Happy 40th Anniversary to The Smiths’ third studio album The Queen Is Dead, which was originally released on June 16th, 1986
I can vividly remember catching the bus straight from school to Doncaster town centre and buying the album on vinyl. During the bus ride home I thumbed every inch of the record sleeve and inner sleeve - pouring religiously over each and every lyric, the credits, the design credits, to the run off groove words, "FEAR OF MANCHESTER". Once home I locked myself in my bedroom and played the album constantly until my mum shouted up for me to turn my bedroom light out.
To me, The Smiths were pure genius, a life-saving band. Morrissey is (still) the greatest living wordsmith. Between him and Johnny, they paved the way for thousands of Indie bands globally and set the bar so high, no other band has documented pure human emotion as perfectly and as raw as Morrissey's lyrics have.
It's difficult to comprehend that it's forty years since I purchased the album. The Manchester-born band was largely perceived by many as moody, dismal, and depressing. In the end, the Smiths produced an album that maintained their penchant for melancholy while also incorporating wit, humour, and political commentary. Among other things, they attacked Queen Elizabeth, religion, record executives, and life in the UK under Margaret Thatcher's rule. The band didn't waste any time in launching an assault on the faux system that controls us to this very day!
So, what are you waiting for, lock yourselve away with the lyrics in hand and listen to one of the most timeless and revered albums of all time.
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