Morrissey/The Smiths

The Smiths is the eponymous debut album of the band The Smiths, released on February 20, 1984. The album was well received by the critics as well as the public, and it established the Smiths as a prominent band in the 1980s music scene in the United Kingdom. more...

In 2003, the album was ranked number 481 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

About the album

The album was particularly important and influential because it went against the grain of the popular music of the time. Its sound stood in stark opposition to the synthpop or post-punk genres, coming off as 60s melodic guitar rock made unique by Johnny Marr's layered, note-intensive playing and Morrissey's superficially despondent but wit-filled lyrics, unique voice, and contrary song structure.

Cover

The sleeve for The Smiths was designed by Morrissey. It features American actor Joe Dallesandro in a cropped still from Andy Warhol's 1968 film Flesh.

Song-by-song description

The songs themselves are equally compelling. "Reel Around the Fountain", a track about lust and deflowering, opens the album, Morrissey's subdued vocal being backed by equally subdued drum, guitar, piano, and organ tracks. "You've Got Everything Now" and "Miserable Lie" combine catchy, powerful choruses with more serious and simpler verses to good effect.

"Pretty Girls Make Graves" is a song about the inability of an adolescent (some have speculated homosexual) man to fulfill his culture's stereotyped sexual/relational expectations: I could have been wild and I could have been free / but nature played this trick on me / She wants it now and she will not wait / but she's too rough and I'm too delicate, sings Morrissey. The stunning falsetto of the chorus is complemented by a powerful and effective barrage of tom drums, while the verses see a prominent bassline being supported by excellent guitar work. The strong musical and lyrical components of the song make it one of The Smiths' best remembered.

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