This song - which guitarist, Johnny Marr, described as The Smiths' "most enduring record" - is about their frontman Morrissey's crippling shyness. It has since become an anthem for the alienated and socially isolated.
i cried listening to this song, its like it knows what ive been through for the rest of my childhood and now, and im still trying to work on my social anxiety. love the smiths
"That's what vampires listen to, in their house." - I love this so much. Also Morrissey would be insufferably satisfied to hear you say this is what stylish people listen to.
@@jimbehr5685This song is on the soundtrack of the series charmed about three sister witches in San Francisco love that series also yes stylish vampires also we listen to this ✌️
Lex is absolutely right to say that there's a whole lot of 80s music which doesn't fit the stereotype of being happy, poppy songs with typical 80s sounds and production. This is very often overlooked when music from that decade is considered.
_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_ ......i doubt there's a teenager alive that doesn't know that feeling... just brilliant song writing
New Order and now The Smiths. You're entering the rabbit hole of the Manchester music scene. More incredible bands within a 10 mile square radius than anywhere else on earth. Keep digging the hole - you'll not be disappointed.
Joy Division. The Happy Mondays. The Stone Roses. Oasis. The Smiths. New Order. The Hollies. The Buzzcocks. The Inspiral Carpets. The Courteeners. The Doves. Badly Drawn Boy. And 30 miles away The Verve. The Charlatans. As we sing "Manchester La La La"
What annoyed me was that everyone who co-opted this song was cool in their own scene, knew it, and had loads of friends and girlfriends, but tried to make out that they were lonely and depressed. Kinda pathetic. None of them stood alone in a club or left on their own
Lex nailed it when she said it’s different than the other 80’s music. The Smiths were born from being anti-pop music of the time and wanted to bring guitars back.
This, alongside 'The Killing Moon' by Echo And The Bunnymen are the best 2 examples of the early 80's alternative scene that also included The Cure, New Order, Bauhaus, Killig Joke & Depeche Mode (towards the end of the decade). It was a mostly English phenomenon but has to this day a huge Worldwide following. America slowly latched onto it about a decade later, I think that's why you couldn't really explain it. 80's playlists in the U.S. very rarely feature this darker musical genre, even though they were all 80's Bands.
The Smiths have so many great songs. This channel's barely scratched the surface, when it comes to reacting to all of the great New Wave songs out there.
The thing with the Smiths is, they're absolutely legendary and they achieved so much in the 6 years they were active. But this track in particular hits so much differently in the right club under the right influences at 2am. I'm from the North of England so the smiths mean a lot to me anyway.
It really was all about The Smiths growing up in the mid eighties at least in the UK.. Music was just so real compared to the New romantic scene. The Smiths and Depeche mode was where it was at.
I’m with you buddy, I spent many a weekend in the 90’s at the clubs where this music dominated the scene. We were in large groups and taking tons of ecstasy. This morphed into raves and although I haven’t done X in 20 years, I’m still addicted to Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Faithless, etc … I know you hear me Robert’s 😎
@@dubkjay Hmm I don't remember listening to The Smiths at clubs in 1990 and so on. Acid house illegal Raves were in 88/89 and what you might call the E Rave scene was 1990 and upwards. If you and your friends were listening to The Smiths at clubs in the nineties trust me friend you guys were way behind lol. Fuck by 93 i was outta the rave scene although I still done loads of E every weekend for another 7 years. The Smiths are very close to my heart but they were the eighties.
@@sampalmer6948 mate I used to go to 42nd street back in the 90s, so glad to hear that sticky floored pit has endured as long as this song, probably not the same without the cigarette smog and bods on their phones though 🤔
I was not a radio “top 10 radio” person when I was growing up. SOOOO….My favorite program on MTV was a show called “120 Minutes “, it would air a TON of alternative / dark wave / punk videos for 2 hours. Basically where those of us who didn’t hang out with the “jocks”, “cheerleaders”, etc…this was music for misfits who read Nizche. That’s where I found all these badass darker bands. *essential show! Sad MTV stopped playing music to the masses in the early 90s.
I was fortunate enough to have WXRT in Chicago when I lived there in the late 80s, early 90s.... such an interesting and eclectic radio station at that time. Such diversity.....I remember hearing on the rare occasion, an old Frank Sinatra tune or a Big Band number right after that you might hear something by The Cure...... or Roxy Music ....or Traffic.....or Elmore James .....or The Faces....or any one of the hundreds of bands/ artists who would not get airplay anywhere else.
@@andrewpetik2034 Fantastic! It was like finding gold to come across awesome alternative radio stations and realizing how crappy top-40 radio really was!
Even today, in any decent sized town, go to the left of the dial. Colleges and universities usually allow the students to program the station and you can hear a variety/mix of music you're not going to hear on terrestrial radio. Except in Tampa, FL at USF, where the jewelry rattling donors have hijacked the station with classical music. Students are relegated to a low power station with a 1 mile reach.
I think it depended upon where one lived. In and around LA the Smiths were huge - thanks to stations like KROQ and the many college stations. Mods, Punks, Post-Punk, Rockabilly, Teddy Boys, Goths, New Romantics, Soul Boys, Ska Rude Boys,... There were so many sub-genres of "New Wave" that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the term really means. With so many sub-genres, I don't think we ever played another school where the jocks didn't know New Wave and early Hip-Hop by the time this album cane out.
