This was an amazing video, my favorite yet! Man, all us 80’s kids had some sort of turmoil in our lives, huh? So glad we made it out the other side. Morrissey was/is the best medicine❤️🤘🏻❤️
Every generation has it's stuff to wade through. Look at what's going on now, and what these kids are growing up with! But y'all 80s kids came up through a great time for inspiration and creativity!
BTW certainly not meaning to minimize all of what you've experienced and felt around the challenges of your youth... It's just especially now when it's so trendy for generations to be petty towards each other (see "ok boomer", "millennials ruined everything" etc) I think it's good to keep in mind every era had some madness going on, whether it was depression, war, famine, bigotry, disease... And every generation has both it's bullshit and it's awesomeness. And if a bit ironically, I say all this as a musician who really admires your generation 😎
For me There is a Light is just pipped by Well I Wonder - a beautifully simple understated song hidden away on Meat is Murder- I understand neither Morrissey or Marr ever play it live as they consider the recorded version perfection.
I’m 52 , married, father of 4 children, done pretty well in life...but the fragile boy is still there and Moz is still so present to these days. I listen to something of The Smiths/Morrissey every single day, every single day. I’m so lucky that I dare playing in my guitar som tunes to sing along...with myself only. You see...I’m still that dreaming boy from the 80s. Greetings from Chile 🇨🇱
OsoMarcol I’m a 52 year old mother of 2 sons with a wonderful life partner of almost 29 years and the music of The Smiths can still bring me to tears or give me the strength to rail against the bigotry and injustice in the world. The effect their music has on me is often too much at times, and I think that is a wonderful thing. Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺
@@mindrolling24 I took my little sister to see The Smiths at an outdoor pier in Manhattan. She live in Sydney now. My friends all wanted the ticket, of course, but this wasn't just some concert. It was an event to share with someone more important.
I was 13 years old in the early 90’s my mother was in prison my father was an alcoholic and drug addict. The music from the Smiths was how I felt. By 14 my father kicked me out of his house and I knew somehow I would find a way to survive. Now I’m 41 with two boys of my own and they listen to the Smiths with me every time we’re in the car. They sing along with me 😊
Nice to read about a happy outcome for you sir!. I can relate to that, having myself come from a tough upbringing of having my parents raise five brothers n two sisters!... we never had much of anythin in life as kids, I could tell a few tales of my youth, but to be honest they too painful... best left in the past... All I can say is, we all grew up wiser and close knit for each other ..we survived!. I love to see & teach my grandchildren something new every single day :) . My favourite Smith's song "How Soon is Now" reminds me of good times well past my childhood. Johnny Marr's guitar (check out Johnny Marr's influence in creating this fascinating sound) plus Morrissey's unique vocals make this song a classic timeless masterpiece which will always be one of my all time favourite's . :)
As a person who suffers from life-long depression, Thank you for sharing. My friends always wonder why much of the music that I listen to is dark, depressing, and/or angry...The thing is that I am not trying to put my situation into the song...I just want to know that someone else has gone through what I am feeling at that moment, somehow that gives me hope and helps to alleviate the feeling.
At 29, no drugs, no alcohol involved, just one traumatic boot after another I had what I later was told was a nervous breakdown, I didn't move for 6 weeks. Tears rolled down my face but I didn't cry, or think or feel I had 2 sons that I protected like a wolf mother, for that 6 weeks I didn't know what they were doing. I ignored Drs when I was 23 that I had clinical depression, it was my job to be happy, (it's not meant to be a job) then anxiety attacks lasting hours sometimes days kicked in, I finally had to agree to medication, it took a few different ones, eventually I found my mix, took them for 2 years, stopped because I knew I was OK. Now I'm 51, I've never looked back, I still hate drugs and alcohol because they started my problems at 3 years old, I never thought it was possible to feel normal then, now I can't believe that was my reality for so long, where there is a will....there absolutely is a way, God bless beautiful gentle souls, humans are much more powerful than we realise 💞💞💞💞🦋❤🤍💙🕊✌.
When I heard: “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” Morrissey, Marr, and The Smiths completely explained my high school life in one lyric stanza.
There's too much emotion in that stanza, not only the feeling of being lonely but also of trying and failling, disappointment, frustration. This song expresses so much loneliness, weakness and insecurity without even sounding ridicule or even pathetic, truly a masterpiece.
Little story about that song, I went to a Smiths tribute band alone a few years back feeling very down indeed. They came out for the encore and I burst into tears and left during that very stanza. Pretty sure someone saw me and called, but I looked the other way..
I was a lost teenager growing up in Los Angeles in the mid 80's. THE SMITHS SAVED MY LIFE. Songs like "how soon is now" & "i've come to wish you an unhappy birthday" made the pain go away. It made me smile in the darkness when I felt there was no light. That was an awesome video. Thank You
Professor, first of all - I’m genuinely sorry to hear that you went through such a rough patch in your early years. You’re such an awesome chap to be doing this. That’s why you had to stick around and keep sticking around.I think when you’re saved by music in general; but specifically, The Smiths, The Cure, R.E.M, Early U2, Joy Division, Tragically Hip, Pink Floyd, Metallica, etc - you tend to be an introspective soul which you clearly are. Professor -Keep reminding us about the songs that saved our lives, because now we’re dancing and laughing and finally living - We hear your voice ‘Professor’ and I’ll always think of you kindly.\m/ Much love & respect fellow brother from another mother
So I’ve actually never heard one single song by The Smiths before clicking on this, but since I trust the Professor, I decided to check out the song Asleep. It’s definitely one of the most incredible songs I’ve heard and I felt something being torn out of me, only to be replaced by something else being born by the time it was over. Thank you for telling us about these guys, I can’t wait to dive into more of their catalog!
Try to listen to The Smiths in chronological order. As far as his solo work, You Are the Quarry is my favorite album, but all of his solo stuff is great.
Marr is THE most underrated musician of all time. When they speak about the giants, they either don't know or forget his name. No one ever, did what he did, with a guitar. No one ever wrote (nor can they), like Morrissey. The Smiths saved my life too. Thank you for this video.
I AM the Girlfriend In A Coma... I fell into a coma in the winter of 1986 and after I opened my right eye (my left eye/side of my body was paralyzed) on Christmas day of 1986 the song was released in 1987... Thank you Morrissey!!!
I saw someone say “The Smiths are like finding out that life can suck a lot, but that’s okay”. Perfect description of the feeling I get from all their music. Morrissey has some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard and Johnny Marr’s ability to compose songs, especially with guitar, is almost unmatched.
That's an amazing quote about The Smiths and so many bands after them 😊 My first introduction to the meaning of that quote was my love for the Manic Street Preachers but then I went back and discovered The Smiths kind of by accident when I was in a record shop in Manchester. I've never heard this quote before though, thanks X
"Please Please Please, Let me get what I want." Is the ONE song that I can relate to. That song breaks me every time I hear it. It's a short song but that short song... Amazing!
The Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode and U2 all anchor some of the greatest songs ever written. I discovered The Smiths in the mid-1980s and never looked back. They were a revelation.
alukuhito are you kidding, early 80s U2 all the way up to Joshua Tree was some of the best pop music from that era. There’s no denying how brilliant those songs were. They eventually became something entirely different and have since become a bit of a joke, but 80s U2 is undeniably great. Those album tracks are better than almost anything else that came out in the same time period. U2 and REM were the most pop friendly of the post-punk guitar rock bands but they were amazing.
@@djstarsign Well, at least you could discriminate post-Joshua Tree U2 from their earlier stuff. The thing for me, and I think I speak for many, is that their stuff after the Joshua Tree was so bad that it actually made their music before not worth listening to because of the association. Back in the day I really liked them, but now I just can't.
@@alukuhito : Actually I thought that 'Achtung Baby' wasn't bad. I was in mid adolescence when it came out, and It had many standout tunes for a 'pop rock' band, which by that time U2 undeniably were at least in part measure due to their huge commercial success.
@@Lunatic4Bizcas I just couldn't buy that album. Rattle and Hum was the last album I could bother with. Saw the movie, it was good. Listened to the album, but it just didn't have the same feel that U2 was known for up until then. They had a couple of good hits over the years after R&H, but for me, not worth buying an album and having to listen to the other songs. They just stopped being relevant, and are so far down the rabbit hole now that they can't re-emerge. Bono looks like an older version of my grandmother. Something is not right with that man.
They’ve been my favorite band for over 30 years. This has been my favorite song for the same length of time. Morrissey gas been my voice, my heart sung through his lyrics. I listen to them when I’m sad, happy, in love, longing, broken and excited. It fits every emotion. I think because of the universal feeling of being understood in the words. Whenever you talk about You’re relationship with the Smiths I well up with tears as I realize I’ve again that other people get it and have felt them to the depths of their soul like I have. Thank you for putting your feelings into words that are so hard to explain. As a Smiths / Morrissey fan, we all take a lot of flack. I hear mocking and taking jabs that says it’s depressing music. I think only some of us get it, and it’s lovely to find someone who understands and gets it. Thank you for your content.
