The Queen is Dead: Indie Pop of The 80's

 The Queen is Dead is such a special album and the Smiths are such a special band. On the list of albums I really love this one would have to be somewhere at the very top. The first time I heard the Smiths was in high school and I remember staying up all night watching their Top of the Pops performances over and over again. This band has so many talented members that it frequently amazes me that the stars could align so well. For one, you have Johnny Marr who is a musical prodigy and wrote some of the best Smith's Songs when he was still only a teenager. The way he plays the guitar is so beautiful and complex, he also manages to look like a complete badass when he plays. Ever sense I first saw/heard him play he's been someone I really look up to. Another famous figure emerging from the Smiths is of course Morrissey. Morrissey has such a unique and elegant voice that perfectly matches his very deep, heartfelt, and witty songwriting. Morrissey is a bit of a drama queen with very strong opinions that he finds greatly important to share. I think this really adds and works with his songwriting but sometimes it can be a bit much. His personality borders right between lovable and obnoxious, though as he gets older, it's starting to lean a little bit more towards the obnoxious side. The last two members of the classic Smiths lineup are bassist, Andy Rourke and drummer, Mike Joyce. While Marr and Morrissey seem to get almost all the attention, Andy and Mike make a very strong rhythm section that shouldn't be ignored. I especially like Andy's bass playing and how he makes keeping up with Johnny Marr look easy.

Now to get on to the actual album. One song I really love on this album is the song called The Boy With The Thorn In His Side. This song stabs me in the heart every time I listen to it and I love it for that. Another song that really gets me on this album is the song called I Know It's Over. Its so eerily sad and beautiful. Some songs that are more fun on this album are the songs Bigmouth Strikes Again and Frankly, Mr. Shankly. The song Bigmouth Strikes Again shows this really funny self awareness on Morrissey's part. Like I said earlier, Morrissey isn't shy about stating his opinions. Morrissey kind of makes fun of himself in this song but does it in a really clever way. Johnny Marr is also in top form like always. I love his frantic rhythm guitar paired with bouncy lead and slide guitar on top. The Song Frankly Mr. Shankly is another really fun song on this album. It's a song about a person just ripping in to their boss. Like most people, I've certainly wanted to do exactly that many times before. This song does a great service in helping me live out that fantasy.

Two songs I also have to talk about off this album are the songs, Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. The main reason I like the song, Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others is mostly because of Johnny Marr's guitar playing on it. The main riff of this song is so intricate snd twinkly. I like There Is A Light That Never Goes Out because it's such a classic Smiths song. In this song Morrissey fantasizes about being hit by a bus and dying by the side of this other person. Yeah I know its pretty dark but it's also a ridiculously catchy song. The Smiths do such a good job of making dark subjects so fun and catchy. Like usual I would definitely recommend listening to this album if you haven't already. The Smiths are just a classic band in music history and on this album they are really in top form. All their albums are really great but I would have to say this ones my favorite.