Story Of How An 80s B Side Became This Band's Greatest Song | Professor of Rock
Вставка
- Опубліковано 4 сер 2021
- The compelling story of how Morrissey and Johnny Marr created one of the greatest epics in modern history: How Soon Is Now by The Smiths from 1984. Armed with One of the most arresting guitar riffs of the Rock Era inspired by an innocuous bubble gum pop song.. The story of how it became a touchstone for disaffected use is next on Professor of Rock.
We Have New MERCH! bit.ly/ProfessorsMerch
Thank you to this Episodes Sponsor, Zenni Optical
Incredible Prices on New Glasses - bit.ly/ZenniOpticalShop
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Scratchers J. Scratcherton Esq, Neil Gardner, Moon Comix, Greg Arends
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check Out My Hand Picked Selection Below
Professor's 80s Store
- 100 Best Selling Albums amzn.to/3h3qZX9
- Ultimate History of 80s Teen Movie amzn.to/3ifjdKQ
- 80s to 90s VHS Video Cover Art amzn.to/2QXzmIX
- Totally Awesome 80s A Lexicon amzn.to/3h4ilrk
- Best In Ear Headphones (I Use These Every Day) amzn.to/2ZcTlIl
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Access To Backstage Content
Become a Patron - bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Purchase The Albums
Help out the Channel by purchasing your albums through our links! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you, thank you for your support.
Click here for Premium Content: bit.ly/SignUpForPremiumContent
bit.ly/Facebook_Professor_of_...
bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of...
#80s #Rock #Story
Hey music junkies and vinyl junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest 80s vinyl songs of all time for the music community and vinyl community.
If you’ve ever owned records, cassettes and CD’s at different times in you life or still do this is your place Subscribe below right now to be a part of our daily celebration of the rock era with exclusive stories from straight from the artists and click on our patreon link in the description to see our brand new show there.
In 1984, the mind-boggling question became a song title for an epic track that has been referred to as “the Stairway to Heaven” of the 80s….”How Soon is Now” by The Smiths. Now... to get to the bottom of “How Soon is Now” the song, we need to explore the innovative artistry of Johnny Mars, and the tortured artistry of Morrissey- the brilliant ‘fire and gasoline' duo that created one of the most compelling collaborations of the Rock Era as co-founders of the indie rock supergroup The Smiths. My personal favorite band of all time.
The duo pushed each other to extraordinary heights to create a true classic that transcends New Wave, post punk, or Alternative Rock classification. “How Soon Is Now” began with symbiotic experimentation of various guitar riffs that earned his obsession since his adolescence.
Marr wrote the music for “How Soon is Now” during a 4-day period at Earl’s Court in London in 1984. As Marr tells it, over a few days he was writing new material. He was writing along the lines of fitting three songs on a 12 incher. The first song he wrote was fast and short, one of the shortest song the Smiths would ever record, The second song he approached as the B Side, was more melancholy, he had been missing his family and so he tapped into that feeling through his instrument and it ended up behind short and waltz. He felt that next he should write something longer with some kind of a groove. He rolled a joint, plugged in his Epiphone Casino and started playing a rhythm. Marr had been a long time fan of a band called the Gun Club and he liked the style of the Swampy Blues. - Розваги
Poll: What are some of the greatest B sides or album tracks of the 80s?
"You Might Recall", B side of "Paperlate" - Genesis (IMHO :) )
For outright silly value courtesy of the play on "The Young Ones", try "Nasty" by The Damned.
Once upon a daydream b side to the police every breathe you take. I used to buy single because they had b-sides of songs not on the album.
"Into the Groove" Madonna , "The Sweetest Thing" U2
Your funny uncle, Pet Shop Boys. It was the b side to "Left to My own devices"
It's insane how many great songs The Smiths actually have. They made it seem effortless. And to think they were only active from 82-87 just makes you wonder.
Most bands lat about 5 years
@@zarrow50Most bands (if they're lucky) get one or two hits.😂
I have a hard time finding a track i want to skip
I'm not exaggerating or kidding when I say "How Soon is Now" profoundly changed my life when I heard it for the first time, probably in 1987. I was in the Navy at the time, and one of my co-workers was into bands like The Cure, The Smiths, etc., and he played "How Soon is Now" for me. It almost literally knocked me down, because it was the first song I had ever heard that really, truly, explained my own feelings of loneliness and isolation at the time. Up until really 1986 I had listened to top-40 radio, and there's nothing wrong with that, but none of it resonated in me quite like Morrissey's mournful singing did. I also rock a Smiths t-shirt at work, although I think 99.9% of my co-workers have no idea who they are, aside from one yesterday who said "I like your shirt!"
