The Smiths Overview

A kind of charming darkness oozes between Morrissey and Johnny Marr of the Smiths. The combination of Morrissey's syrupy, melancholy voice and Marr's jangling, meticulously layered guitar breeds an infectious moodiness. Breaking away from the bawdy new-wave synth pop that characterized... [more]

A kind of charming darkness oozes between Morrissey and Johnny Marr of the Smiths. The combination of Morrissey's syrupy, melancholy voice and Marr's jangling, meticulously layered guitar breeds an infectious moodiness. Breaking away from the bawdy new-wave synth pop that characterized the early 1980s, the Smiths struck a delicate balance between smooth rock 'n' roll and bitter punk. They are perhaps the greatest of sentimental rock bands. The balance was delicate indeed. The Smiths' music hinges on the tension between Morrissey and Marr, a tension that eventually brought about the break-up of the band in 1987. But until their dissolution this tension was productive, a creative interaction between two opposing forces. Their music vacillates between Heaven and Hell, between grinning irony and sorrowful self-pity. Or maybe it's just grinning self-pity? In any case, a combination of low morbid drones and high, effervescent lines of guitar creates an intense, delicious mood. It's hard not to feel utterly alone when listening to the urgent 'How Soon Is Now?' But the rough edges of Morrissey's incessantly bleeding emotion are soothed by an irrepressible ebullience. Songs like 'Panic' and 'Girlfriend in a Coma' are decidedly cheerful and bouncy (though the lyrics remain somewhat disturbing). These two divergent effects come together impeccably to make up the mood of the Smith's music: it's a dark wash scattered with points of light. Lyrically, the Smiths' songs tend toward the subversive side. The band's first single 'Hand in Glove' (1982) established this trend with its references to homosexuality. But controversy really brewed when the ironic song "Reel Around the Fountain" (1983) was badly misinterpreted by the press as condoning child abuse. Morrissey managed to exploit the situation to his advantage by styling himself as an eccentric, complex public personality. He drew press to the Smiths like a magnet and inspired a cult-like fan base. However, sometimes the Smiths could be more self-righteous than subversive. The second LP "Meat is Murder" (1985), while still full of nice melodic moments, is rather irritatingly political. Apparently, it's hard to write a good pop song about vegetarianism. After releasing good collections of B-sides and four full-length studio albums, that creative tension between Morrissey and Marr finally caused a break. The guitarist was reportedly more interested in rock experimentations than the '60s-pop-obsessed Morrissey. Or perhaps the band's musical melancholy finally got to them. As one song so aptly puts it, Morrissey may have simply been the boy with the thorn in his side. [show less]