Albums »The Queen is Dead

by The Smiths (1986)

The Smiths are the kind of band that elicits such tenacious adoration and devotion from it’s fans and that love is something you either get or you don’t. For those that like me get it, you only have to hear a refrain:

“I’ve got the twenty first century breathing down my neck”,

“Oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head…”,

“A dreaded sunny day..”,

“And now I know how Joan of Arc felt…”,

“Take me out tonight.”,

“From the ice age to the dole age there is but one concern…”

to be transported to an emotional state that’s frankly (Mr Shankly) hard to describe. There’s part longing, part sentiment, part defiance, part arrogance, part romance and part glorious despair in their music. All the songs quoted above, which are so ingrained in certain children of the 80s, and were personally such a part of my adolescence are found on The Queen is Dead. It’s an undeniably impressive track listing of catchy, unrepeated (because really, who since has the same sound and dynamics as the Smiths?) pop musical wonderment. It’s one of the few listening experiences that actually make the pain and complexity of adolescence sound appealing and dignified. It’s really hitting the spot lately.

If you missed out on the Smiths so far, and want to get on board, well you could really start with any album as they’re all phenomenal, but many find this to be their best total effort.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz5IFl7uCis


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Posted on May 16, 2010

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