The Cure, and now The Smiths? You are hitting it out of the ballpark with the alt rock stuff this last week!! If you had 2 hours of content dedicated to Marr/Moz it still wouldn't be enough. I really love how you showcased Morrissey's poetic lyrics and Marr's brilliance as a musician. Don't forget The Perks of Being a Wallflower! That movie perfect captured the teenage angst of the late eighties so well for me.
Morrissey is one of few people who can put true emotion into words. How many misunderstood people were saved by listening to his songs cannot be underestimated. He was like a friend who empathized without judging, giving you time to find your way through the dark times. How many lives saved? Thanks for your analysis.
Music that saved our lives... literally. I was 15 when I was introduced to The Cure and The Smiths. The next year wasnt much different from yours... relationship with my parents hit rock bottom, I was kicked out into a snowstorm for shaving the sides of my head, my first major love ripped my heart out and if I didnt have Disintegration I doubt I would have made it. But I remember one night I ran into a girl I knew and we sat behind my high school with our backs to the wall and heads tilted together until 4am taking turns playing songs for each other and sharing the headphones.. me playing prayers for rain followed by her playing light that never goes out.. We just spent hours crying off and on... but we made it to another day. You re doing amazing work.. thank you
Thanks for this one! Took me back to the first time I saw the Smiths in 1985 - Billy Bragg opened. It was at an outdoor stage at Canada's Wonderland; an amusement park. Yes Morrissey at an amusement park!
Saw them on the same tour in Philadelphia at the Tower Theater. We had front row seats and during the encore jumped up on stage and danced around with the band. One of my finest memories.
Had a lump in my throat listening to this. These albums where like a friend when i felt like i didn't have any. They led to me connecting with people i never knew felt the same way i did back in school and we've never separated. I remember the first book i read cover to cover was wasp factory and lying in my bunk bed at night i had Still Ill on repeat thinking about an unrequited love and feelings of alienation from who i thought i was and what i felt i was turning into. It didn't feel like bottling everything up because i had Morrisey and Marr to validate these strange young adolescent feelings inside me. Great video life is great now and im glad i had this to soundtrack darker moments in my becoming as a person. Helped get me through too.
"Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body? I don't know".... "For there are brighter sides to life and I should know because I've seen them, but not very often"...... Still I'll, one of my favorite Smiths songs for sure.
I got to see Johnny Marr at Irving Plaza in NYC last year. It was surreal to hear “How Soon is Now”....”There is a light..” etc played live. Just incredible. All these songs , Smiths , Cure ,DM...gave voice to our generation.
Great video! When i was 13 in 1987, my older sister bought a huge '3x5' poster of the "Shoplifters..." single. I thought they were a family band. Lol. Then i borrowed her 'Louder Than Bombs' cassette and i was hooked for life! I always describe The Smiths as the 1980s Beatles too. They're brilliant❤
Wow! Finally someone who feels of the Smith's, as I do! Thanks Professor, for your insight, and for sharing your personal turmoil. To me, the Smiths are my favourite band of all time. In 1983 I was 14 years old. What I need to know, is....having never met Morrisey, how was he able to write all those songs for and/or about me! I truly believe that every Smiths fan ever, has had that same thought!! Thanks again!!!
Your last monologue is perfect.I can feel your passion for The Smiths.When we're young we think no one understands us but some of us know that Morrisey did.
Professor, I appreciate your heartfelt story of how you were saved by the music of The Smiths. It reminded me of being a teen and struggling with insecurities and depression. Music was my saving grace.
Morrissey’s work with the Smiths was truly remarkable. IMHO his lyrics resonate as they do because of his genius for articulating the “shadow”, the side we don’t want to admit or even look at. Yes, there have been lots of introspective and emo songwriters, but Morrissey for all his eccentricities, eluded cliche’ and resonated as as an authentic human being universal truths that still resonate powerfully thirty years later.
My introduction to the Smiths was the video for "How Soon Is Now" - featuring a completely transformative sound that seemed to come from a different world.
Damn! You and Justin had a mind meld moment! How awesome. Blue October is one of my current favorite bands (last 10 years current) He is Peter gabrielesque.
I have only known about blue october💙 for two months 🤷♀️ thanks to my 29 year old son, I have never heard such spot on perfect music, today in my life, moving on is! My absolute no.1 song ever 🤗💞💙💞.
This is one of THEE BEST videos I've ever seen that 1000% explains the life-saving connection between Morrissey's song writing brilliance and his lifelong fans that still follow him across the world! Thank you! And I'm so happy he saved you as well so long ago so that you are able to share these exceptional stories and histories! 🖤🎶
Brother...You are a poet! So many fuel addled nights of quiet despair...yet outwardly flippant and unrelenting cheer..ending in solitude listening...singing...dancing...and surviving with ...The Smiths (among others you artfully cover)! I cannot express how much your life experiences...analyses of your and my (our) musical collection...and poetic soul bearing ...is appreciated! Cheers Brotha!
They saved my life too. "So in my bedroom in those ugly new houses I danced my legs down to the knees, and me and my true love shall never meet again!"
Oh my god, someone else recognizes Paint a Vulgar Picture. One of the most beautiful songs ever written and my favorite Smiths track. I really used to do that too - I have wonderful memories of dancing around my room alone to that song at night.
I truly wish Morrissey to find strength in his darkest hour. Having lost my parents in back to back years, the one thing I learned is, it never gets better, but it does get easier. And great video, Professor! Thank you for your time and hard work!
I love this video so much.. Your passion matches mine! I was in tears for most of this video as I love them so much too. My memory: Listening to Louder than Bombs on my walkman.. Riding my my bike at age 15 (1991) then a bully (Kevin) knocks me down and takes my walkman and starts making fun, took someone else's parent to step in and get my stuff back, I went the long way from them on... I was a lonely child and from the first listen Morrissey felt familiar and nostalgic at the same time.. My first exposure was Suedehead followed by How soon is now and girlfriend in a coma. I'm so lucky to have found him in my teens.. Saw the kill uncle tour and was hooked. 33 concerts later and I'm still the biggest fan. Jim Jim Falls was in my head while listening to you talk about depression.
I love your passion for the Smiths, that is how I feel about Blue October and Justin Furstenfeld! I was so excited to see you talking with him. I hope there is an episode about them!
The Death of a Disco Dancer...“Love peace and harmony, love peace and harmony, oh very nice, very nice, very nice but maybe in the next world” . Lyrically is far more appropriate today than it was in the 80’s...Great episode, thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing your relationship with the music of Morissey and Marr. I to am one of those who found the light in their music and not the depression that so many misunderstand it to be. It saved my life. I felt worthless, friendless, unneeded, unloved and alone...but their music reminded me that none of that is true. I found my friends through their music. I was reminded how precious and important it is to live life. I was reminded of my self worth in my own heart and that the judgements and prejudices of others can only hurt me if I let them. I am not alone. I am no longer afraid. Thank you for this.
Thank you! Love Morrissey and The Smiths, for me I discovered Morrissey first with Hairdresser on Fire & Everyday is like Sunday. Then I went back to explore The Smiths. Love them!! Side note: Morrissey’s 2020 album’s song Bobby, Don’t you think they know? is amazing!
“Morrissey knew your perspective and the damaged plot of your life” - and his words meant you were not alone. Well said Professor! I discovered The Smiths later, and would have given my right arm to have heard them earlier.
The SMITHS saved me from a physical distructive life. But sent me into an emotional distructive down fall. Greatest band ever for the emotionally disturbed.All their songs saved me through those years. Thank you Morrissey for all those beautiful songs that helped me through those difficult years.🤠
i've found it impossible to dislike someone who loves the smiths. when you leave noel gallagher speechless, you know you're a special guitarist. hoping R.E.M. will be highlighted on your channel soon. their first five albums captured moments in time and flew in the face of " how bands became successful " . you were proud to be an R.E.M. fan in the 80's.
@ drew gab. my point was that noel slags off pretty much everyone over the years but has the utmost respect for marr. i was not lauding noel as a great lead guitarist, just a very opinionated songwriter.
@@citehman : I agree. Although I find Noel much more level headed than Liam, although Liam has really mellowed and become more humble in recent times. I remember clearly in the mid 90's that 'Oasis' (The band name itself leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion) that the band was viewed by some people as 'the second coming' or 'The Greatest British Band' in a generation. Having been a longtime Smiths, Cure and DxM fan, I just couldn't get it. 'Wonderwall' seemed like a catchy Brit Pop song at best and believe it or not, Oasis' more guitar heavy tracks reminded me of a British Gun's and Roses and at that time, I couldn't stand GnR. In my opinion, if it hadn't been for all the great British bands that came before like The Jam (Paul Weller), The Smiths and The Stone Roses (All of whom are/were better than Oasis) who laid the foundation for the emergence of Oasis, I don't think Oasis would have even been a blip on the radar.