This is a very sad and lonely song.... spoken from the point of view of someone that feels very separate from the rest of society, and is unable to connect and find the happiness that others seem to have. I've talked with people who called this type of song 'depressing'... but I don't feel good music always needs to be cheerful and upbeat... we, as humans, aren't always cheerful and upbeat. It's healthy to recognize the darkness, as well as the joy, within ourselves. "I am human, and I need to be loved.... just like everybody else does"
In the UK the Smith's are often called depressing by people who don't understand. If u lived a life from a dark place like most people on a council estate did, u got it. I always thought Morrissey's lyrics were humorous and not depressing. Maybe that's UK humour. A bit dark.
I grew up in North East England in the late 70's & 80's. We lived in attached terrace houses built in in the 1890's, with back alleys paved in 100 year old coal ashes. I played in those back alleys for years, and can still remember the oily smell of those 100 year old crushed coals. The old red brick walls. This is the essence of the English working class, of the industrial heart of England, of the Industrial Revolution and economic powerhouse of the British Empire. "Shy" English working class built the modern world we live in today.
This is UK indie from 80's through and through. It is a classic Smiths track, they had many more. It's like many of their songs, it's looking at loneliness and alienation, something that Morrissey suffered with. It's brilliant.
I love this song... from the FIRST time I heard it, I identified with the person implied in the lyrics so much! It is so definitive of a moment. The hopelessness... The despair.... It becomes a life line .......HEY! you are not alone! People are out there going through what you are going through. People are out there who feel the same way that you are feeling. In singing a very stylish (as Lex put it) song about despair, it can actually bring you hope. It paints a dark picture, but to me, it is incredibly beautiful
Johnny Marr's guitar on this is completely iconic. He was later in Modest Mouse, whom you reacted to recently. Definitely a bangin club track with that cool tremolo effect on the guitar with a nice dance groove. The singer Morrissey went on to have a very successful solo career✌
@@PjRjHj he is better at guitar than them that’s for sure. But saying he’s above their pay grade makes it seem like they were dragging Marr down. They worked so well together. The music they made during those years was something else. A good era for both artists :)
I've always imagined that two note half-step down as the sound of a car horn blaring as traffic flies by someone walking on the side of the road who is feeling depressed lost or confused and they're dangerously close to getting hit by the passing cars. Or a night club where sensory overload is going on with the lights and the crowd and the loud music. And it's at night because it's not just a car horn, it's the glare of the headlights as they pass and the feeling of the harsh pounding in your head, maybe hung over or depressed, as you see the cars fly by. Kinda fits the vibe. May not be what they were going for. But that's what I always imagined listening to this song.
Younger folks probably don't understand the profound alienation felt by those of us who were teenagers, early 20s living in the 80s, when the Cold War was hitting a new peak, because of Reagan.
The piece in the background is what I listened to. Some call it new wave, others call it alternative or punk. For me it was what resonated to those of us left out.
the fact that this song came out in 1984 is mind blowing...to me this song and the cult she sells sanctuary which was 85 were each a decade ahead of their time...just incredible compared to what was out at that point and I was a kid who was a music buff in 84...the soundscape created by Johnny Marr when he was barely out of his teens is just crazy
God, I remember when you could only hear the Smiths in underground clubs and college radio. Music like this you had to be introduced to back in the day. You couldn't just stumble onto it, like you can these days.
This is one of the greatest songs ever. It breaks my heart every single time I hear it. Amazing tune. What am I saying, I’m a metal head. That’s how great this song is. It grabs your heart and soul and takes you on a depressing journey that is actually uplifting to hear that other people have issues similar to the rest of us.
'How Soon is Now?' is not just a magnificent song, it's also one of the greatest song titles ever, in my opinion. It is also noteworthy as the song that people who don't like The Smiths most confess to liking. In short, it's irresistible.
Great song. Thanks for reviewing. This was the soundtrack of my days in the late 80's. The tremolo of the guitar drives the tune and gives it a beat, and then that slide between chords pulls you back to the tune. Morrissey captures what everyone thinks, though, with "I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does." We all need love, regardless of who we are. Fav line: 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
The Smiths are British. They are one of the best bands of all time. My fifteen year old self used to be depressed and melancholy to their music on a regular basis. I have loved them for years.
These guys are so young, never heard of the breakfast club. :) I can tell you guys as a 57 year old, this song was the New Wave National Anthem for Generation X of the 1980s. In 1985, it was EVERYWHERE.
Used to love this song. Completely original at the time. Stands up in time nicely. They were completely original and very creative as a band. This has to one of the most requested songs for DJ's of the 80's in Modern Rock clubs. Very danceable. Only the coolest of DJ's played it in other clubs.
I nearly fell over when Johnny Marr said the got the guitar sound from Bo Diddley. I couldn't unhear it. This song has meant so much to a lot of people
And The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cramps, Nitzer Ebb, Yaz, Erasure, XTC, Pixies, Bauhaus, The Damned, Love and Rockets, along with so much great underground music!
A classic case on the endless list of guitar pop bands whose singer and guitarist have gone in loggerheads and have continued the bickering for years to come.
I have always loved this song, but your reaction made me finally “get” it. It has such waiting room vibes, like a person yearning for something to come that hasn’t happened yet, and everyone around them is saying it will happen soon. Well, why isn’t soon now, then?? Brilliant. Oh, the Smiths. Smacking us in the feels so many years later.
I fell in love with this song when I was sixteen. SIXTEEN. And some people wonder why GenXers are so disappointed in todays music. We came of age on this stuff. This was the soundtrack to our youth. 😊
If you get The Smiths at a certain age it don’t matter whether you’re an 80’s, 90’s, 00’s kid their music resonates to that kid. Their albums are ridiculous and a gateway to a lot of other cool stuff.
pretty sure that Johnny Marr the smiths guitarist now works with hans zimmer who is a massively successful film soundtrack composer who is known for soundtracks like inception, interstellar and dozens of other popular film titles
Jonny Marr still lives in the same Manchester suburb, I live there too, seen him out jogging many times. I've just come back from a holiday in Rio De Janerio, I was surprised to see that the locals there love the Smiths, they were all singing along to the lyrics at the club. In fact, they loved lots of older Manchester and UK pop music.
