's scary, it obsesses you for a while and it's all you can think about. The song perfectly demonstrates this. I think it was Kathy Burke who stressed how utterly lovely it's romantic sentiments really are...

― Calum, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 12:40 (twenty-three years ago)

This one's easy: "Hand in Glove" is their only song I like at all.

― Burr, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 15:19 (twenty-three years ago)

"Half a Person" is just about perfect.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 15:24 (twenty-three years ago)

"Oscillate Wildly".

― Ciaran, Wednesday, 28 August 2002 16:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Calum I think the problem is mainly that the wedded couple's parents would be bummed out by all the talk of not having a home anymore. That "welcome no more" bit would sting a little if you were paying for the open bar.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 17:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the idea that in Nabisco's scenario the bride's parents are listening VERY carefully for all the words in the wedding dance songs to make sure there are no subtle messages or subversion.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 August 2002 18:58 (twenty-three years ago)

the bit in "darling warlock williams" at around 2:15 where he howls "A HAAAND BAAAG????" before Dora Brian starts up with the "sha la la"'s. Classic.

― Ghostly Wilbur, Thursday, 29 August 2002 06:54 (twenty-three years ago)

"This Night Has Opened My Eyes.. or the HOH version of Reel Around The Fountain."

Say so! (As Morrissey wouldn't say)

"How Soon Is Now would qualify for my Smiths GROOO. I seem to be in a remarkable minority for holding this opinion."

You are not alone! (As Morrissey might)

.. while finding this question almost impossible to answer I feel I have a soulmate in electric sound of jim.

The beggning of How Soon is Now is great, the Sun and Air/Son and Heir joke brilliant. Then it's dull, dull, dull.

And those two songs - 'this night' and the HoH 'reel' capture a fragile, ecstatic, unique beauty that soon evaporated.

Someone once said those Bill Drummond-produced sessions where the only ones that capture the true uniqueness of the early Smiths, that they sounded 'Gregorian'. Right on.

― jon, Thursday, 29 August 2002 06:57 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah I think I agree with that about up to the sun air bit, still one of my favourites because of the bits with the "son and heir...criminally vulgar" etc lyrics and the sounds but these lyrics:
There's a club, if you'd like to go

You could meet somebody who really loves you

So you go, and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own

And you go home, and you cry
And you want to die

urg just makes me cringe! yech
I also like

death at one's elbow

ask

rubber ring

And I really like Cemetary Gates even though it's silly and proabably a pretty bad song.

Actually thinking this over is making me think of their myriads of crap songs or aspects of them that's just so bad...

― spectra, Thursday, 29 August 2002 07:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I find There is a light offputtingly mawkish.

So now you all won't want to marry me. But it's for the best.

― spectra, Thursday, 29 August 2002 07:20 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd like to drop my trousers to the queen / every sensible child should know what this means... Each household appliance is like a new science in my town.

Need I go on.

Nowhere Fast gets my vote every time.

― Daniel (dancity), Thursday, 29 August 2002 07:41 (twenty-three years ago)

The Hat Full of Hollow 'Reel Around The Fountain'(someone else said this up thread, I can't be bothered to go and look now, but great choice Other Person)

― Anna, Thursday, 29 August 2002 08:10 (twenty-three years ago)

The _HOH_ version of "Reel Aroud The Fountain" is one of the reasons why I love that album so much.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 29 August 2002 09:55 (twenty-three years ago)

radical adults of the world unite re:
((l)xor(r))(s)(h))ites of passage and agree (work it out kids)

smiths everywhere

stop me [since] you've heard this one before

― george gosset (gegoss), Thursday, 29 August 2002 11:21 (twenty-three years ago)

how soon is now was "best by '88" -- grow out of it

― george gosset (gegoss), Thursday, 29 August 2002 11:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Then start a thread about what you want to talk about, just hurling abuse doesn't exactly solve anything.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 29 August 2002 11:30 (twenty-three years ago)

it's been started, though i hesitate to use the word "victim" -- how about normal old "adolescence" (which should be taught in high school)

and it's not "abuse", adolescents need "therapy", or maybe just to keep the pretence of half-decent _criticism_ around here, why don't you try "analysis"

― george gosset (gegoss), Thursday, 29 August 2002 11:41 (twenty-three years ago)

"Grow out of it" isn't exactly what I would rate even half-decent criticism. If you hate them, fine -- but why not try something a little more interesting than "Grow out of it"?

It's only two more words than "This sucks" and just as lazy.