Thank you so much, this almost had me in tears, I can FEEL your passion!! They were a great band no doubt about it. Maybe a feature on LLoyd Cole and the Commotions soon?
Thank you for sharing your story and thoughts on The Smiths, what they mean to you and how they saved your life, I am a 45yr old man from Manchester, England, at the age of 12 I heard my older brother playing The Smiths for the first time and I was totally gripped by the infectious guitar of Johnny Marr complimenting, weaving and embellishing Morrissey real life lyrics, from that moment I knew I had to learn & start to play the guitar, now 33yrs later I am a musician/producer, singer & guitarist in a band that loves songwriting, performing & recording songs everyday of my life, The songs of The Smiths have undoubtedly been so important in my life, musically and educationally teaching me so much about the world and life whether it be good, bad, happy, sad, humorous, melancholic whatever it may be, because life isn’t a happy, glitzy, lovely bed of roses all the time and The music of The Smiths taught me that and about many things in life I use to my advantage everyday whether I’m happy or depressed, struggling or doing well, from one day to the next with The Smiths in my life I know I have the tools and knowledge to survive, do my best, try and be happy and help whoever I can when possible, I know that for the rest of my life I will always listen to The Smiths without ever getting tired or bored of listening to them and I will play my guitar everyday unless I get hit by a bus and loose both of my arms 😂 and to me it is a beautiful & wonderful thing when you can connect & learn so much from something that it can have such an impact in your life. So thanks for your views and show which I thoroughly enjoyed and I wish you all the very best, Stephen (Manchester, England)
"That Joke Isnt Funny Anymore" and "Well I Wonder" are my two current favorites. I will never stop listening to The Smiths and Morrissey (whose hand I have touched)......I was in love from the first note, and will be in love until my last. So let it be known.
My favourite Smiths song is There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. It describes exactly how I felt when my mother died when I was 12 and I was sent to live with my cousins family who treated me terribly
100% with you on The Smiths. Rubber Rings, that you cited vis-s-vis "Don't forget the songs that made you cry, and the songs that saved your life..." is in my top 10 of theirs. It hits the nail on the head for me that feeling when you hear the best song ever for the first time and you know immediately that you will be nostalgic for that moment, like, tomorrow...that's how great it feels. All while paying wonderful homage to all great songs, reminding us that, even when you're grown past them, they are immediate access to halcyon eras. Such great advice.
I'm 50 and grew up in 80s Britain to the Smiths. Rubber Ring is possibly the most spot on and relevant song in the current western zeitgeist of ingratitude and hubris.
Your ability to articulate why artists like The Smiths are so important and present that information in an entertaining and succinct video is absolutely refreshing. And your explanation of your relationship with the song, “There is a light...” was so passionate and moving I watched it 3 times. When you say Morrissey wrote that song for you and me and all of us... Ugh, it hits me hard right in the FEELS! 👏
This is my favorite Smiths song as well, out of all of their amazing output. Thanks Prof for your insight and celebration of this amazing piece of art.
Just WOW... Seen Blue October several times now (they get better each time), I can see the influence. Can't wait to see Johnny Marr with the Killers next week. Great Episode... One of my Favs to date. The Depeche Mode episode is my fav about my fav band.
Thanks for sharing about your battle with depression and how this music kept you hanging on. I love the smiths and their poetic lyrics they just make me feel so much. Beautiful!
Man I get you Professor. I had every Smiths album in the 80s and listened to them all the time in the tortured years of high school. Grew out of it in college but still they have a special place for me.
@@michaelmoraga2926 Greetings! I was in tow with some Alameda GFs. I recall it being near the MaubGardens. It was spaciaus & had been many businesses previous but had been decades b4 a high end womens clothing store.
February 2018, Glasgow, Morrissey , the reverb during " how soon is know " was stunning, my insides vibrating for 6 minutes, then to finish off 9 minutes of " there is a light that never goes out "
I was in 6th grade, my neighbor had gotten Meat is Murder for Christmas and put this on his record player and told me it was called New Wave. It blew me away.
You can go over every The Smiths lyrics and be overwhelmed by them, have shivers, it's true poetry in form of music, truest of arts. The Smiths are the best band in history, and I'm sure in future it's gonna be settled.
Very well put, The Smiths saved my life as well. You've done The Smiths and The Cure, I hope you do a video on another great band of the 80s, New Order with their amazing run of masterpiece singles assembled on the 1987 compilation Substance...
I must say: I love it when it is publicly said what I have truly thought for most of my adult life. That The Smiths really are the greatest band that ever existed. Your video is awesome because you expertly encapsulated the thoughts of most of us in the know; of the unparalleled consistant brilliance of the band, the seminal transcendent quality of the Morrissey Marr songwriting, the importance of their albums when considering the overall cannon of popular music of the late 20th Century. I look forward to watching the rest of your videos because you're opinion is to be trusted as on this video you have spoken the utter truth, even though those not in the know will wholeheartedly disagree. Ignorant dummies they are I'm sure. When people bash The Smiths I surmise that they must've have ever given them a chance or they simply have terrible taste in music and art. Bravo sir! And hail to the best band of all time....
Smiths did indeed save lives . Their reputation grows with every decade, rightfully. Completely unique. There is not much middle ground , more often than not people either passionately love them , or loathe them. And i could never trust anybody that loathes them
The Smiths became a huge part of my days... walking through the rain, long days and nights, in times of drinking and also enjoying a cigar, whenever I’m sad, speechless, alone, broken-hearted, just anytime where I want to feel real and alive, they pretty much saved me. And for that, forever I’ll be thankful to Mr. Joyce, Mr. Rourke, Mr. Marr and the greatest poet in music industry, Steven Patrick Morrissey.
Half a person is a masterpiece that I’ve connected my life with. In Highschool, 16, the only song i listened to. It definitely helped and shaped me. As well as, Well I Wonder. A beautiful song of melancholy.
Justin Furstenfeld is AMAZING. His music has saved me several times. Style. Vocals. Lyrics. I met him two years ago at The Van Buren in Phoenix. He's been a light in the darkness. ❤🥰
❤1.How soon Is now ? , 2. This charmong man 3. I KNOW IT S OVER , 4. Bigmouth strikes again ,5. There Is a LIGHT , 6. THE headmaster ritual , 7. Well I wonder , 8. Heaven knows I m miserable now , 9. Last night has opened my eyes ,10. Acepto yourself
11. Reel around THE fountain,12.WILLIAM IT WAS REALLY NOTHING,13. PLEASED,PLEASED,PLEASE ,LET ME GET WHAT I WANT,,14. BARBARISM BEGINS AT HOME ,15. MEAT IS MURDER ,16.STILL ILL,17. THE BOY WITH THE HORN IN HIS SIDE ,18. SOME GIRLS ARE BIGGER THAN OTHERS,19. LAST NIGHT I DREAMT THAT SOMEBODY LOVES ME ,20. GIRLFRIEND IN COMA ,21. YOU HAVEN T EARNED YET BABY ,22.PANIC ,23. DEATH OF A DISCO DANCER 24.HAND IN GLOVE ,25.SHOPLIFTER OF THE WORLD UNITED
Unreal .....stumbled across this and I'm blown away. You echo every feeling I had, my mother didnt like me listening to The Smith's as it was 'depressing'.... it was my lifeline it dragged me through all the dark days and continues to do so. Love them love Morrissey lucky enough to see him a few times and it has to be the nearest thing to a religious awakening ... couldnt stop crying the 1st time and I wasnt alone....it was just a natural release. Loved your video loved your passion. Thank you .. There is a light
After seeing your interview with Brian Wilson, you should try to get Marr or Morrissey to do an interview. I think you could get Johnny, but Morrissey might be tough..
My favourite band of all time too. Not only musically but culturally as well. The world hadn't witnessed a frontman like Morrissey previously and uniqueness is such a rare thing in music. Containing sorrow and humour for me in equal measure, tho he never got any credit for this. Of course the twitterati would've strangled The Smiths at birth if they had been around now. They influenced every half-decent brit-pop band who came along later and surely influence has to be valued, for without it, who inspires the next generations of artists? Thanks for this.
Seeing The Smiths on The Queen Is Dead Tour was one of the greatest nights of my life. The Smiths were a guiding light that brought many lost souls to the the other side. Truly one of the greatest bands that there ever was.
In today's world the lyric: "It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate. It takes strength to be gentle and kind" tells us there are not enough strong people out there. You are one of them, keep up the good work.
For some reason I never got very deep into The Smiths, which is odd because they were huge in my circle of friends. But their song "Let me get what I want" Had a huge affect on me. I suffered from depression from age 7 and hearing this song so resonated with me. Even to this day I can't hear without my heart beaking.