In this episode of Brad & Lex & Berto, the trio seem to try deciphering what they're ingesting. Lex will place blame on a whole decade as she gives the Smith's a sedated "ponder bop" which peps up slightly. Berto seems to mirror his inlaw while Brad gives us a very chill "side to side sway".
80's New Wave/Punk attracted the different, the weird, the freaks (even if we hid it well), and the angsty teens. Love the Smiths. Also Depeche Mode, Violent Femmes, Yazoo, XTC, and The Cure.
It wasn't exclusively for minority groups in society, otherwise the music wouldn't have Charted in the Mainstream. "80's New Wave/Punk attracted the different, the weird, the freaks"
In the early 80s electronic music was dominant, The Smiths brought guitar bands back to the forefront, but with a twist: Johnny Marr re-imagined how guitars could effect the mood of a song, and singer Morrissey delivered lyrics of self-reflection and aloof sneering delivered with his unique crooning voice.
awesome.... The smiths very fashionable song but their music has with stood the test of time.. I still love them at 47 and my son loves them at 20. keep your young ears and minds open..... God bless
It's a song about alienation and crippling shyness and social anxiety.. it spoke to me when I was a teen.. it still speaks to me even though I worked through that..
I was a teenager that grew up a couple of miles away from where this band were from in Manchester. Always thought you could hear the Manchester of the mid 80s in this tune. Dark, dirty, dangerous and industrial. Great place.
It's funny and fitting that Lex envisions vampires. This great and one-of-a-kind song was used in the opening theme song for the "Charmed" tv show about young witches and the creatures they encountered.
It's funny how Lex mentions this being a "train song." On my second trip to England, I had the best of The Smiths on my iPod. Sitting on the train, watching England pass me by from the train window-- big mood.
I feel like when it comes to music, Brad may know some theory (or pretends like he does), but Lexi GETS IT. I thought her train comment was spot-on, but I never would have thought of that.
Madchester era. So glad I was in my teens and twenties growing up in and around Manchester during this period. Exciting and fun times they where indeed.
As a teen and twenty-something I was grateful to find music like this, where people actually said the things I felt... in metal, post-punk, grunge, alternative. Got me through some very dark times, and it doesn't make me feel sad to hear it now. Only thankful that it was, and is still around.
*Kudos to the new guy* for being the first in their group to find an adjective for the song, "dark", when even our music savant Lex was struggling to come up with anything. With that start provided by him, however, Lex totally ran with it, with her usual brilliant descriptions. "Vampire music"...I love it!
This is a fan made video with my favorite 80s song (How Soon Is Now) and my favorite 80s movie (Breakfast Club). If you guys haven't seen the movie, make some popcorn it's awesome! And Lex was right on about the people that listened to The Smiths, yes, we were very stylish :) (Goths and alternatives going to after hours clubs partying into the early morning).
The Smiths were so depressingly upbeat! My friends and I hung out in the underground night club scene where The Smiths and all the cooler music was played... and yes, Lex, you are correct, we were (and still are) very fashionable! Haha The Smiths songs are emotionally driven poetry, set to upbeat guitar riffs, with Morrissey drawing you in ever the more closely with each lyric he sings painting a clear a vivid landscape that captured what it was like back then to be young and it be ok to not be ok. They were definitely one of the most interesting bands of the 80's.
The Smiths, or Morrissy, the lead singer and song writer, is one of a kind. He's been said to be the punk Elvis of rock with his smooth, melancholy delivery. He's a great crafter of song, melody and lyric. Genius.
You remember the deep almost ache you felt when you first “fell in love”?.... Imagine that and than listen to this song. The NEED for that human connection coupled with a debilitating shyness that keeps you from actually reaching out to your desire...
LOVE LOVE this song!!! One of the top bands during the 80's very unique blend of song n words made them so ORIGINAL yet kind of dark & hollow but what I LOVE even more is all U guys REACTION very well thougthful takes obviously GF makes this a JOY to watch with her dancing n lovely smile again BERTO is the man!!! ...LOVE U GUYS continue to do ur thing ur sucess will grow even more KILLER TRIO ...Proud of all very enjoyable entertaining as usual many props from UR amigo ALB ERTO...MEXICO Enjoys ur channel!!!
First time I heard this was in a Very dark club in ‘89, freshman yr in college. Meat Beat Manifesto, 808 State, NIN and How Soon Is Now came on… It WAS SO F’ing loud and I said…. WHAT IS THIS?! Now I have every SMITHs and Morrissey-solo album ever released.
I was a little too young to understand The Smiths at the time. However, one of my early memories is The Smiths on Top Of The Pops with Morrissey wearing a hearing aid and a Gladioli in his back pocket. So I guess they still made an impact on me. I now completely appreciate the band and this song has become a favourite of mine.
The 80's had an underlying destopian feel, but unlike the 70's or 90's. This decay was embraced in a way. For art, for soul, for feel. Those before and after seemed to be more movement orientated. The good, the bad , and the ugly. Were as the 80's was an almost internalized meloncholy that brought with it a validation. An enjoyment in decay.
6:06 One thing that Brad may not realize is that within the instrumental, there are musical "phrases" that recur not dissimilar to the "words" that he relentlessly focuses on. It's almost like he's waiting for the band to quit wanking so the singer can continue and Brad can have something to do reading the lyrics. I don't think Brad could catch a groove with an oversized baseball glove.