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 29 August 2002 11:53 (twenty-three years ago)

there is a light that never goes out

― Leigh, Thursday, 29 August 2002 12:15 (twenty-three years ago)

All right then George, I was just about to start a thread on which Smiths song sucks most, I'll leave it then.
Actually before starting this thread I checked ILM with the old freefind search and I couldn't believe that there was no thread with the subject question. Maybe I didn't search well enough though.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 29 August 2002 12:35 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, "this is cool, i dig this, look at that cover, the smiths where using fairy dust according to mojo blah .." is interesting (?), well maybe but

none of it's criticism of the words is it except in the most circuitously limp way -- it's fan-girl stuff right down the other end of the "analysis" continuum

none of it's actually getting to the bottom of what the smith's were about very much ("as far as i can see", 10,000 working class heroes wearing becks'y fake mohawks and NHS glasses) -- call me "abuse", ("see if i could care" .. "put me down but don't blame me for what you did")

that was my "this sucks" comment as abbreviation of criticism of _the_ _analysis_ itself -- do what Alex says (he's been known to focus on "victims", but in the clothes fashion sense = i think we agree unless he's more sarcastic than me) -- go and find the threads (1,000s, all over the 'net, all you ...)

but doing smiths _issues_ in ILM in these "i'm better than your second favourite b-side" way is adolescence chat room stuff, so go find one --- i mean do you read any of the other threads around here except for the endless re-hashes about your "favorite _favorite_ FAVORITE little band" ?

― george gosset (gegoss), Thursday, 29 August 2002 13:10 (twenty-three years ago)

i love the adolescent chat room stuff, so much better than all that boytalk, its a pity the same can not be done for penderecki

― gareth (gareth), Thursday, 29 August 2002 13:20 (twenty-three years ago)

actually george, i've fallen into your trap there (very clever) by acquiescing (sp) in your definitions of the terms. what i should have said was that i a) don't understand your terms, b) don't recognise them. i went along with your dichotomy for the sake of the thread, in reality i see no dichotomy

― gareth (gareth), Thursday, 29 August 2002 13:23 (twenty-three years ago)

"the people united will never be defeated" by the weirdly recently media hyped frederic rzewski

― george gosset (gegoss), Thursday, 29 August 2002 13:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Having experienced both I'd say There Is A Light... is a brilliant song about infatuation and quite a useless one about love.

I think there is room on ILM for these kind of threads, George - cf. what I was saying yesterday on NYLPM about Joy Division - sometimes as a fan you just have to tell the story in your own words without adding anything, just as an affirmation, and these threads are doing that sort of thing.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 29 August 2002 14:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

oscillate wildly-fuck u all

― serpent, Wednesday, 30 October 2002 18:13 (twenty-three years ago)

I've never heard "Fuck U All"; is that a collaboration with Prince?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 19:45 (twenty-three years ago)

There was a rumor back in 1994 or something that Moz and Prince were going to record a joint single -- must have been backwash a bit from the Siouxsie collaboration or something.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 20:17 (twenty-three years ago)

"I Keep Mine Hidden" or "Draize Train."

― TMFTML (TMFTML), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 20:34 (twenty-three years ago)

"Half A Person", sho 'nuff. "I booked myself in at the Y......."

― Daniel_Rf, Wednesday, 30 October 2002 23:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Having experienced both I'd say There Is A Light... is a brilliant song about infatuation and quite a useless one about love.

Wha? I apply it to all my friends! Well, not all of it, but the "to die by your side is such a wonderful way to die" thing.

― Daniel_Rf, Wednesday, 30 October 2002 23:31 (twenty-three years ago)

"This Charming Man" - for the amazing melodic bassline, the wondrously evocative opening line, the yelp just before the steal from Sleuth, the bassline again, "I would go out tonight...", Marr's glistening picking, the fact that (the original) sounds like it was recorded in St Paul's Cathedral, the abrupt-as-fuck halt, and the bassline. Again. God it's perfect.

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 30 October 2002 23:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Since I saw Morrissey last September in San Francisco, I've gotten a new appreciation for "I Want the One I Can't Have"...

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 31 October 2002 00:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Shit yeah! Morrissey at Livid had the same effect on me - I never really rated IWTOICH at all, but I kinda love it now I've finally *seen* him sing it.

― Charlie (Charlie), Thursday, 31 October 2002 01:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely the point of "There Is a Light. . ." is that the 'love' is totally secret and probably unrequited? - "I thought 'Oh God my chance has come at last'/But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask".

I'll vote for "Reel Around the Fountain". "Girl Afraid"'s up there though.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 31 October 2002 02:07 (twenty-three years ago)

The version of Reel Around the Fountain on Hatful of Hollow is really phantastic, sundar. The shuffling slow rhythm is what I love most about that song. It is so dense.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 31 October 2002 07:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Someone just bought me a ticket to see Morrissey at Brixton next Tuesday!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 31 October 2002 08:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Hand in Glove
Reel around the fountain (HoH version, I agree with several people above)
The Boy with the thorn in his side
The Queen is dead

I'm also going to see Mozzer next Tuesday. Very much looking forward to it - whenever The Smiths were touring there was always some reason why I missed them (holidays etc) and he vanished off my radar for a while after Viva Hate so I can't quite believe it's 19 years on and I'm finally going to see him.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 31 October 2002 09:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Accept Yourself

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 31 October 2002 10:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh alright then - Sweet and Tender Hooligan or This Night Has Opened My Eyes.