Similar experience for me but the song was “What Difference Does it Make” and it was about 1986.
Sadly, Morrissey just comes off as a jerk these days
@@timothymarkin4481 not go everyone. Also, why do you care? What other artists do you track into old age?
@@timothymarkin4481 yeah, I was watching some concert footage of him from within the last couple of years, and he looked like he was bothered to be there, like he was too much of a star or something. I guess it could also be an act, too. Who knows with him.
I was in sixth grade, my friend got Meat is Murder for Christmas. (U.S. edition had the song) and he said listen to this, its called new wave, I was blown away.
The Smiths, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and New Order are truly my greatest musical groups. They all have helped me in so many ways.
I’d add Echo & the Bunnymen to that list for sure.
Don't forget The Sisters of Mercy, The Stranglers, Inxs, Midnight Oil, Ice House, Alphaville, Camouflage, Ultravox, Soft Cell, Human League...........
@@damirpozgaj2296and having hit a wall in my own songwriting career years ago I have recently been dipping back into just the joy of playing covers of songs by almost every band mentioned here…. Ultravox and think song were the past evening and pet shop boys and some depeche mode last week… my first album in 93 jade a cover of the cure’s last dance…. Definitely my favorite music era although I don’t think I can sing alphaville like the kate bush vocal range of my youth! ☘️🙂🍀❤️
“I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does” is a line that plays through my head all the time and I am grateful for it
And the way morrisey sings it is heart breaking
FYI George Eliot is the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, a female author.
👍🌞
Came here to make the same comment. So pleased to see so many others on the ball.
@@jennifermorris6848 Same here!
I'm late to the party, I'm glad others also caght this.
Saved me a comment. English majors unite!
Johnny Marr is criminally underrated....
Is not Johnny Marr... but Johnny Fucking Marr!!
F morrisey. It was Marr who wrote these anthems. Look what happened when morrisey went solo. Weho trash
@@ilovetrance3036 i heard that morrisey made melodies for vocal lines for the smiths. So he wrote these anthems too. Morrisey is underrated
Yet another fu/uckin' ...."criminally underrated" comment. Jeez, show some originality. Just who the f..k is criminally underating him....?
not underrated at all
Only Morrisey could make the phrase 'nothing in particular' totally epic
I was a Jock, a Football Player and relatively popular that never understood why I felt so alone in High School. In College, I was turned on to the Smiths and this song identified so much of why I felt the way I did. How Soon is Now was a revelation, an epiphany that I was only an outcast wearing the mask of acceptance. Thank you for framing this song, this time and the teenage angst so many of us experienced so adeptly. Best to you and bravo
Welcome to the club!😊
Well I’m a Brit so not a “jock”. Nonetheless, I totally identify with your comment. I was popular and was basically faking being popular. I was always socially awkward inside but essentially just played a role of being outgoing. That lie I told myself, well it bit me hard later in life.
@@stanettiels7367 I think he means, Jock as in the American sporty guy way lol. I am also a Jock, in the Scottish type way, finding the Smiths in my teens in the eighties changed my life too.
The number one band of my life. I feel blessed to have been a teenager at this time.
I received their first Album for my Birthday from a friend, he had no idea who they were, he just thought as I was photography obsessed I would love the cover. He told me the guy just unboxed it at the store and couldn't tell him anything about it so he purchased it anyway. The next day I was home alone and stuck it on...from the first track I was hooked. Thanks, Mark for a life-changing 16th BDay present.
100 per cent get this. Me too. Songs that made me cry, songs that changed my life. I feel I can die happy for growing up in the time of the Smiths. People that don’t get this, I might like them a hell of a lot, but I can’t say we will ever truly bond.
Meant to be
How soon is now is the ringtone I have assigned to my daughter, the song really resonated with me when I was a kid back in the 80’s and it means a lot to me and so I assigned it to the one truly beautiful thing I helped create.
Awwwwwww. I love that
❤️
Lovely! : )
I just remember when this song came on the radio (91X San Diego) everyone turned the volume to high. This song sounded like nothing else being played and was a staple for everyone on the beach and the clubs. Best times (80’s)of my life!
91X in the 1980s changed my world!👍
91x was the only station in 80s San diego
Lived in San Diego from 87 to 98 and 91X was a lifesaver which I had on 3 years solid as I didn’t have, nor did I want, to own a TV at the time. Go home from work, paint, write, read and listen to 91X.
Ive seen Morrissey in concert several times. The juxtaposition of seeing 50 + yo olds like myself and their teen kids entranced by this song is something I can’t even express in words. It’s a small but important bonding moment that I hope they can appreciate.
I'm so blessed to have seen both (and Morrisey can still rock it). As a woman in her 50s who is still gigging, I doubt I'll ever experience genius like it again.