6:30 'People listening would be stylish' That's one strange word for those of us listening to the Smiths in the 80s & 90s 😆 If only you knew/could see us then The rejected that made a difference.
every guitar dude i've met since about 1990 has been trying to figure out how to do that guitar riff. I think Johnny Marr will take that secret to his grave.
It's so great to see a 'younger generation' coming to terms of a different style of music that's so hard to place a specific word or definition to. . .(New Order, Depeche Mode, The Smiths.) Now imagine growing up in the 80s and hearing it as it's being created! I miss the 80s!!
One fascinating thing about The Smiths is that although their music is so very British and used to be called mope-rock, that for some reason thy strike a chord with a huge Mexican fanbase. The toughest Latino gang bangers in California know every word to The Smiths and Depeche Mode's discography, which is just a really cool thought.
Yup, dark and mysterious...but the 1st time I heard it, I had to have it. Blew my speakers out...it's gotta be loud!! I am human and I need to be looooved. Great frickin song. 👍
Lex always has a very intuitive take from listening to, and feeling music. Stylish, platform boot-wearing train vampires are EXACTLY who listen to The smiths.
Jonny Marr played this for KPIX (?_) a year or so ago, stunning live version, with possibly one of his best renditions of this ever, He de-tuned his guitar halfway through carried on playing then re-tunes it. Gobsmackingly good.
For me this (and the Smiths in genera)l represents 80s alternative,, punk, underground, anti-authority, the U.K. Combat boots, duster or leather jacket. First time I heard it was in a club and I was hooked.
the movie in the background was a film called The Breakfast Club about students getting weekend detention but this song is also the theme song for the TV show Charmed a show about witches 💙
This song - which guitarist, Johnny Marr, described as The Smiths' "most enduring record" - is about their frontman Morrissey's crippling shyness. It has since become an anthem for the alienated and socially isolated.
i cried listening to this song, its like it knows what ive been through for the rest of my childhood and now, and im still trying to work on my social anxiety. love the smiths
Isn't every Smith song about Morrissey's crippling shyness?
Crazy how good the Smiths are and how much of a bastard Morrissey is.
Dark, disturbing and beautiful!
@@johnnyjohnny2650 🤣👏👍👌
"That's what vampires listen to, in their house." - I love this so much.
Also Morrissey would be insufferably satisfied to hear you say this is what stylish people listen to.
Mods on Vespas 😬
Soundtrack to that Buffy the Vampire Slayer offshoot. I forget the name of it.
Charmed
@@jimbehr5685This song is on the soundtrack of the series charmed about three sister witches in San Francisco love that series also yes stylish vampires also we listen to this ✌️
Hilarious
Lex is absolutely right to say that there's a whole lot of 80s music which doesn't fit the stereotype of being happy, poppy songs with typical 80s sounds and production. This is very often overlooked when music from that decade is considered.
100 %. the "80's" were not simply one sounds or vibes. And this song in certain clubs was a bit of a panty dropper.
Yep, shit like Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, Joy Division etc
They need to listen to some Husker Du and The Replacements.
the cure
Spot on. So many great bands are overlooked from the 80s.
Every sad teenager in the 80's had this in their playlist. Myself included ❤
Yep. I listened to this over and over for days after my gf left to join the Air Force
_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_
......i doubt there's a teenager alive that doesn't know that feeling... just brilliant song writing
this and The Cure
Playlist in the 80's? I had a mixed tape that i made lol
And in the 90s 😉❤
New Order and now The Smiths. You're entering the rabbit hole of the Manchester music scene. More incredible bands within a 10 mile square radius than anywhere else on earth. Keep digging the hole - you'll not be disappointed.
Stone Roses “I wanna be adored” next…?!?!
Oasis
They were golden years. And it wasn't just one genre or scene or vibe!
Happy Mondays, Joy Division and loads more
Joy Division. The Happy Mondays. The Stone Roses. Oasis. The Smiths. New Order. The Hollies. The Buzzcocks. The Inspiral Carpets. The Courteeners. The Doves. Badly Drawn Boy.
And 30 miles away The Verve. The Charlatans.
As we sing "Manchester La La La"
The song is very hypnotic. It's for dark dance clubs, with folks chilling on the dance floor acting cool and aloof.
Frequently played in goth clubs.
What annoyed me was that everyone who co-opted this song was cool in their own scene, knew it, and had loads of friends and girlfriends, but tried to make out that they were lonely and depressed. Kinda pathetic. None of them stood alone in a club or left on their own
Smoking the clove cigarettes and desperately trying to appear cool.
And no one taking selfies
Unfortunately, no one acts like that anymore LOL
Lex nailed it when she said it’s different than the other 80’s music. The Smiths were born from being anti-pop music of the time and wanted to bring guitars back.
This, alongside 'The Killing Moon' by Echo And The Bunnymen are the best 2 examples of the early 80's alternative scene that also included The Cure, New Order, Bauhaus, Killig Joke & Depeche Mode (towards the end of the decade). It was a mostly English phenomenon but has to this day a huge Worldwide following. America slowly latched onto it about a decade later, I think that's why you couldn't really explain it. 80's playlists in the U.S. very rarely feature this darker musical genre, even though they were all 80's Bands.
Yes we need them to listen to killing Joke!
We did have deathrock in the 80s but I'm just glad the scene is actually coming back. Great new dark and goth bands
@@UrbanTaxi99 second that...Love Like Blood was certainly one of my favorite songs of the eighties.
omg 'The Killing Moon' is so fucking AMAZING.
Except it wasn't called alternative lol
The Smiths have so many great songs. This channel's barely scratched the surface, when it comes to reacting to all of the great New Wave songs out there.