Favorite band? Saved your life? Spoke for the unspoken? Put your feelings into words and music? Gave you hope through connection and knowing others felt the same like some sort of ghost friends you had yet to meet? Yeah, the Smiths did that - better than any band I've ever known. Not shockingly, Rebel without a cause was my favorite movie at 15. The parallels you mention (finally) make sense. Thank god for the Smiths (and Jimmy Dean). Those two, along with Billie Holiday, were my closest friends as a teen, and perhaps even still. Thanks for the amazing vid, and for sharing your history of depression - there's not enough talk about that and so many need to know they're not alone. We need our heroes of the unsung, and no better ever existed than the Smiths.
I spent the summer of '92 in London. I'm from Canada. I was 21. Thankfully I had discovered The Smiths a couple years earlier. They weren't played on the radio in Canada, so most Canadians didn't know them. There were always a few alternative kids who had their British music connections, so I know there were people listening to them before I ever did, but those people were few. Anyway, that song really spoke to me at the time. I did leave my family and girlfriend behind, but I just arrived in London by plane, not train. I didn't know how long I'd stay. People were wondering what I was doing, but London was calling. I had a lot of Smiths and Morrissey songs in my head that summer, and it was amazing actually being in some of the places that he sung about.
@@Pointblankmos you hit the nail on the head...that's the line I connect the most with..when I was 17(I graduated early) I moved to NYC because I got a job as a resident DJ at a major NYC club in 1989...and I have 5 brothers and sisters, the look in my dads and Stepmothers eyes and my siblings you could fell the hate in the air...when I came back in 96 I was a Staff Sgt in the USAF...and my family acted like whatever, even though I was overseas and part of Desert Storm.and didn't get out until 2009... it's such a disfunction thing, that he captured that, was always playing in my head, like the Cure as well, in moments in my life in my head ill hear music that captures that moment in time
Well said! Moz is not a person, he is not a singer-- he is the energy of empathy. It flows, it fills the gaps in your soul, it allows to to feel your pain without discomfort, it allows you to BE. The Smith's and Depeche Mode--- I don't listen to their music, I feel it. I would give anything to sit and have a conversation with him and just absorb the thoughts and energy. I know life would never be the same again.
I met all the Smith's except for Mike Joyce... Morrissey and I had a nice and interesting conversation....Andy Rourke was cool and Johnny cussed me out.
@@edenbeats.8569 I asked him to sign a painting I did of Morrissey. Morrissey autographed it, Andy Rourke autographed it and I figured Johnny would to since Rourke had no problem signing it, but Marr took it to heart and cussed me out pissed asking me him how could I do that.
‘Light that never goes out’. God- so hard to write this. I didn’t have a ‘home’, just a house I lived in where I was hated and bullied by my mother and brother from my teens onwards. I don’t know why I didn’t kill myself then. I would climb high into Oak trees to escape their bullshit and their bullying. I was 16 years old and my brother would threaten me with sexual violence. I managed to arrange to study interstate and had the best 18 months of my life living on campus at the Australian National University. In 1987 I met the Love of My Life...and thought no one as wonderful as him would want me, when in hindsight he was ‘Head Over Heels’ about me but then someone else came along and snapped him up (consequentially making his life a nightmare for 4 years with her temper and her infidelity). Then within the two next miserable, months, I had 2 friends commit suicide and another die in a car crash, at a time when I was college/couch surfing, so technically homeless. I don’t, to this day ( 33 years later) even REMEMBER why or even HOW I ended up leaving Canberra and moving back to live in my mother’s house. It is literally a complete blank. 6 Weeks after I returned it was my 20th birthday and my brother and mother ‘pretended’ to forget, walking around sniggering at their own callousness and my tears. This was less than 2 months after my best friend from school shot herself through the heart with a rifle. Everyday for almost 3 years, ‘There is a Light and It Never goes Out’ expressed my state of mind, my ‘feelings’, my complete absence of self esteem and my desire to not be on this Earth. I would be on a bus and pray that it would crash and that I’d die (but no one else would get hurt). I don’t know if this song saved me, because I was suicidal for years but it’s actually quite hard to kill yourself when you believe you are already dead. I guess I wanted to find that light that never goes out- I imagined it as a tiny bulb in a big, far away lighthouse somewhere. It’s incredible how similar our experiences were- thank you for sharing that. It made me cry. If only I’d known other people felt that way. But I’m still here, over 28 years partnered with a wonderful man, our two fantastic sons, a horse, a cat a dog...I’m still here and this song reminds me how well I have done to get through this, so far. I still listen to this song, and it is still just as beautiful and upsetting as it was over 30 years ago but I am so grateful that I am here, alive today. Being 2020, however, I’m listening to more ska music and weird, upbeat stuff but this song will always be important to me. Thanks man x
What a video to wake up, u know how long I’ve waited for this upload, now this is without doubt one of the best, the absolute best band ever, the queen is dead....what an album....when even the youth of today recognise how good they good this band are then that shows you how truly great and influential they are
Best review video ever here on youtube. No hesitation or search for words. Great. I had the Queen is Dead record in 1984. One of my favorite emotionally connected bands. I've seen Morrissey live three times, once in 1989 Costa Mesa Ca, later on in Santa Barbara and orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. Well I wonder is my most favorite song by the Smiths, but I can still remember those times in my life that correspond with each of their records. I remember listening to a newly released Strangeways cruising to Melrose for those hard-to-find shirts and Doc Martins. Wow...memories. But these songs are still in my rotation today.
I agree with you 100%, Adam. The first time I heard the Smiths was probably the same way many felt when they first heard the Beatles. It was life altering. I’m now 54 and I still feel the same way I did all those years ago when I put their music on. Through many dark times I turned to their music and I realized that I wasn’t alone. Kept me sane that’s for sure. Such an incredible band
This was an amazing video, my favorite yet! Man, all us 80’s kids had some sort of turmoil in our lives, huh? So glad we made it out the other side. Morrissey was/is the best medicine❤️🤘🏻❤️
Every generation has it's stuff to wade through. Look at what's going on now, and what these kids are growing up with!
But y'all 80s kids came up through a great time for inspiration and creativity!
BTW certainly not meaning to minimize all of what you've experienced and felt around the challenges of your youth...
It's just especially now when it's so trendy for generations to be petty towards each other (see "ok boomer", "millennials ruined everything" etc) I think it's good to keep in mind every era had some madness going on, whether it was depression, war, famine, bigotry, disease...
And every generation has both it's bullshit and it's awesomeness.
And if a bit ironically, I say all this as a musician who really admires your generation 😎
For me There is a Light is just pipped by Well I Wonder - a beautifully simple understated song hidden away on Meat is Murder- I understand neither Morrissey or Marr ever play it live as they consider the recorded version perfection.
Does anyone like blue October?
I'm wearing a "Don't forget the songs that saved your life" - t-shirt. Wish I could show it! :-)
I’m 52 , married, father of 4 children, done pretty well in life...but the fragile boy is still there and Moz is still so present to these days. I listen to something of The Smiths/Morrissey every single day, every single day. I’m so lucky that I dare playing in my guitar som tunes to sing along...with myself only. You see...I’m still that dreaming boy from the 80s. Greetings from Chile 🇨🇱
OsoMarcol I’m a 52 year old mother of 2 sons with a wonderful life partner of almost 29 years and the music of The Smiths can still bring me to tears or give me the strength to rail against the bigotry and injustice in the world. The effect their music has on me is often too much at times, and I think that is a wonderful thing. Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺
Some great fans of Morrissey and the Smiths in Chile👍👍👍
50 casado sin hijos pero sigo soñando con esta gran musica de esta gran década, por mucho mis favoritos los smiths
@@pg123ab Es increible que en Chile hayamos tantos
@@mindrolling24 I took my little sister to see The Smiths at an outdoor pier in Manhattan. She live in Sydney now. My friends all wanted the ticket, of course, but this wasn't just some concert. It was an event to share with someone more important.
I was 13 years old in the early 90’s my mother was in prison my father was an alcoholic and drug addict. The music from the Smiths was how I felt. By 14 my father kicked me out of his house and I knew somehow I would find a way to survive. Now I’m 41 with two boys of my own and they listen to the Smiths with me every time we’re in the car. They sing along with me 😊
Nice to read about a happy outcome for you sir!. I can relate to that, having myself come from a tough upbringing of having my parents raise five brothers n two sisters!... we never had much of anythin in life as kids, I could tell a few tales of my youth, but to be honest they too painful... best left in the past... All I can say is, we all grew up wiser and close knit for each other ..we survived!. I love to see & teach my grandchildren something new every single day :) . My favourite Smith's song "How Soon is Now" reminds me of good times well past my childhood. Johnny Marr's guitar (check out Johnny Marr's influence in creating this fascinating sound) plus Morrissey's unique vocals make this song a classic timeless masterpiece which will always be one of my all time favourite's . :)
The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and New Order.👌
Hit the nail on the head mate!
@@MrJaeger88 what are your favorite bands?