Don’t overlook Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, one of the best rhythm sections in rock and roll.
Word!
Abso-lutely!
maravillosos !!!
R.I.P Andy Rourke 💔🖤
So true 👍
This song never really leaves you…
I wish it would.
@@limiter3118😅 I know right, haunting.
This, and so many other Smiths tracks, along with the Cure, New Order and DM, were the backing tracks to nearly every memorable moment I had in college. Thanks for the trip, Professor!
All great bands
We were listening to the same music. ✌️
Highschool for me but ditto!
my college girlfriend in 88 in NYC was in to these new alt Brit groups. but also INXS 10000 maniacs, wish I would have taken the opportunity to go to a concert.
It was Depeche Mode for me
As many I love this song, and so do my college age children. On reflecting back on this song I find it ironic that in the goth and punk clubs I went to as a college age adult, you had a roomful of people most of which were there because they wanted to connect with others but were too shy to approach anyone. When this song would get played, the dance floor would fill up and suddenly a roomful of lonely people were connecting through a song that spoke to the feeling we all had. For this alone, it make this song a classic everyone high school and up should hear.
Yes! I close my eyes and I'm right back in the City Club in downtown Detroit.
How Soon Is Now is a great song. Morrissey and Marr may have never reached those heights again. Hard to imagine in today's world that any artist could come close to doing what they did in 5 years. The 80's were possibly the last great decade for music. Thanks again for another great video, Adam.
You're welcome. What they did in 5 years is astounding for sure.
Oh man, this had me sobbing. This song and its lyrics don't just resonate with awkward, misunderstood teens. It encapsulates exactly how I feel as a 56 year old, painfully lonely man.
Kudos to you, PoR, for such a detailed and respectful analysis, both intellectual and emotional, of this masterpiece. Peace and love to you all!
Tears were flowing for me as well. Sure the teenage years are difficult but it doesn’t end there. When you’re shy with a battered heart, crippling loneliness feels like a death sentence. “How Soon is Now” is exactly what I needed to hear today to keep me passing the open windows.
It’s so gratifying to hear someone discussing this song, that feels as passionate about it as I do. It has been a comfort and validation through many painful experiences in my life.
I discovered it around the same time too. late 80s, about to start high school, along with The Cure, Depeche Mode, Psychedelic Furs… and one he didn’t mention, Pixies. The music that shaped me and saved me.
beth same here was fortunate to see cure g.mu. furs 05 comeback tour but not able to get to smiths show g.m.u. last tour depeche same big show d.c. around the same time mega tour coludnt go but have live c.d. double of the tour and ol moz. came town several years ago with ol boz borrer and bunch but irionically was in wensleydale at the time friend went said moz and boz good show small venue national rva local gal lucy dacus bright eyes this weekend anyway nephew went to johnny show messenger nville show was promoting show and new guitar he was not familar with bands music but enjoyed show pixies came down to bburg va 123 cafe went to show before they went to england have the bbc c d. but ok not as good as studio records in small club sound not great but pixies back then if came to town support them short show about an hour or so but great band in unique style hard rockers for sure too loud but good show
As a teen in the eighties, I always thought of Morrisey as a modern Oscar Wilde. He certainly seemed to put on similar "affectations"! :)
I suffer from major Depressive Disorder and when I am in "the pit" music is one of the very few things that helps me cope with my feelings of worthlessness, guilt, shame and loneliness. How Soon Is Now is absolutely one of the songs to which I will listen obsessively. The lyrics and the feel of the music tells me I'm not the only one who feels like this and that someone understands how I feel and can sympathize. Along with Tyler Joseph and a few others, I could never thank Morrissey and John Marr enough for their music
Agree!
Shoplifters and GF in s Coma also pull me out of the blues.
I’ve never heard of someone being actually cheered up by Smiths music but I’m glad it helps. Love the Smiths!
When I'm feeling depressed playing certain music from grateful dead gets me more depressed state
May It always be there for you William....
How Soon is Now is both sad and beautiful at the same time. Absolutely brilliant.
like life!
It’s the Major/minor thing… plus the lyrics
@@brianfergus839 For some reason, the instrumental reminds me of a slowed down version of the music for Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song
The Smiths was pure musical magic. The combo of Morrissey and Marr produced some of the most powerful melodies and impactful lyrics.
I have no doubt The Smiths saved thousands upon thousands of teenage lives.
I'm one.
Don’t forget their other hit “This Charming Man”.
@@canto10mosha65 As if they were a one hit wonder. They had several hits over a few short years.
Or at least gave them some depressing lyrics from Morrissey to listen to while they end it all!
@@tompaulcampbell You clearly have no clue.