I'm yet to hear(Ohhh)-Vienna .
@@evedumont9233 Ultravox was one of a kind 💓
The thing with the Smiths is, they're absolutely legendary and they achieved so much in the 6 years they were active. But this track in particular hits so much differently in the right club under the right influences at 2am. I'm from the North of England so the smiths mean a lot to me anyway.
It really was all about The Smiths growing up in the mid eighties at least in the UK.. Music was just so real compared to the New romantic scene. The Smiths and Depeche mode was where it was at.
When this song comes on at 42s honestly different vibes man
I’m with you buddy, I spent many a weekend in the 90’s at the clubs where this music dominated the scene. We were in large groups and taking tons of ecstasy. This morphed into raves and although I haven’t done X in 20 years, I’m still addicted to Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Faithless, etc … I know you hear me Robert’s 😎
@@dubkjay Hmm I don't remember listening to The Smiths at clubs in 1990 and so on. Acid house illegal Raves were in 88/89 and what you might call the E Rave scene was 1990 and upwards. If you and your friends were listening to The Smiths at clubs in the nineties trust me friend you guys were way behind lol. Fuck by 93 i was outta the rave scene although I still done loads of E every weekend for another 7 years. The Smiths are very close to my heart but they were the eighties.
@@sampalmer6948 mate I used to go to 42nd street back in the 90s, so glad to hear that sticky floored pit has endured as long as this song, probably not the same without the cigarette smog and bods on their phones though 🤔
Takes me back to high school, pain, and unrequited love. It's 1985 all over again.
NO ONE could capture that pain like Morrissey.
"This is what vampires listen to when they're hanging upside down in their caves sleeping" - Lex. I laughed my ass off. Perfect!
Hilarious, this song was on The Craft soundtrack, and also the theme song for Charmed
She's not wrong.😂
Johnny Marr is a stellar guitarist, textures and tones unlike any other player.
Criminally underated
Amen to that.
No doubt!! I’m a metal fan but enjoy marrs guitar work! Morrissey is untouched as a singer and song writer!!
Daniel Ash. I'd put him right up there with Daniel Ash. And that is high praise, imo.
LOVE The Smiths. Morrisey has one of the most recognizable voices.
These guys have inspired so many bands. Legends I tell ya.
You're right there Lisa...
I was not a radio “top 10 radio” person when I was growing up.
SOOOO….My favorite program on MTV was a show called “120 Minutes “, it would air a TON of alternative / dark wave / punk videos for 2 hours. Basically where those of us who didn’t hang out with the “jocks”, “cheerleaders”, etc…this was music for misfits who read Nizche.
That’s where I found all these badass darker bands.
*essential show!
Sad MTV stopped playing music to the masses in the early 90s.
I was fortunate enough to have WXRT in Chicago when I lived there in the late 80s, early 90s.... such an interesting and eclectic radio station at that time. Such diversity.....I remember hearing on the rare occasion, an old Frank Sinatra tune or a Big Band number right after that you might hear something by The Cure...... or Roxy Music ....or Traffic.....or Elmore James .....or The Faces....or any one of the hundreds of bands/ artists who would not get airplay anywhere else.
I'm totally wiv u Danelle!
@@andrewpetik2034 Fantastic! It was like finding gold to come across awesome alternative radio stations and realizing how crappy top-40 radio really was!
Even today, in any decent sized town, go to the left of the dial. Colleges and universities usually allow the students to program the station and you can hear a variety/mix of music you're not going to hear on terrestrial radio. Except in Tampa, FL at USF, where the jewelry rattling donors have hijacked the station with classical music. Students are relegated to a low power station with a 1 mile reach.
I think it depended upon where one lived.
In and around LA the Smiths were huge - thanks to stations like KROQ and the many college stations.
Mods, Punks, Post-Punk, Rockabilly, Teddy Boys, Goths, New Romantics, Soul Boys, Ska Rude Boys,...
There were so many sub-genres of "New Wave" that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the term really means.
With so many sub-genres, I don't think we ever played another school where the jocks didn't know New Wave and early Hip-Hop by the time this album cane out.
This is a very sad and lonely song.... spoken from the point of view of someone that feels very separate from the rest of society, and is unable to connect and find the happiness that others seem to have.
I've talked with people who called this type of song 'depressing'... but I don't feel good music always needs to be cheerful and upbeat... we, as humans, aren't always cheerful and upbeat. It's healthy to recognize the darkness, as well as the joy, within ourselves.
"I am human, and I need to be loved.... just like everybody else does"
Excellent and insightful comment!
👍
Generally speaking, most great art is the result of pain, sadness, the darker side of the human condition.
Yup, this song resonates deeply with me. Been lonely for nearly a decade now.
Well said 🖤🌹🖤🧛🏻♀️
In the UK the Smith's are often called depressing by people who don't understand. If u lived a life from a dark place like most people on a council estate did, u got it. I always thought Morrissey's lyrics were humorous and not depressing. Maybe that's UK humour. A bit dark.
I grew up in North East England in the late 70's & 80's.
We lived in attached terrace houses built in in the 1890's, with back alleys paved in 100 year old coal ashes. I played in those back alleys for years, and can still remember the oily smell of those 100 year old crushed coals. The old red brick walls.
This is the essence of the English working class, of the industrial heart of England, of the Industrial Revolution and economic powerhouse of the British Empire. "Shy" English working class built the modern world we live in today.
Very well said
I like how the girl is bopping and smiling and the guys looked confused. 😆 She gets it.
I’ve heard people say this before…Lex is a musical savant! She gets it. Impressive.
She got the vibe of this right away. I love how she described exactly who listens to this music, the images she saw, etc.