All of the above. The Cure is my absolute favourite. You can also add The Doors to the list...👍🏼
Right On’ You Nailed it!
rowan jaeger the doors and Bowie.
As a person who suffers from life-long depression, Thank you for sharing.
My friends always wonder why much of the music that I listen to is dark, depressing, and/or angry...The thing is that I am not trying to put my situation into the song...I just want to know that someone else has gone through what I am feeling at that moment, somehow that gives me hope and helps to alleviate the feeling.
Good to know you find something that helps you. I hope everything goes amazing for you! Remember you’re amazing.
At 29, no drugs, no alcohol involved, just one traumatic boot after another I had what I later was told was a nervous breakdown, I didn't move for 6 weeks. Tears rolled down my face but I didn't cry, or think or feel I had 2 sons that I protected like a wolf mother, for that 6 weeks I didn't know what they were doing. I ignored Drs when I was 23 that I had clinical depression, it was my job to be happy, (it's not meant to be a job) then anxiety attacks lasting hours sometimes days kicked in, I finally had to agree to medication, it took a few different ones, eventually I found my mix, took them for 2 years, stopped because I knew I was OK. Now I'm 51, I've never looked back, I still hate drugs and alcohol because they started my problems at 3 years old, I never thought it was possible to feel normal then, now I can't believe that was my reality for so long, where there is a will....there absolutely is a way, God bless beautiful gentle souls, humans are much more powerful than we realise 💞💞💞💞🦋❤🤍💙🕊✌.
It's going to be written on my gravestone: "There is a Light that Never Goes Out". That light is music....
When I heard:
“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”
Morrissey, Marr, and The Smiths completely explained my high school life in one lyric stanza.
There's too much emotion in that stanza, not only the feeling of being lonely but also of trying and failling, disappointment, frustration. This song expresses so much loneliness, weakness and insecurity without even sounding ridicule or even pathetic, truly a masterpiece.
Little story about that song, I went to a Smiths tribute band alone a few years back feeling very down indeed. They came out for the encore and I burst into tears and left during that very stanza. Pretty sure someone saw me and called, but I looked the other way..
@@MrWeeRhys I can't speak for anyone else, but I know exactly how you feel.
There was so much angst and relational bogs in the mid80's the Smith were melancathartic.
I was a lost teenager growing up in Los Angeles in the mid 80's. THE SMITHS SAVED MY LIFE. Songs like "how soon is now" & "i've come to wish you an unhappy birthday" made the pain go away. It made me smile in the darkness when I felt there was no light. That was an awesome video. Thank You
Professor, first of all - I’m genuinely sorry to hear that you went through such a rough patch in your early years. You’re such an awesome chap to be doing this. That’s why you had to stick around and keep sticking around.I think when you’re saved by music in general; but specifically, The Smiths, The Cure, R.E.M, Early U2, Joy Division, Tragically Hip, Pink Floyd, Metallica, etc - you tend to be an introspective soul which you clearly are. Professor -Keep reminding us about the songs that saved our lives, because now we’re dancing and laughing and finally living - We hear your voice ‘Professor’ and I’ll always think of you kindly.\m/ Much love & respect fellow brother from another mother
Proved my point
Rubber ring > there is a light
Perfectly stated.
it's extremely important to distinguish early U2. lol no joke
I'm such a big Smiths fan, I even know all the words to Oscillate Wildly.
Lol 😂
That's smart! Cheers!
🤣😂🤣 This made me laugh so hard! Brilliant.
and of course of "The draze train" and "Money changes everything"
Great song !
When your laughing and singing and finally living, hear my voice in your head and think of me kindly
So I’ve actually never heard one single song by The Smiths before clicking on this, but since I trust the Professor, I decided to check out the song Asleep. It’s definitely one of the most incredible songs I’ve heard and I felt something being torn out of me, only to be replaced by something else being born by the time it was over. Thank you for telling us about these guys, I can’t wait to dive into more of their catalog!
Try to listen to The Smiths in chronological order. As far as his solo work, You Are the Quarry is my favorite album, but all of his solo stuff is great.
How did the smiths listening go? Curious from the future
@@josephrumbaugh671 Very well! Amazing band, for sure
My fave is “there is a light that never goes out”
Marr is THE most underrated musician of all time. When they speak about the giants, they either don't know or forget his name.
No one ever, did what he did, with a guitar.
No one ever wrote (nor can they), like Morrissey.
The Smiths saved my life too.
Thank you for this video.
I AM the Girlfriend In A Coma... I fell into a coma in the winter of 1986 and after I opened my right eye (my left eye/side of my body was paralyzed) on Christmas day of 1986 the song was released in 1987... Thank you Morrissey!!!
I saw someone say “The Smiths are like finding out that life can suck a lot, but that’s okay”. Perfect description of the feeling I get from all their music. Morrissey has some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard and Johnny Marr’s ability to compose songs, especially with guitar, is almost unmatched.
That's an amazing quote about The Smiths and so many bands after them 😊 My first introduction to the meaning of that quote was my love for the Manic Street Preachers but then I went back and discovered The Smiths kind of by accident when I was in a record shop in Manchester. I've never heard this quote before though, thanks X
"Please Please Please, Let me get what I want." Is the ONE song that I can relate to. That song breaks me every time I hear it. It's a short song but that short song... Amazing!
When I saw The Smiths in 1986, they began their set with 'Please...' I thought it was an odd start at the time but later felt it was classic Moz.
The Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode and U2 all anchor some of the greatest songs ever written. I discovered The Smiths in the mid-1980s and never looked back. They were a revelation.
Not sure how U2 got in there, but to each a zone.
alukuhito are you kidding, early 80s U2 all the way up to Joshua Tree was some of the best pop music from that era. There’s no denying how brilliant those songs were. They eventually became something entirely different and have since become a bit of a joke, but 80s U2 is undeniably great. Those album tracks are better than almost anything else that came out in the same time period. U2 and REM were the most pop friendly of the post-punk guitar rock bands but they were amazing.
@@djstarsign Well, at least you could discriminate post-Joshua Tree U2 from their earlier stuff. The thing for me, and I think I speak for many, is that their stuff after the Joshua Tree was so bad that it actually made their music before not worth listening to because of the association. Back in the day I really liked them, but now I just can't.
@@alukuhito : Actually I thought that 'Achtung Baby' wasn't bad. I was in mid adolescence when it came out, and It had many standout tunes for a 'pop rock' band, which by that time U2 undeniably were at least in part measure due to their huge commercial success.
@@Lunatic4Bizcas I just couldn't buy that album. Rattle and Hum was the last album I could bother with. Saw the movie, it was good. Listened to the album, but it just didn't have the same feel that U2 was known for up until then. They had a couple of good hits over the years after R&H, but for me, not worth buying an album and having to listen to the other songs. They just stopped being relevant, and are so far down the rabbit hole now that they can't re-emerge. Bono looks like an older version of my grandmother. Something is not right with that man.
They’ve been my favorite band for over 30 years. This has been my favorite song for the same length of time. Morrissey gas been my voice, my heart sung through his lyrics. I listen to them when I’m sad, happy, in love, longing, broken and excited. It fits every emotion. I think because of the universal feeling of being understood in the words.
Whenever you talk about You’re relationship with the Smiths I well up with tears as I realize I’ve again that other people get it and have felt them to the depths of their soul like I have.
Thank you for putting your feelings into words that are so hard to explain. As a Smiths / Morrissey fan, we all take a lot of flack. I hear mocking and taking jabs that says it’s depressing music. I think only some of us get it, and it’s lovely to find someone who understands and gets it. Thank you for your content.
The Cure, and now The Smiths? You are hitting it out of the ballpark with the alt rock stuff this last week!! If you had 2 hours of content dedicated to Marr/Moz it still wouldn't be enough. I really love how you showcased Morrissey's poetic lyrics and Marr's brilliance as a musician. Don't forget The Perks of Being a Wallflower! That movie perfect captured the teenage angst of the late eighties so well for me.
"I wear black on the outside 'cuz black is how I feel on the inside." My motto all through high school. ♥
And if I seem a little strange, well that’s because I am....🙂
And now you're wearing cyan. What happened?
I love it. I can certainly relate.
Indeed
Morrissey is one of few people who can put true emotion into words.
How many misunderstood people were saved by listening to his songs cannot be underestimated.
He was like a friend who empathized without judging, giving you time to find your way through the dark times. How many lives saved?
Thanks for your analysis.
Mine.
Music that saved our lives... literally. I was 15 when I was introduced to The Cure and The Smiths. The next year wasnt much different from yours... relationship with my parents hit rock bottom, I was kicked out into a snowstorm for shaving the sides of my head, my first major love ripped my heart out and if I didnt have Disintegration I doubt I would have made it. But I remember one night I ran into a girl I knew and we sat behind my high school with our backs to the wall and heads tilted together until 4am taking turns playing songs for each other and sharing the headphones.. me playing prayers for rain followed by her playing light that never goes out..