I'd bet that you loved mainstream corporate bands and never understood any lyrics past a simple repeating chorus of "mmmmm-bop"
I must have been about 17 in 1985 when I got to the all ages club called the Encore in Renton, Washington right after they opened the doors and they must have been testing the smoke machine. I walked into a dimly lit , smokey room with How Soon is Now playing loudly but crisply wondering what this amazing sound was by myself. Every time I hear it I remember that moment. Magical.
Ha ha- me too, up in Vancouver BC though- the smoke machine and a dance floor
I LOVE Johnny Marr's solo work... he is so underrated as a guitarist and is even a pretty decent vocalist.
Hi Hello is amazing, beautiful guitar melody, impossible for me to only listen to it once!
You refer to The Smiths as a “life changing band.”
I agree
You said “The Smiths really saved a lot of lives.”
I am proof
Right On Brother.b
" I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does..."
A raw declaration of loneliness and vulnerability makes the Smiths like no other group.
It’s so haunting, lonely and dark, but still hopeful at the same time.
Johnny Marr is, IMO, possibly the most underrated song writers in my life time. He proved that not all guitar hero’s have to be shredders and technical wonders. His use of unique chords and chord progressions stood out amongst his peers and influenced many guitarists and bands behind him.
I was just a tad too young to ever see The Smiths live. It’s a huge disappointment for me and I often say a Smiths Reunion would be a must-see for me. It’s a bucket list for dreamers I guess.
Johnny and Patrick both more or less said they'd rather eat broken glass and wash it down with rubbing alcohol than ever speak to each other again.
@@rylian21 so you're saying there's a chance...
But Marr was/is a technical wonder.
@@DaveMcGarry 👍🏻
@@DaveMcGarry😂
Teenage me felt completely disconnected from the larger music and pop culture of the mid to late eighties. My high school was awash in metal hair bands, and hip hop. But our little gang of misfits - the drama and music and computer nerds, who read the classics for fun, we gravitated towards the Smiths like moths to flame. HSIN is the generational anthem for the dispossessed. I remember getting it played at the under 21 club, and watching all the cool kids scatter to the wind, as the freaks came out onto the dancefloor to twist and gyrate and sway, independent of each other. Before, it had been all these well dressed popular people dancing in lines to the Humpty Dance ( and other, less memorable stuff) and then they were replaced with all these lone dark figures, geeking out in solitude. Beautiful memory.
Nice! The popular ones will never understand. You guys knew it all along.
Your words…I know you, I’ve been you, I am you.
This was my experience to a T
It's ironic that you mention The Humpty Dance because Humpty was just like you. He knew he looked funny and was an outcast but didn't care. The opening lines were "I'm about to ruin the image and the style that you're used to." Humpty danced to his own music and had is own dance moves. He called it the Humpty Dance and didn't care what anyone else had to say.
@@Scottocaster6668 remember: popular is just another word for "common".
I got to see Johnny Marr on his last tour before covid at Irving Plaza ,NYC. He did his solo stuff , plus some Smiths ....it was brilliant. To hear “How Soon is Now?” played live was surreal. I didn’t want it to end.
Listening to this masterpiece in headphones takes it to another level.
This song resonated so deeply; I was a shy guy who was into a super cool girl and she would look right through me as if I wasn’t there. I found peace with the smiths and the cure. And hearing this song tonight gave me goosebumps. I haven’t heard it in a few years. I’m playing this on my way to work tomorrow!
I don't know how to explain this song, but when I heard "How Soon is Now" I had to stop because the music kind of caught me off guard.
The lyrics are different, but Morrissey's words and voice just works with the music.
Again, I love this UA-cam channel.
Thank you for your most loyal support my friend!
I first heard this song when I was 15 in 1989. I wasn't bullied or mistreated in high school but I had always felt different from my peers. I was extremely introverted and this song became my anthem. It made my loneliness and isolation something to embrace. And it made me more empathetic to others who might be experiencing the same thing.
I discovered you while searching for songs of my youth. I'm helping my step-daughters grieve their mother who just died of COVID and I needed the music that helped me through college. I didn't fit in and the Smiths (and later Morrissey), Depeche Mode, Roxy Music and others saved me. This was my first time seeing your videos. Great job on this one. You literally took words from my mouth! Thanks!
Excellent, excellent, EXCELLENT song!! I love listening to this song with headphones because there are so many sonic layers to discover.
I totally agree. It get richer with every passing. year.
I remember listening to a distant college radio station in TX late at night when I was a teenager and hearing this song. I was simply enthralled. They never said anything about it! It wasn't until I was in college myself a couple of years later that I found it again. I was like THAT'S THAT SONG!! I was so excited and started my journey with the Smiths from that moment on.