I guess. Don't hand out titles so easily.
This channel is all Lex! On her shouders and she is brilliant! Much love!
She almost always gets it. Her mind is musically open - respect sis🎉
This is UK indie from 80's through and through. It is a classic Smiths track, they had many more. It's like many of their songs, it's looking at loneliness and alienation, something that Morrissey suffered with. It's brilliant.
The bewildered look on their faces. Priceless!!
I think I first heard this as a freshman in 1987. I had horrible anxiety and considered it my theme song for decades.
I love this song... from the FIRST time I heard it, I identified with the person implied in the lyrics so much!
It is so definitive of a moment.
The hopelessness...
The despair....
It becomes a life line .......HEY! you are not alone! People are out there going through what you are going through. People are out there who feel the same way that you are feeling.
In singing a very stylish (as Lex put it) song about despair, it can actually bring you hope.
It paints a dark picture, but to me, it is incredibly beautiful
Awesome post..😎
A very hypnotic song and so important for the alternative 80s. It takes you on a journey. Total vibe. Great song.
This song always gave me chills. I still get them. It's such an iconic riff.
The first time I heard How Soon Is Now?, it blew me away & continues to do so every time I hear it. A brilliant song
Johnny Marr's guitar on this is completely iconic. He was later in Modest Mouse, whom you reacted to recently. Definitely a bangin club track with that cool tremolo effect on the guitar with a nice dance groove. The singer Morrissey went on to have a very successful solo career✌
Modest Mouse were incredibly lucky Marr wanted to hang out, he's certainly above their paygrade 😉
@@PjRjHj Perhaps there weren’t a lot of world dominating supergroup opportunities at the time lol
@@PjRjHj he is better at guitar than them that’s for sure. But saying he’s above their pay grade makes it seem like they were dragging Marr down. They worked so well together. The music they made during those years was something else. A good era for both artists :)
Marr also did two fantastic albums with The The
@@yhnujmik987 ooh I’ll have to check those out :)
I've always imagined that two note half-step down as the sound of a car horn blaring as traffic flies by someone walking on the side of the road who is feeling depressed lost or confused and they're dangerously close to getting hit by the passing cars. Or a night club where sensory overload is going on with the lights and the crowd and the loud music. And it's at night because it's not just a car horn, it's the glare of the headlights as they pass and the feeling of the harsh pounding in your head, maybe hung over or depressed, as you see the cars fly by. Kinda fits the vibe. May not be what they were going for. But that's what I always imagined listening to this song.
Younger folks probably don't understand the profound alienation felt by those of us who were teenagers, early 20s living in the 80s, when the Cold War was hitting a new peak, because of Reagan.
How Soon is Now is Atmospheric and a VIBE. Cannot Underestimate the IMPACT that this Song had on an Entire GENERATION.
💯
The first 8 seconds and then that guitar riff just hits you and your completely taken in. Such a masterpiece
The Sound, Nina Hagen, The Silencers, Icicle Works, Cabaret Voltaire, Chameleons, Echo & The Bunnymen.... The list goes on
I love this song it's really awesome the Smiths should be in the Rock and roll Hall of Fame just for this song
Too bad they'll never be willing to stand on the same stage together again, even for a Hall of Fame induction for five minutes.
Agreed
The Rock Hall of Fame have virtually ignored British rock from the 80s. They wasted no time inducting Bon Jovi. It's laughable.
I think morrissey would reject that nonsense
They should be in the hall for many reasons, but side 2 to LOUDER THAN BOMBS does it for me....
The piece in the background is what I listened to. Some call it new wave, others call it alternative or punk. For me it was what resonated to those of us left out.
the fact that this song came out in 1984 is mind blowing...to me this song and the cult she sells sanctuary which was 85 were each a decade ahead of their time...just incredible compared to what was out at that point and I was a kid who was a music buff in 84...the soundscape created by Johnny Marr when he was barely out of his teens is just crazy
Every emotion mentally felt as love for the first time as a teen ,eveyone wanting to be loved
God, I remember when you could only hear the Smiths in underground clubs and college radio. Music like this you had to be introduced to back in the day. You couldn't just stumble onto it, like you can these days.
Absolutely correct
The lady in the middle totally gets it....vampires on a train!! That's the exact vibe of this song.
This song is the vibe of catching the train home at 3 AM in the rain
I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does - one the greatest, most powerful lyrics ever
This is one of the greatest songs ever. It breaks my heart every single time I hear it. Amazing tune. What am I saying, I’m a metal head. That’s how great this song is. It grabs your heart and soul and takes you on a depressing journey that is actually uplifting to hear that other people have issues similar to the rest of us.
"Platform boots." Yeah, a lot of us still have our Doc Marten's from then - I do! Love 'em.
'How Soon is Now?' is not just a magnificent song, it's also one of the greatest song titles ever, in my opinion. It is also noteworthy as the song that people who don't like The Smiths most confess to liking. In short, it's irresistible.
“When you say it’s gonna happen now… What exactly do you mean?”
Thanks!
Melanie Martinez she has many videos. she has a video for every song on her first 2 albums. Play Date, Alphabet Boy, Cry Baby, Tag, You're It.
Great song. Thanks for reviewing. This was the soundtrack of my days in the late 80's. The tremolo of the guitar drives the tune and gives it a beat, and then that slide between chords pulls you back to the tune. Morrissey captures what everyone thinks, though, with "I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does." We all need love, regardless of who we are.
Fav line: 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
The Smiths are British. They are one of the best bands of all time. My fifteen year old self used to be depressed and melancholy to their music on a regular basis. I have loved them for years.