Stewart - did you see them at Reading Univ in 1984 when they walked off after someone gobbed at Morrissey? I also saw them at The Hexagon on the Meat is Murder tour. James were fantastic on that tour as support - what tw@ts they became.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 31 October 2002 11:08 (twenty-three years ago)

"Stewart - did you see them at Reading Univ in 1984 when they walked off after someone gobbed at Morrissey? I also saw them at The Hexagon on the Meat is Murder tour. James were fantastic on that tour as support - what tw@ts they became."

Yeah, I was definitely at both of those Dr. C - I used to travel about to see them quite a bit, but I'm fairly sure they played Reading more than twice

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 31 October 2002 11:15 (twenty-three years ago)

I only saw them in Reading twice, but I think there was another gig at the Hex after I left. I caught some of the v. early London gigs, but I don't think I saw them after Meat is Murder.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 31 October 2002 11:17 (twenty-three years ago)

I actually prefer the version on The Smiths, with the keyboards. Prefer the vocal track on that version too.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 31 October 2002 17:07 (twenty-three years ago)

is it 'rushholme ruffians' that sounds a bit like 'marie's the name of his latest flame'? i like that one. and that 'hang the dj' number fits the 'all songs with dj's in them are good' rule: i am a dj I am what i play, last night a dj saved my live, hey mr dj put a record on i wanna dance with my baby, rock dj...

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 31 October 2002 17:22 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

Reel Around the Fountain. Because, all my life, I've been looking for someone to sing it to.

― Lara (Lara), Sunday, 26 January 2003 20:29 (twenty-three years ago)

How Soon Is Now?

though Meat Is Murder and There Is A Light follow soon after.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 26 January 2003 23:03 (twenty-three years ago)

mm... what was 'the Smiths's song with the most ob-la-di-ob-lada-esque bass part' again?
"Pretty Girls Make Graves", wasn't it? well i usedta like that one pretty much once.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Sunday, 26 January 2003 23:33 (twenty-three years ago)

i like "I Know it's Over"

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Sunday, 26 January 2003 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

"Jeane," probably. (How that song failed to end up on any albums is BEYOND me.) Then "Ask" and "What Difference Does It Make?"

― Douglas (Douglas), Sunday, 26 January 2003 23:47 (twenty-three years ago)

That's the most Douglas-like choice I can imagine, all the more since I've never heard of the song!

― Clarke B. (emily), Sunday, 26 January 2003 23:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Mine, "What Difference Does It Make," but yeah, certainly one of the tougher choices in pop.

― Clarke B. (emily), Sunday, 26 January 2003 23:53 (twenty-three years ago)

it changes with the weather. today it must be "william it was really nothing"...
my favest maxi-single by the smiths is "girlfriend in a coma" (what an excellent b-side, too).

― joan vich (joan vich), Monday, 27 January 2003 07:53 (twenty-three years ago)

there is a light that never goes out

― gygax!, Monday, 27 January 2003 21:19 (twenty-three years ago)

It's still "This Night Has Opened My Eyes". That song is perfect.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Girl Afraid

― christoff (christoff), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:51 (twenty-three years ago)

the smiths were such a 'time and place' or 'time in my life' band but i was older than the teen targets

or will they forever be immortalised in the UK for the funny eloquent angle on "God Save the Queen" and appearances on TotP ? "that's funny you should hear me play piano", "love and law and property, oohh, but the rain that ruins my hair, ooohhhh", that guy breaking into the palace and talking to the queen -- that's funny, situationist, funky even

some of the other music hall jokes pall too much, like they're meant to -- joke not funny anymore is a good serious song -- the smiths lurch between these two extremes, like keith says, saddies and poppies -- i like the way they're a pop band that actually deal with adolescant issues in a comically responsible manner -- and you don't need to listen to them anymore as they're easiest just remembered so they're not a waste of time

― george gosset (gegoss), Monday, 27 January 2003 21:53 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

"Jeane," probably. (How that song failed to end up on any albums is BEYOND me.)

OMG, I just downloaded this song!! I had never heard it before. Holy shit is it great. I got two versions by the Smiths and two versions by Sandie Shaw! Why did they never anthologize it? sheesh.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Sunday, 9 March 2003 03:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Probably because they thought Billy Bragg's version was better. **DUCKS AND WAITS FOR INEVITABLE RIDICULE**

― Bryan (Bryan), Sunday, 9 March 2003 03:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Impossible to pick one, but, inexplicably, I've always liked when they 'rocked out' - Handsome Devil, London, Queen is Dead, Sweet and Tender Holligan, etc...That said, I Know It's Over and Still Ill are tops with me.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Sunday, 9 March 2003 04:30 (twenty-three years ago)

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