I have a similar memory. Back then I listened to a college radio show based in Austin on Sunday nights, and one night this song came on. The lyrics were so different, and that guitar riff just floated around the dark room, and I was enthralled! Definitely a life changer.
It just meant so much more to find music back then. A snippet of a song from a distant radio station bounced around in your head for months/years and then out of nowhere-there it is. You could feel your brain light up almost an “explosion”. I know the feeling so well. Having a Public Enemy song that o heard about a minute of one time. When I found the album, tape actually, in a record store months later I couldn’t get home fast enough to play the album over and over till I learned every word of every song. It completely blew my sheltered suburban 14yo mind.
@@jamesw1313 - Was the song you heard called "Rise"? I think that's the first PIL song I ever heard. This Is Not a Love Song was the second song of theirs that I heard.
@@jamesw1313 Did you mean "Public Image Limited"?
This is the deep dive on How Soon is Now we have all been waiting for.. some of us since the mid eighties- solid work Prof 👏🏼
For literally decades I thought the words were "sun & the air" rather than "son & the heir" but that changed nothing about how this song hits me when I hear it.
Works both ways!
Wait- I am just seeing this now. 😂
Oh man, the last time you posted videos about The Smiths I went on a massive Smiths listening binge! And really, are there any more relatable lyrics than "You say it's gonna happen now, but when exactly do you mean? See, I've already waited too long, and all my hope is gone..." Also, I love the little details like random "Whistle While you Work" whistle towards the end and the bass offbeat hits! Marr + Moz= Musical magic 🤩
Love it. You should go on another Smiths binge!
There is no doubt that The Smiths helped me immensely in those awkward years. They were the first band I connected with after punk. Moz is highly intelligent, and his lyrics were the perfect fit with Johnny Marr's music. Let's not forget the brilliance of Andy Rourke (RIP), Mike Joyce, Craig Gannon & all their producers.
I stated in my other comment, that I was previously a punk rocker and did not like The Smiths until Louder Than Bombs came out and I REALLY LISTENED to The Smiths and fell in love with their music! 🎶
When this song comes on in an 80s club everybody is on the dance floor mouthing the lyrics and dancing dramatically and we're all so together in our loneliness and, yes, it's our forever anthem.
'You've Got Everything Now' is the one that did it for me. No one ever seems to talk about the musical depth and cathartic lyricism of that song.
To the back of your carrrrrr
One of my favorites too
@@skeeterd5150 You are your mother's only son, and you're a desperate one.
Really enjoyed this track breakdown.
I'm still marvelling about those 3 particular songs written in a week!
It's pretty mind blowing.
One of the few songs that i still remember when, where and how I've heard for the first time... I went to a Depeche Mode party in one of the classic Tel Aviv clubs. Now, before you enter the main hall where a party takes place there were a smaller hall with classic "alternative" 80's songs. I entered the club and How Soon is Now just started to play. I was totally shocked. Can't say
this about too many songs. Still one of my all-time favs and always will be.
Please interview Johnny Marr.
I'm 56 years old and I was there man, with you, I was there. The Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division/New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees. I bought the first Smiths album on its debut and it saved me as well. I was there.
I saw the Smiths on The Queen is Dead tour at the Fox theatre in Detroit.
The T-shirt I got had the album art printed on white t-shirt.
(Phrank opened the show)
Wow! I would give my left arm to see them.
I saw Morrissey in Atlanta in ‘90 at the fox theatre and Phrank also opened then.
12th row, main floor, house left.
I saw them at the Kingswood Music Theatre, north of Toronto, on that same Queen is Dead tour which I think was back in '86. The new album had been out only a few weeks and I was blown away how the entire crowd knew the lyrics to every new song that was played live that night - word for word. What a great summer '86 was as I saw The Cure at that same venue a few weeks later.
Not a Smiths fan, but I LOVE this song. It's the guitar....
Johnny Marr is a great guitarist for sure. .
You don't like Big Mouth Strikes Again? Cracks me up every time I hear it. Both of these guys were dark and poetic yet they each had a wicked sense of humor.
I'm with you. I love this song but I cannot stand Morrissey, then and even to this day. But I can listen to this song over and over and I know it all comes down to the guitar.
This song was my anthem as a high school teenager. I remember buying that album and bringing it home and playing the song over and over, feeling it wash over me. Marr's riff and Morrissey's haunting voice took me to another place, and still does whenever I hear the song!
I had the very same experience when I first found The Smiths. It was as if the wind was knocked out of me and a lightning bolt electrified me from my ears to my head to my heart. No other music has ever spoken to me like The Smiths have.