These guys are so young, never heard of the breakfast club. :)
I can tell you guys as a 57 year old, this song was the New Wave National Anthem for Generation X of the 1980s. In 1985, it was EVERYWHERE.
Used to love this song. Completely original at the time. Stands up in time nicely. They were completely original and very creative as a band. This has to one of the most requested songs for DJ's of the 80's in Modern Rock clubs. Very danceable. Only the coolest of DJ's played it in other clubs.
I nearly fell over when Johnny Marr said the got the guitar sound from Bo Diddley. I couldn't unhear it. This song has meant so much to a lot of people
The Smiths are part of British music royalty.
And The Cure, Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cramps, Nitzer Ebb, Yaz, Erasure, XTC, Pixies, Bauhaus, The Damned, Love and Rockets, along with so much great underground music!
@@CBGB_1977 Love all these! The Cramps and Pixies were American, though.
A classic case on the endless list of guitar pop bands whose singer and guitarist have gone in loggerheads and have continued the bickering for years to come.
@@TokajiPsychonaut Yup. But they were cool enough to hang with the Brits musically.
Yay for Boston and yay for New York! 🇬🇧 / 🇺🇸
That isn't True at all.
OMG you have found The Smiths!!! Im so jealous that you get to explore how amazing these guys were
I have always loved this song, but your reaction made me finally “get” it. It has such waiting room vibes, like a person yearning for something to come that hasn’t happened yet, and everyone around them is saying it will happen soon. Well, why isn’t soon now, then?? Brilliant. Oh, the Smiths. Smacking us in the feels so many years later.
I fell in love with this song when I was sixteen. SIXTEEN. And some people wonder why GenXers are so disappointed in todays music. We came of age on this stuff. This was the soundtrack to our youth. 😊
If you get The Smiths at a certain age it don’t matter whether you’re an 80’s, 90’s, 00’s kid their music resonates to that kid. Their albums are ridiculous and a gateway to a lot of other cool stuff.
pretty sure that Johnny Marr the smiths guitarist now works with hans zimmer who is a massively successful film soundtrack composer who is known for soundtracks like inception, interstellar and dozens of other popular film titles
This was the theme song for the show Charmed. Always loved the mystic feel if this song.❤️
It wasn't actually the smiths for the sounds track of charmed. It was a cover band that did the song for the tv show.
Jonny Marr still lives in the same Manchester suburb, I live there too, seen him out jogging many times. I've just come back from a holiday in Rio De Janerio, I was surprised to see that the locals there love the Smiths, they were all singing along to the lyrics at the club. In fact, they loved lots of older Manchester and UK pop music.
In this episode of Brad & Lex & Berto, the trio seem to try deciphering what they're ingesting. Lex will place blame on a whole decade as she gives the Smith's a sedated "ponder bop" which peps up slightly. Berto seems to mirror his inlaw while Brad gives us a very chill "side to side sway".
The 80’s post punk and mod era takes a beating but truly some of the most creative musicality of the last 50 years.
80's New Wave/Punk attracted the different, the weird, the freaks (even if we hid it well), and the angsty teens. Love the Smiths. Also Depeche Mode, Violent Femmes, Yazoo, XTC, and The Cure.
It wasn't exclusively for minority groups in society, otherwise the music wouldn't have Charted in the Mainstream.
"80's New Wave/Punk attracted the different, the weird, the freaks"
The Smiths aren't new wave or punk
First time i heard this i needed to hear again. Now I've must have heard it a thousand times . So brilliant.
In the early 80s electronic music was dominant, The Smiths brought guitar bands back to the forefront, but with a twist: Johnny Marr re-imagined how guitars could effect the mood of a song, and singer Morrissey delivered lyrics of self-reflection and aloof sneering delivered with his unique crooning voice.
awesome.... The smiths very fashionable song but their music has with stood the test of time.. I still love them at 47 and my son loves them at 20. keep your young ears and minds open..... God bless
It's a song about alienation and crippling shyness and social anxiety.. it spoke to me when I was a teen.. it still speaks to me even though I worked through that..
Spoke to me then and still at 46.
There is a triumphant satisfied vibe to this tract very atmospheric feel
I was a teenager that grew up a couple of miles away from where this band were from in Manchester. Always thought you could hear the Manchester of the mid 80s in this tune. Dark, dirty, dangerous and industrial. Great place.
It's funny and fitting that Lex envisions vampires. This great and one-of-a-kind song was used in the opening theme song for the "Charmed" tv show about young witches and the creatures they encountered.
It's funny how Lex mentions this being a "train song." On my second trip to England, I had the best of The Smiths on my iPod. Sitting on the train, watching England pass me by from the train window-- big mood.
I feel like when it comes to music, Brad may know some theory (or pretends like he does), but Lexi GETS IT. I thought her train comment was spot-on, but I never would have thought of that.
Madchester era. So glad I was in my teens and twenties growing up in and around Manchester during this period. Exciting and fun times they where indeed.
As a teen and twenty-something I was grateful to find music like this, where people actually said the things I felt... in metal, post-punk, grunge, alternative. Got me through some very dark times, and it doesn't make me feel sad to hear it now. Only thankful that it was, and is still around.
The younger brother's face--Morrissey's gift was his ability to make you realize you care about him, and it didn't end well.
*Kudos to the new guy* for being the first in their group to find an adjective for the song, "dark", when even our music savant Lex was struggling to come up with anything. With that start provided by him, however, Lex totally ran with it, with her usual brilliant descriptions. "Vampire music"...I love it!
The song's opening riff was the theme song for the tv series "Charmed"
This is a fan made video with my favorite 80s song (How Soon Is Now) and my favorite 80s movie (Breakfast Club). If you guys haven't seen the movie, make some popcorn it's awesome! And Lex was right on about the people that listened to The Smiths, yes, we were very stylish :) (Goths and alternatives going to after hours clubs partying into the early morning).