We just spent hours crying off and on... but we made it to another day. You re doing amazing work.. thank you
Professor of Rock should've had his own Vice City radio station
hahaha woulda heard that all day! and then some radio Espantoso for sum flavour " la vida es una lenteja!!"
Thanks for this one! Took me back to the first time I saw the Smiths in 1985 - Billy Bragg opened. It was at an outdoor stage at Canada's Wonderland; an amusement park. Yes Morrissey at an amusement park!
I enjoy your channel too Glen, it's terrific.
Saw them on the same tour in Philadelphia at the Tower Theater. We had front row seats and during the encore jumped up on stage and danced around with the band. One of my finest memories.
I think Blue October is the best contemporary artist
Well, well, well....Would ya look who it is!
Wow ... you were lucky to catch that show ... two great artists!!!!
Had a lump in my throat listening to this. These albums where like a friend when i felt like i didn't have any. They led to me connecting with people i never knew felt the same way i did back in school and we've never separated. I remember the first book i read cover to cover was wasp factory and lying in my bunk bed at night i had Still Ill on repeat thinking about an unrequited love and feelings of alienation from who i thought i was and what i felt i was turning into. It didn't feel like bottling everything up because i had Morrisey and Marr to validate these strange young adolescent feelings inside me. Great video life is great now and im glad i had this to soundtrack darker moments in my becoming as a person. Helped get me through too.
"Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body? I don't know".... "For there are brighter sides to life
and I should know because I've seen them,
but not very often"...... Still I'll, one of my favorite Smiths songs for sure.
Adam ,This is I think the best retrospective you’ve ever done .
Brought me to tears my friend .
Wonderful stuff .
I got to see Johnny Marr at Irving Plaza in NYC last year. It was surreal to hear “How Soon is Now”....”There is a light..” etc played live. Just incredible. All these songs , Smiths , Cure ,DM...gave voice to our generation.
Great video! When i was 13 in 1987, my older sister bought a huge '3x5' poster of the "Shoplifters..." single. I thought they were a family band. Lol.
Then i borrowed her 'Louder Than Bombs' cassette and i was hooked for life!
I always describe The Smiths as the 1980s Beatles too.
They're brilliant❤
Wow! Finally someone who feels of the Smith's, as I do! Thanks Professor, for your insight, and for sharing your personal turmoil. To me, the Smiths are my favourite band of all time. In 1983 I was 14 years old. What I need to know, is....having never met Morrisey, how was he able to write all those songs for and/or about me! I truly believe that every Smiths fan ever, has had that same thought!! Thanks again!!!
Haha, so true!
So true...me too
Even Morrissey's autobiography reads like poetry. Great choice of song and band.
Your last monologue is perfect.I can feel your passion for The Smiths.When we're young we think no one understands us but some of us know that Morrisey did.
I have a tattoo on my arm that says "There is a light that never goes out". Gives me hope when times are bad.
I'm an atheist. The light does go out
You my sir are a legend. Neil Finn and The Smiths in the same week.
Neil's cover of There is a Light with Johnny on guitar and Lisa Germano on violin is wonderful.
Crowded House and The Smiths were my absolute favorite bands during my teen years - and beyond.
Professor, I appreciate your heartfelt story of how you were saved by the music of The Smiths. It reminded me of being a teen and struggling with insecurities and depression. Music was my saving grace.
Morrissey’s work with the Smiths was truly remarkable. IMHO his lyrics resonate as they do because of his genius for articulating the “shadow”, the side we don’t want to admit or even look at. Yes, there have been lots of introspective and emo songwriters, but Morrissey for all his eccentricities, eluded cliche’ and resonated as as an authentic human being universal truths that still resonate powerfully thirty years later.
My introduction to the Smiths was the video for "How Soon Is Now" - featuring a completely transformative sound that seemed to come from a different world.
Damn! You and Justin had a mind meld moment! How awesome. Blue October is one of my current favorite bands (last 10 years current) He is Peter gabrielesque.
I totally agree.. Always reminded me of PG too. 👌
I have only known about blue october💙 for two months 🤷♀️ thanks to my 29 year old son, I have never heard such spot on perfect music, today in my life, moving on is! My absolute no.1 song ever 🤗💞💙💞.
This is one of THEE BEST videos I've ever seen that 1000% explains the life-saving connection between Morrissey's song writing brilliance and his lifelong fans that still follow him across the world! Thank you! And I'm so happy he saved you as well so long ago so that you are able to share these exceptional stories and histories! 🖤🎶
Brother...You are a poet! So many fuel addled nights of quiet despair...yet outwardly flippant and unrelenting cheer..ending in solitude listening...singing...dancing...and surviving with ...The Smiths (among others you artfully cover)! I cannot express how much your life experiences...analyses of your and my (our) musical collection...and poetic soul bearing ...is appreciated! Cheers Brotha!
They saved my life too.
"So in my bedroom in those ugly new houses I danced my legs down to the knees, and me and my true love shall never meet again!"
Gave me chills just reading it. That's actually my favorite Smiths song of all time. Paint A Vulgar Picture. Love it.
Bananas in Pyjamas Bravo!
@@ProfessorofRock sometimes I feel more fulfilled making Christmas Cards with the mentally ill....give us your money! #genius
Oh my god, someone else recognizes Paint a Vulgar Picture. One of the most beautiful songs ever written and my favorite Smiths track. I really used to do that too - I have wonderful memories of dancing around my room alone to that song at night.
@@ProfessorofRock Mine too! Holy shit! I thought I was totally alone there.
I truly wish Morrissey to find strength in his darkest hour. Having lost my parents in back to back years, the one thing I learned is, it never gets better, but it does get easier.
And great video, Professor! Thank you for your time and hard work!
Morrissey's solo carreer is equally awesome.
I love this video so much.. Your passion matches mine! I was in tears for most of this video as I love them so much too. My memory: Listening to Louder than Bombs on my walkman.. Riding my my bike at age 15 (1991) then a bully (Kevin) knocks me down and takes my walkman and starts making fun, took someone else's parent to step in and get my stuff back, I went the long way from them on... I was a lonely child and from the first listen Morrissey felt familiar and nostalgic at the same time.. My first exposure was Suedehead followed by How soon is now and girlfriend in a coma. I'm so lucky to have found him in my teens.. Saw the kill uncle tour and was hooked. 33 concerts later and I'm still the biggest fan. Jim Jim Falls was in my head while listening to you talk about depression.
That is a beautiful history.
"Accept Yourself"...that song got me through some tough times!
I love your passion for the Smiths, that is how I feel about Blue October and Justin Furstenfeld! I was so excited to see you talking with him. I hope there is an episode about them!
The Death of a Disco Dancer...“Love peace and harmony, love peace and harmony, oh very nice, very nice, very nice but maybe in the next world” . Lyrically is
far more appropriate today than it was in the 80’s...Great episode, thank you.
I feel exactly the same. The Smiths are other worldly, morrissey lyrics are just mind blowing.
Thank you so much for sharing your relationship with the music of Morissey and Marr. I to am one of those who found the light in their music and not the depression that so many misunderstand it to be. It saved my life. I felt worthless, friendless, unneeded, unloved and alone...but their music reminded me that none of that is true. I found my friends through their music. I was reminded how precious and important it is to live life. I was reminded of my self worth in my own heart and that the judgements and prejudices of others can only hurt me if I let them. I am not alone. I am no longer afraid.
Thank you for this.
Thank you! Love Morrissey and The Smiths, for me I discovered Morrissey first with Hairdresser on Fire & Everyday is like Sunday. Then I went back to explore The Smiths. Love them!! Side note: Morrissey’s 2020 album’s song Bobby, Don’t you think they know? is amazing!
Oh I needed it and love it to this day. Thank you for this!
“Morrissey knew your perspective and the damaged plot of your life” - and his words meant you were not alone. Well said Professor! I discovered The Smiths later, and would have given my right arm to have heard them earlier.
The SMITHS saved me from a physical distructive life. But sent me into an emotional distructive down fall. Greatest band ever for the emotionally disturbed.All their songs saved me through those years. Thank you Morrissey for all those beautiful songs that helped me through those difficult years.🤠
i've found it impossible to dislike someone who loves the smiths. when you leave noel gallagher speechless, you know you're a special guitarist.
hoping R.E.M. will be highlighted on your channel soon. their first five albums captured moments in time and flew in the face of " how bands became successful " . you were proud to be an R.E.M. fan in the 80's.
Because Noel is such a virtuoso guitarist..?? Wtf
I've never thought of Noel Gallagher as a particularly special musician.
@@alukuhito Yeah of course not 'cause he isn't. Very strange what the OP said/meant there
@ drew gab. my point was that noel slags off pretty much everyone over the years but has the utmost respect for marr. i was not lauding noel as a great lead guitarist, just a very opinionated songwriter.
