Some Albums Are Bigger Than Others

The first two albums by the Manchester–bred band The Smiths were so good, but seen by many as moping, brooding and depressing. Then came their third album. A game changer.

The combination of lead singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr produced something that still had the gloom from the first two albums remained, the band added humor, wit and political commentary, making, what I consider their best album, The Queen is Dead, released on this day in 1986.

The lead single, “Bigmouth Strikes Again” is an instant classic. While many people feel the best Smiths song ever is “How Soon Is Now?” I'll take “Bigmouth”. From the opening guitar riff from Johnny Marr to the self-deprecating lyrics that reflected Morrissey's frustrations with the music industry at the time. Did you know that musically, the song was inspired by the Rolling Stones' “Jumpin' Jack Flash”. It contains some of my favorite lyrics, “Now I know how Joan of Arc felt. As the flames rose to her Roman nose and her Walkman started to melt.”

Another favorite is “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” which captures the fear and insecurity of adolescence. A perfect song for teens brooding in their bedrooms. The music shimmers with fantastic guitar work by Marr.

Many are familiar with the song “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” from the movie 500 Days of Summer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is listening to the song in an elevator next to Zooey Deschanel, who tells him, “I love The Smith” and proceeds to sing along with the line, “To die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die.” The record company originally wanted this to be the first single, but Marr and Morrissey pushed back.

I think “Cemetry Gates” is highly underrated. A catchy track about strolling through a graveyard while commenting on plagiarism? Yes please! And Morrissey’s love of writers is on display, especially his favorite Oscar Wilde.

Closing out the album is the comically-titled “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” that many critics saw as a throw-away track, but I’ll disagree. Critics screamed that “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” should have closed out the album. However, the true closer ties in the album with their previous releases bringing it all together. The angelic riff from Marr fades us into a peaceful ending.

The Queen is Dead was my initial introduction to The Smiths and I went crazy. I bought it on vinyl, bought a shirt and a London Underground poster for my dorm room. Upon further listening, I’m reminded of its greatness and how it put the band on the map throughout the world.