A beautiful and heartfelt episode about an indie masterpiece, thank you PoR. Like yourself, I was a kid (in England) who grew up on (my older brother's!) classic heavy rock records: Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Blue Oyster Cult, Foreigner, Journey and my all time faves, UFO. Then it was Duran Duran and Simple Minds (alt rock bands fused with electro) and British 'new romantic' outsider music, but it wasn't until I heard The Smiths that I finally knew I wasn't alone in feeling different any more. Exactly as you say, How Soon Is Now gave me a lifeline to realise that there were others like me that felt lonely, different and ignored. We were not the cocky, cheeky lads out on the pull, but sensitive souls hoping to somehow find love. This song spoke to me like nothing had before. I still love all the heavy rock from the classic years, but this song has been a saviour to me throughout my life. Many thanks for putting that gratitude into such articulate words.
UFO, a band that influenced just about every hard rock artist in the 80's and beyond. The boys will be wrapping it up for good in Greece. I just might be there.
Funny you mention Duran Duran - “New Romantic” was coined from a lyric in “Planet Earth,” off their debut album (1981)… (John Taylor is an amazing funk bassist)
When you rattled off the bands that harmonized with your soul, DM, NO, Cure, I smiled with agreement. And when you spoke of your 💡 moment, I too reflected upon the same truth in my past life; a life that has also been “saved” by music. In the 80’s is was the aforementioned and in the 90’s it was U2,The Cranberries, Elvis Costello, and The Stranglers… if only I could impress upon my children the healing powers of music.
You nailed it! Great bands you listed.
@GxV sounding better than ever 👍
key I think is to listen to the album whilst driving, or out walking, just let your kids listen to the whole album. not the videos. the music itself the lyrics.
I have to be in just the right mood to go back and listen to The Smiths at my age now. It’s tough to go back to those teenage years emotionally but I feel like when I’m able to listen to them, it’s like I’m crawling out of a hole again. They were and are still a lifeline to me.
Professor, i’ve been listening and a patreon for a while now, and your breakdown and heartfelt synopsis of this masterpiece is some of your best work.
The Smiths should have gotten waaaaay more airplay. This song is an absolute statement for feelings so many us had so many times. A masterpiece! We love you and your work professor, agree with you maybe the most under played and under played bands that influenced alternate music forever.
the Smiths kinda wrote the same song time after time over-and-over again - the fact that they have no current currency now speaks to that - I liked them a great deal when I was younger but now I listen and simply think they are lame
@@JamesJoyce12 Factually, the Smiths are more popular now than they were in the day. They did it with nearly zero airplay. Similarly, Moz himself is in a cultural status which can only be compared to Elvis Presley.
In my opinion, Johnny Marr was the greatest guitarist of the 80s. Moz's lyrics are like none other as is his voice. I understand your current disdain for certain music of the past, but you must acknowledge that you've never heard anything like them before or since.
@@JamesJoyce12 I suppose most bands repeat their styles and sound each time, remember also they were together 5 years most bands sound the same for 5 years
@@tarp11z if you liked them and still like them then have at it - I liked them and can't stand to listen to them now - I also note many films and book written in the last decade make fun of the Smith listeners.
If this is sensitive territory - sorry - they totally are the greatest band ever.
@@dudetime8933 Go into Central America and find out how popular Morrissey is. Need I mention the UK?
Regarding Elvis, he's great but hardly as great as his longstanding PR campaign (much of it posthumous.). Not all, but many people like Elvis because they're told to. Not so with Moz or the Smiths.
I got myself a fake ID and went to the coolest club in town. It was a mix of rock, punk, new wave, dance etc, all in a club with four clubs within the bigger building. My favourite song was How Soon is Now and I always bugged the DJ to play the song. Eventually one week, he finally said, "yes, I'll play the song and I play it every weekend at the end of the night- so, stop bugging me." I then realized he would always play it around midnight and then the music took a dark more punk sound and the smash dancing and the mosh pit began. All the jocks and regular pop dancers would then leave the dance floor because they didn't like the rough play and didn't understand the code. I played hockey, so I took no grief when the jocks got a bit rougher. Then would get bored and leave the dance floor in only a few moments. Then it was loud, angst filled punk for the rest of the night and the "in crowd" left for another bar. Love The Smiths and the club "Gord's" - it's where I lost my musical virginity and popped my cherry.
Morrissey is the man. One of my earliest musical memories is hearing "How Soon is Now?" at a friend's house as it randomly came on the radio. From the first note I froze. Writing this I am back in that moment- 1986 Incredible. ❤
Thank you Adam for the backstory into one of the greatest songs of all time IMO. Timeless classic. I feel this song will still be relevant 100 years after it’s release.