@@citehman : I agree. Although I find Noel much more level headed than Liam, although Liam has really mellowed and become more humble in recent times. I remember clearly in the mid 90's that 'Oasis' (The band name itself leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion) that the band was viewed by some people as 'the second coming' or 'The Greatest British Band' in a generation. Having been a longtime Smiths, Cure and DxM fan, I just couldn't get it. 'Wonderwall' seemed like a catchy Brit Pop song at best and believe it or not, Oasis' more guitar heavy tracks reminded me of a British Gun's and Roses and at that time, I couldn't stand GnR. In my opinion, if it hadn't been for all the great British bands that came before like The Jam (Paul Weller), The Smiths and The Stone Roses (All of whom are/were better than Oasis) who laid the foundation for the emergence of Oasis, I don't think Oasis would have even been a blip on the radar.
My favorite band at school. Possibly still.
Thank you so much, this almost had me in tears, I can FEEL your passion!! They were a great band no doubt about it. Maybe a feature on LLoyd Cole and the Commotions soon?
Rattlesnakes is a boilerplate classic of my youth.
Love Lloyd Cole. Good recommendation. Perfect Skin deserves a segment.
Thank you for sharing your story and thoughts on The Smiths, what they mean to you and how they saved your life, I am a 45yr old man from Manchester, England, at the age of 12 I heard my older brother playing The Smiths for the first time and I was totally gripped by the infectious guitar of Johnny Marr complimenting, weaving and embellishing Morrissey real life lyrics, from that moment I knew I had to learn & start to play the guitar, now 33yrs later I am a musician/producer, singer & guitarist in a band that loves songwriting, performing & recording songs everyday of my life, The songs of The Smiths have undoubtedly been so important in my life, musically and educationally teaching me so much about the world and life whether it be good, bad, happy, sad, humorous, melancholic whatever it may be, because life isn’t a happy, glitzy, lovely bed of roses all the time and The music of The Smiths taught me that and about many things in life I use to my advantage everyday whether I’m happy or depressed, struggling or doing well, from one day to the next with The Smiths in my life I know I have the tools and knowledge to survive, do my best, try and be happy and help whoever I can when possible, I know that for the rest of my life I will always listen to The Smiths without ever getting tired or bored of listening to them and I will play my guitar everyday unless I get hit by a bus and loose both of my arms 😂 and to me it is a beautiful & wonderful thing when you can connect & learn so much from something that it can have such an impact in your life.
So thanks for your views and show which I thoroughly enjoyed and I wish you all the very best,
Stephen (Manchester, England)
"That Joke Isnt Funny Anymore" and "Well I Wonder" are my two current favorites. I will never stop listening to The Smiths and Morrissey (whose hand I have touched)......I was in love from the first note, and will be in love until my last. So let it be known.
Well I Wonder is criminally underrated and I don't think every performed live.
My favourite Smiths song is There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. It describes exactly how I felt when my mother died when I was 12 and I was sent to live with my cousins family who treated me terribly
100% with you on The Smiths. Rubber Rings, that you cited vis-s-vis "Don't forget the songs that made you cry, and the songs that saved your life..." is in my top 10 of theirs. It hits the nail on the head for me that feeling when you hear the best song ever for the first time and you know immediately that you will be nostalgic for that moment, like, tomorrow...that's how great it feels. All while paying wonderful homage to all great songs, reminding us that, even when you're grown past them, they are immediate access to halcyon eras. Such great advice.
"Rubber Ring" is a tremendous song.
Shereen Khan wow, beautifully said.
I'm 50 and grew up in 80s Britain to the Smiths. Rubber Ring is possibly the most spot on and relevant song in the current western zeitgeist of ingratitude and hubris.
Your ability to articulate why artists like The Smiths are so important and present that information in an entertaining and succinct video is absolutely refreshing. And your explanation of your relationship with the song, “There is a light...” was so passionate and moving I watched it 3 times. When you say Morrissey wrote that song for you and me and all of us... Ugh, it hits me hard right in the FEELS! 👏
This is my favorite Smiths song as well, out of all of their amazing output. Thanks Prof for your insight and celebration of this amazing piece of art.
Just WOW... Seen Blue October several times now (they get better each time), I can see the influence. Can't wait to see Johnny Marr with the Killers next week. Great Episode... One of my Favs to date. The Depeche Mode episode is my fav about my fav band.
I feel we walked the same path but on different sides of the planet. I'm glad we're both still here.
Thanks for sharing about your battle with depression and how this music kept you hanging on. I love the smiths and their poetic lyrics they just make me feel so much. Beautiful!
Man I get you Professor. I had every Smiths album in the 80s and listened to them all the time in the tortured years of high school. Grew out of it in college but still they have a special place for me.
Thank you for covering this one. This one is for you my dear, sweet, Matt
I first heard, "How Soon Is Now" dancing on a very crowded dance floor crowded w/ a lot of very interesting people in 1980's San Francisco.
Right on. Which club? I may have been there ; )
@@michaelmoraga2926 Greetings!
I was in tow with some Alameda GFs. I recall it being near the MaubGardens. It was spaciaus & had been many businesses previous but had been decades b4 a high end womens clothing store.
February 2018, Glasgow, Morrissey , the reverb during " how soon is know " was stunning, my insides vibrating for 6 minutes, then to finish off 9 minutes of " there is a light that never goes out "
Back in the day I Went to X, New Wave City, and also Vortex in Palo Alto, then became The Edge, One Step Beyond in SF late 80’s and very early 90’s.
I was in 6th grade, my neighbor had gotten Meat is Murder for Christmas and put this on his record player and told me it was called New Wave. It blew me away.
You can go over every The Smiths lyrics and be overwhelmed by them, have shivers, it's true poetry in form of music, truest of arts. The Smiths are the best band in history, and I'm sure in future it's gonna be settled.
This band saved my life, literally.
I love the 80s and 90s and I love the episodes you’re doing Prof
Very well put, The Smiths saved my life as well. You've done The Smiths and The Cure, I hope you do a video on another great band of the 80s, New Order with their amazing run of masterpiece singles assembled on the 1987 compilation Substance...
Substance is the greatest double album of all time
My fave 80’s band and “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” is such a GREAT song. thank you
I must say: I love it when it is publicly said what I have truly thought for most of my adult life. That The Smiths really are the greatest band that ever existed. Your video is awesome because you expertly encapsulated the thoughts of most of us in the know; of the unparalleled consistant brilliance of the band, the seminal transcendent quality of the Morrissey Marr songwriting, the importance of their albums when considering the overall cannon of popular music of the late 20th Century. I look forward to watching the rest of your videos because you're opinion is to be trusted as on this video you have spoken the utter truth, even though those not in the know will wholeheartedly disagree. Ignorant dummies they are I'm sure. When people bash The Smiths I surmise that they must've have ever given them a chance or they simply have terrible taste in music and art. Bravo sir! And hail to the best band of all time....
The Smiths saved you, and Depeche Mode saved me. Thank you for sharing this. You've spoken for so many of us.
New subscriber here. Just want to thank you for your excellent take on the great music of the 80’s!! Long live Morrissey!
Smiths did indeed save lives . Their reputation grows with every decade, rightfully. Completely unique. There is not much middle ground , more often than not people either passionately love them , or loathe them. And i could never trust anybody that loathes them
To me, their greatest track was “Asleep”, hauntingly melancholic and beautiful all simultaneously.
The Smiths became a huge part of my days... walking through the rain, long days and nights, in times of drinking and also enjoying a cigar, whenever I’m sad, speechless, alone, broken-hearted, just anytime where I want to feel real and alive, they pretty much saved me. And for that, forever I’ll be thankful to Mr. Joyce, Mr. Rourke, Mr. Marr and the greatest poet in music industry, Steven Patrick Morrissey.
I think “A Hatful of Hollow” was a perfect album I have listened for 25 years. Perfect!
the version of What Difference and This Charming Man are MUCH better on AHOH than the self-title album versions for sure
Half a person is a masterpiece that I’ve connected my life with. In Highschool, 16, the only song i listened to. It definitely helped and shaped me. As well as, Well I Wonder. A beautiful song of melancholy.
I worked at Tower Records for five years and, in order to work there, I swore that you had to like The Smiths.
It was also a requirement to shop there.
Justin Furstenfeld is AMAZING. His music has saved me several times. Style. Vocals. Lyrics. I met him two years ago at The Van Buren in Phoenix. He's been a light in the darkness. ❤🥰
First Smiths song I ever heard was This Charming Man, still my favourite after 30+ years.
the John Peel version (Hatful of Hollow) is just so much cleaner than the album version, the guitar is less twangy and the bass is incredible!