How elegantly wasted we were! Memories ❤️
@@sarahzentexas Oh very much so
Johnny was always dressed impeccably! The pride of the working class man. Bang on!
OMG, I used to listen to this hanging upside-down in my cave, ALL THE TIME!
The Smiths were so depressingly upbeat! My friends and I hung out in the underground night club scene where The Smiths and all the cooler music was played... and yes, Lex, you are correct, we were (and still are) very fashionable! Haha
The Smiths songs are emotionally driven poetry, set to upbeat guitar riffs, with Morrissey drawing you in ever the more closely with each lyric he sings painting a clear a vivid landscape that captured what it was like back then to be young and it be ok to not be ok.
They were definitely one of the most interesting bands of the 80's.
This song is a goth version of the new wave/ alternative style of 80s music. It’s kind of the grandfather to emo. Great reaction and video.
The Smiths, or Morrissy, the lead singer and song writer, is one of a kind. He's been said to be the punk Elvis of rock with his smooth, melancholy delivery. He's a great crafter of song, melody and lyric. Genius.
My daughter and I went to Morrissey's show in Vegas at Caesar's Palace back in August. No opening act. One of the best shows I've ever seen!
@@umbluegray1 I saw him in ' 90 after INTERESTING DRUG came out.....man, I got old.
You remember the deep almost ache you felt when you first “fell in love”?....
Imagine that and than listen to this song. The NEED for that human connection coupled with a debilitating shyness that keeps you from actually reaching out to your desire...
LOVE LOVE this song!!! One of the top bands during the 80's very unique blend of song n words made them so ORIGINAL yet kind of dark & hollow but what I LOVE even more is all U guys REACTION very well thougthful takes obviously GF makes this a JOY to watch with her dancing n lovely smile again BERTO is the man!!! ...LOVE U GUYS continue to do ur thing ur sucess will grow even more KILLER TRIO ...Proud of all very enjoyable entertaining as usual many props from UR amigo ALB ERTO...MEXICO Enjoys ur channel!!!
First time I heard this was in a Very dark club in ‘89, freshman yr in college. Meat Beat Manifesto, 808 State, NIN and How Soon Is Now came on… It WAS SO F’ing loud and I said…. WHAT IS THIS?! Now I have every SMITHs and Morrissey-solo album ever released.
I was a little too young to understand The Smiths at the time. However, one of my early memories is The Smiths on Top Of The Pops with Morrissey wearing a hearing aid and a Gladioli in his back pocket. So I guess they still made an impact on me.
I now completely appreciate the band and this song has become a favourite of mine.
Glad to see them going down the rabbit hole of what used to be called college radio, back when 'alternative' was more than just a marketing label.
The 80's had an underlying destopian feel, but unlike the 70's or 90's. This decay was embraced in a way. For art, for soul, for feel. Those before and after seemed to be more movement orientated. The good, the bad , and the ugly. Were as the 80's was an almost internalized meloncholy that brought with it a validation. An enjoyment in decay.
It is indeed interesting. It's not a heart-lifting song. But musically it's extremely clever. And it's 37 years ago. His voice is beautiful.
6:06 One thing that Brad may not realize is that within the instrumental, there are musical "phrases" that recur not dissimilar to the "words" that he relentlessly focuses on. It's almost like he's waiting for the band to quit wanking so the singer can continue and Brad can have something to do reading the lyrics. I don't think Brad could catch a groove with an oversized baseball glove.
6:30
'People listening would be stylish'
That's one strange word for those of us listening to the Smiths in the 80s & 90s 😆
If only you knew/could see us then
The rejected that made a difference.
every guitar dude i've met since about 1990 has been trying to figure out how to do that guitar riff. I think Johnny Marr will take that secret to his grave.
This song was used as the Theme songs for Charmed and was in the trailer for The Craft. The most witchy song ever
It's so great to see a 'younger generation' coming to terms of a different style of music that's so hard to place a specific word or definition to. . .(New Order, Depeche Mode, The Smiths.) Now imagine growing up in the 80s and hearing it as it's being created! I miss the 80s!!
It, like most Smith's songs, were about depression, and loneliness with some really fabulous guitar and base complementing Morrisey.
One fascinating thing about The Smiths is that although their music is so very British and used to be called mope-rock, that for some reason thy strike a chord with a huge Mexican fanbase. The toughest Latino gang bangers in California know every word to The Smiths and Depeche Mode's discography, which is just a really cool thought.
Yup, dark and mysterious...but the 1st time I heard it, I had to have it. Blew my speakers out...it's gotta be loud!! I am human and I need to be looooved. Great frickin song. 👍
Lex always has a very intuitive take from listening to, and feeling music. Stylish, platform boot-wearing train vampires are EXACTLY who listen to The smiths.
Jonny Marr played this for KPIX (?_) a year or so ago, stunning live version, with possibly one of his best renditions of this ever, He de-tuned his guitar halfway through carried on playing then re-tunes it. Gobsmackingly good.
For me this (and the Smiths in genera)l represents 80s alternative,, punk, underground, anti-authority, the U.K. Combat boots, duster or leather jacket. First time I heard it was in a club and I was hooked.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Now that's how you use a guitar to make a record. And the drums and bass are also stellar. Such 90s sounds.
You are right about the Stylish part the noir underground of fashion designers..lol
That look in your eyes. That confusion..that curiosity...that nod
Welcome to 1985
the movie in the background was a film called The Breakfast Club about students getting weekend detention but this song is also the theme song for the TV show Charmed a show about witches 💙