I remember when this song first came out and I but the tape at a local import record shop. I would listen to it over and over again with my headphones at night. Morrisey seemed to speak directly to me and my pain in my high school years. Between The Smiths and Joy Division, high school became tolerable, and it started with How Soon Is Now.
In the 80s, my older brother would bring home his college music influences. This song was one. I was blessed.
I really appreciated this breakdown of a song by a band I never got into. As a result I never heard the lyrics, but understanding them now 36/37 years later, I feel touched by them in a way I was not ready to appreciate back then. So thank you for opening my eyes. Blessings!
The Smiths saved my life as a teen and I still go back to them to lift me when times are hard. Thank you for such an informative, heartfelt and eloquent take on an incredible song. Can you believe I met Mozza when he came to New Zealand. He was gracious and I was a bumbling mess! x
It's still as fresh and hypnotic as first time I heard it decades and decades ago.
Traveled 3 hours to see morrisey in 2019, the opening song was HOW SOON IS NOW, and never felt soooo alive! :) the smiths has definitely had a great emotional influence in my life with many of their songs. Love them. Great video mate, I know exactly what you mean to find a song that gives you relief from suffering and brings rest to your heart for the moment you are listening. Great video.
15:48 "...with a plea for *compassion* and acceptance...". Simply, Beautifully put, and with such feeling. Fabulous video; Wonderful channel...!
R I P WDRE. That’s where I first heard this sound. The station is gone, Tower Records is mostly gone but that right after college graduation was when my musical tastes exploded.
WDRE in Philadelphia?
THIS is why I keep coming back to this channel. So interesting. So factual. So educational. Keep up the great work.
Much appreciated
The Smiths were my favorite band as well. When I was younger, me and the other outcasts would go to a club. We also went to the James Dean festival one year, it was soon after Morrissey went to the area to film the video for suedehead. We broke into the school where James Dean went. I had an early video camera with me, and filmed some things. Morrissey wrote some things all over the school on some of the blackboard. He wrote "We can't go home again". I'll never forget those days.
One of the greatest songs ever recorded. I love this song and always have ever since I heard it for the first time.
Wow, still getting goosebumps from this song. Was almost overwhelming to the point that it felt magical as a teenager. This is what music is supposed to feel like with and to every inch of your body and soul!
I do like Morrissey because he is very quotable when it comes to attacking public figures. He can be hilarious. 2013: Morrissey refers to David and Victoria Beckham as “The Peckhams,” describes them as “insufferable” and says they should be “dragged to the edge of the village and flogged.”
Viva Morrissey
👍👏🏏💥🤴💀💨🏴🥂🚬☕🇬🇧🌅
Moz is based AF
One of the few standing up to the sjw mob.
Moz just wants Britain and Manchester to remain the way they were. I'm not sure why anyone has an issue with that. He lived there, it's his right to say so.
I love the details of what you said about high school, I was bullied and picked on daily. Going from Jr High to High School and living in Layton Utah I heard that the "jocks" were gonna kick my butt for being "mod" I decided to go all in. I wore black on the outside cause black was how I felt on the inside ;) it was around 1991 that I started going to KJQ (local radio station) stomps and a club called BJs, in Kearns. The first Smith's song I heard was Girlfriend in a Coma, the second song was HSIN! Soon after that I heard SuedeHead and someone had to point out to me that there were all the same singer, Morrissey. I remember seeing Morrissey shirts and thinking it was a heavy metal band. I soon after got Louder Than Bombs on cassette and listened to that on my walkman while riding my bike. I escaped through the Smiths and Morrissey's music (along with DM, The Cure, New Order, Siouxsie, Rage Against the Machine, NIN, etc.) you tell my story, thoughts of suicide and of "getting back" at the guys who tormented me daily. MUSIC saved me and you capture that feeling with your videos! I love all the extra knowledge and first hand interviews... When are you gonna get Moz or Marr on here?? I bet you are trying.
Thank you for being so vulnerable. And this is such an amazing track, that calls to my heart even now, at almost 50.
That guitar hook.....the way it shimmers over the surface of my mind..... *shiver*
I absolutely love the version that Johnny Marr did live with his band on the Jimmy Fallon show.
Perfect report on a perfect song. Thank you for this.
You're welcome.
As a frustrated and mixed-up teen in the late 80s driving home alone from the bars and clubs back to my lonely rural life was the first time I heard this song. It was winter and I rolled down the window to let the cold in while this song changed me. Fucking awesome. So haunting.
Man oh man you got me hooked on your analysis, and took me for a joyride down memory lane. Thank you. I'm with you, bud. I just turned 50 and to this day the Smiths are still forever the greatest band, and the words of Moz rings truer than ever for our generation. Thanks for all the incredible insights you've put into this discussion. 👏
I can remember the first time I heard it and it was unlike anything I had ever heard before - and I grew up with all of the 60s and 70s rock. It spoke to a whole generation - no matter which age group you were in at the time. It seemed like it was the perfect song at the perfect time. That sound, those lyrics, nothing has ever surpassed it or even matched it.