❤1.How soon Is now ? , 2. This charmong man 3. I KNOW IT S OVER , 4. Bigmouth strikes again ,5. There Is a LIGHT , 6. THE headmaster ritual , 7. Well I wonder , 8. Heaven knows I m miserable now , 9. Last night has opened my eyes ,10. Acepto yourself
11. Reel around THE fountain,12.WILLIAM IT WAS REALLY NOTHING,13. PLEASED,PLEASED,PLEASE ,LET ME GET WHAT I WANT,,14. BARBARISM BEGINS AT HOME ,15. MEAT IS MURDER ,16.STILL ILL,17. THE BOY WITH THE HORN IN HIS SIDE ,18. SOME GIRLS ARE BIGGER THAN OTHERS,19. LAST NIGHT I DREAMT THAT SOMEBODY LOVES ME ,20. GIRLFRIEND IN COMA ,21. YOU HAVEN T EARNED YET BABY ,22.PANIC ,23. DEATH OF A DISCO DANCER 24.HAND IN GLOVE ,25.SHOPLIFTER OF THE WORLD UNITED
Unreal .....stumbled across this and I'm blown away. You echo every feeling I had, my mother didnt like me listening to The Smith's as it was 'depressing'.... it was my lifeline it dragged me through all the dark days and continues to do so. Love them love Morrissey lucky enough to see him a few times and it has to be the nearest thing to a religious awakening ... couldnt stop crying the 1st time and I wasnt alone....it was just a natural release. Loved your video loved your passion. Thank you .. There is a light
After seeing your interview with Brian Wilson, you should try to get Marr or Morrissey to do an interview. I think you could get Johnny, but Morrissey might be tough..
My favourite band of all time too. Not only musically but culturally as well. The world hadn't witnessed a frontman like Morrissey previously and uniqueness is such a rare thing in music. Containing sorrow and humour for me in equal measure, tho he never got any credit for this. Of course the twitterati would've strangled The Smiths at birth if they had been around now. They influenced every half-decent brit-pop band who came along later and surely influence has to be valued, for without it, who inspires the next generations of artists? Thanks for this.
Seeing The Smiths on The Queen Is Dead Tour was one of the greatest nights of my life. The Smiths were a guiding light that brought many lost souls to the the other side. Truly one of the greatest bands that there ever was.
In today's world the lyric: "It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate. It takes strength to be gentle and kind" tells us there are not enough strong people out there. You are one of them, keep up the good work.
For some reason I never got very deep into The Smiths, which is odd because they were huge in my circle of friends. But their song "Let me get what I want" Had a huge affect on me. I suffered from depression from age 7 and hearing this song so resonated with me. Even to this day I can't hear without my heart beaking.
Favorite band? Saved your life? Spoke for the unspoken? Put your feelings into words and music? Gave you hope through connection and knowing others felt the same like some sort of ghost friends you had yet to meet? Yeah, the Smiths did that - better than any band I've ever known. Not shockingly, Rebel without a cause was my favorite movie at 15. The parallels you mention (finally) make sense. Thank god for the Smiths (and Jimmy Dean). Those two, along with Billie Holiday, were my closest friends as a teen, and perhaps even still. Thanks for the amazing vid, and for sharing your history of depression - there's not enough talk about that and so many need to know they're not alone. We need our heroes of the unsung, and no better ever existed than the Smiths.
London on "Rank" has always been my favorite song..its a real hard rock song..with Marr putting his special touch at the end..that riff..the lyrics...
I spent the summer of '92 in London. I'm from Canada. I was 21. Thankfully I had discovered The Smiths a couple years earlier. They weren't played on the radio in Canada, so most Canadians didn't know them. There were always a few alternative kids who had their British music connections, so I know there were people listening to them before I ever did, but those people were few. Anyway, that song really spoke to me at the time. I did leave my family and girlfriend behind, but I just arrived in London by plane, not train. I didn't know how long I'd stay. People were wondering what I was doing, but London was calling. I had a lot of Smiths and Morrissey songs in my head that summer, and it was amazing actually being in some of the places that he sung about.
"And you think they're sad because you're leaving...
...Did you see the jealously in the eyes of the ones who had to stay behind?"
@@Pointblankmos you hit the nail on the head...that's the line I connect the most with..when I was 17(I graduated early) I moved to NYC because I got a job as a resident DJ at a major NYC club in 1989...and I have 5 brothers and sisters, the look in my dads and Stepmothers eyes and my siblings you could fell the hate in the air...when I came back in 96 I was a Staff Sgt in the USAF...and my family acted like whatever, even though I was overseas and part of Desert Storm.and didn't get out until 2009... it's such a disfunction thing, that he captured that, was always playing in my head, like the Cure as well, in moments in my life in my head ill hear music that captures that moment in time
And the friends I took with me, I forced into a zone
, they were clearly
Never meant to go....
Well said! Moz is not a person, he is not a singer-- he is the energy of empathy. It flows, it fills the gaps in your soul, it allows to to feel your pain without discomfort, it allows you to BE. The Smith's and Depeche Mode--- I don't listen to their music, I feel it. I would give anything to sit and have a conversation with him and just absorb the thoughts and energy. I know life would never be the same again.
I met all the Smith's except for Mike Joyce... Morrissey and I had a nice and interesting conversation....Andy Rourke was cool and Johnny cussed me out.
Cussed out? Please elaborate
@@edenbeats.8569 cussed me out
@@TheMusikryder Yeah but how
@@edenbeats.8569 I asked him to sign a painting I did of Morrissey. Morrissey autographed it, Andy Rourke autographed it and I figured Johnny would to since Rourke had no problem signing it, but Marr took it to heart and cussed me out pissed asking me him how could I do that.
@@TheMusikryder What a jerk. I guess the bad blood was between those two.
Hands down my favorite clip of yours (so far).
Although I was never prone to depression, this music helps me empathize with those who do.
‘Light that never goes out’. God- so hard to write this. I didn’t have a ‘home’, just a house I lived in where I was hated and bullied by my mother and brother from my teens onwards. I don’t know why I didn’t kill myself then. I would climb high into Oak trees to escape their bullshit and their bullying. I was 16 years old and my brother would threaten me with sexual violence.
I managed to arrange to study interstate and had the best 18 months of my life living on campus at the Australian National University. In 1987 I met the Love of My Life...and thought no one as wonderful as him would want me, when in hindsight he was ‘Head Over Heels’ about me but then someone else came along and snapped him up (consequentially making his life a nightmare for 4 years with her temper and her infidelity).
Then within the two next miserable, months, I had 2 friends commit suicide and another die in a car crash, at a time when I was college/couch surfing, so technically homeless.
I don’t, to this day ( 33 years later) even REMEMBER why or even HOW I ended up leaving Canberra and moving back to live in my mother’s house. It is literally a complete blank.
6 Weeks after I returned it was my 20th birthday and my brother and mother ‘pretended’ to forget, walking around sniggering at their own callousness and my tears. This was less than 2 months after my best friend from school shot herself through the heart with a rifle.
Everyday for almost 3 years, ‘There is a Light and It Never goes Out’ expressed my state of mind, my ‘feelings’, my complete absence of self esteem and my desire to not be on this Earth. I would be on a bus and pray that it would crash and that I’d die (but no one else would get hurt).
I don’t know if this song saved me, because I was suicidal for years but it’s actually quite hard to kill yourself when you believe you are already dead. I guess I wanted to find that light that never goes out- I imagined it as a tiny bulb in a big, far away lighthouse somewhere.
It’s incredible how similar our experiences were- thank you for sharing that. It made me cry. If only I’d known other people felt that way.
But I’m still here, over 28 years partnered with a wonderful man, our two fantastic sons, a horse, a cat a dog...I’m still here and this song reminds me how well I have done to get through this, so far. I still listen to this song, and it is still just as beautiful and upsetting as it was over 30 years ago but I am so grateful that I am here, alive today. Being 2020, however, I’m listening to more ska music and weird, upbeat stuff but this song will always be important to me.
Thanks man x
What a video to wake up, u know how long I’ve waited for this upload, now this is without doubt one of the best, the absolute best band ever, the queen is dead....what an album....when even the youth of today recognise how good they good this band are then that shows you how truly great and influential they are
I really enjoy this TH-cam channel. Great work!
Best review video ever here on youtube. No hesitation or search for words. Great. I had the Queen is Dead record in 1984. One of my favorite emotionally connected bands. I've seen Morrissey live three times, once in 1989 Costa Mesa Ca, later on in Santa Barbara and orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. Well I wonder is my most favorite song by the Smiths, but I can still remember those times in my life that correspond with each of their records. I remember listening to a newly released Strangeways cruising to Melrose for those hard-to-find shirts and Doc Martins. Wow...memories. But these songs are still in my rotation today.
OMG when you took them Zennis off😍😍😍😍😍😍
I agree with you 100%, Adam.
The first time I heard the Smiths was probably the same way many felt when they first heard the Beatles.
It was life altering. I’m now 54 and I still feel the same way I did all those years ago when I put their music on.
Through many dark times I turned to their music and I realized that I wasn’t alone. Kept me sane that’s for sure.
Such an incredible band