I agree with most everything you've said. "Asleep" is my goto Smiths song. Same motif , different mood.
This song is one of my all time favourites . Thank you for this back story. Your videos and interviews are organic and real , so glad I found your channel.
Adam as always, your interpretation of this song is spot on! It truly is a timeless song and it even speaks to me now.
Your presentation of this absolutely amazing song is truly incredible.
You nailed it. The Smiths deserve much more recognition and appreciation.
@@dudetime8933 Huh? Static for the sake of static?
One of the GREATEST tracks by any band in existence. Hands down. It never gets old, overplayed or tired. Still gives me chills every time I hear it. And this song spoke (and still speaks) to me in such a personal way as someone who has always struggled with painful shyness and an overwhelming feeling that I don't belong in social situations because I'm not "good enough".
The Smiths were simply one of the best bands out of the 80s, and the soundtrack to a giant part of my kidhood.
Prof, I love your deeply personal connection to this song and it comes through in your video. I didn't realize the connection I had to this song until many years later. Marr played it live in this little club and the emotion from the audience was raw. I get chills thinking about it...
One of those songs that can never be played loud enough. I recall hearing it all the time in clubs back in the day and it sounded so good blasting. Like others have said and I have to agree... it is a masterpiece.
This song came out during a wonderful time, the new wave KROQ (CA station) era. The most haunting, meloncholy yet meaningful song, truly their beat!, thanks for explaining the production part of that guitar luck.
KROQ was the center and driving force in the USA for all this new music, as early as 1980, and became the template for stations across the nation.
ROQ of the 80$.
Another RODNEY ON THE ROQ song that became a national staple ...
I remember how popular this song was on KROQ, I was a heavy metal fan but that song with it’s guitar tremolo effect and lyrics blew me away.
@@louiscamacho3457 I miss the KROQ days!
Great video, and so appreciate your honesty in this, all the way around. I found this song when I was a little older, but it was always so impactful for all of the same reasons. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, this was fascinating, The Smiths, Morrisey and Johnny Marr are my favorites since forever, pulling out the influences was truly enlightening. thank you so much for this.
This song was so different in the 80s. I admit I was more of a rock chic in the 80s/early 90s even though I love all kinds of music. The Smiths were a little to weird for me at the time. I remember kids who loved them wearing thick black eyeliner and skateboarding at the mall. I really appreciate the Smiths now and realize how great they are.
Love how smiths “sound” is so upbeat but the words are surprisingly dark and introspective. Definitely one of my favorites
Beautiful breakdown of a song I love.So many great little insights I never knew. Thanks you so much.
This is a brilliant breakdown/explanation. Thank you for knowing and sharing this great info about a song that can take me to my knees to this day.
I'm glad The Smiths meant as much to you as they did to me. They appealed to me as soon as I heard this song (also my first from them!). Morrissey's plaintive vocals spoke to me and my adolescent loneliness and feelings of alienation. I agree that The Smiths probably saved many lives!
Strangely, hearing “How Soon is Now” on MTV or VH1 didn’t turn me into the huge Smiths/Morrisey fan I became. It took hearing their earliest songs, and really exposing myself to their discography. Incredible band. Legendary!
same here, I liked the song, sadly it was the 1st song I heard on the radio by them, but when I heard the older stuff I was knocked out
My 'road to Damascas moment' came with 'I know it's over', which seemed to resonate with my experience of pretty girls running off with buffoon Jocks who inevitably treated them like dirt. I just didn't get it, but at least then I knew I wasn't alone... and that someone else knew that it DID "take guts to be gentle and kind". HSIN ( year later?) was perhaps more anthemic, but it never approached the rawness Morrisey exposed in 'I know it's over' IMHO. Luckily, I met a pretty girl with a Smiths collection in 1989, and 33 years later, we still love the Smiths :-)
@@rrdream2400 When I heard “What Difference Does it Make?” and “Reel Around the Fountain,” it was over! Still listened to rock and metal, but had found something REALLY different and cool!
@@MikeSadlerAU I could put together a Top Ten of my favorite Smiths songs but I love about 90% of their music so a lot would be left off (and that would just be sticking with the Smiths, not bringing solo Morrisey into it). When I start listening to the Smiths, it’s hours of re-discovery and close listening! I could listen to the intro to “Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me” 9 or 10 times in a row!
POF - This was your best episode ever, thanks for this. You captured exactly how I felt when I heard this song for the first time.