Never underestimated how impressionable a teenager discovering indie music is, a least the ones who only just started buying NME. That was the case for me when I was 15: finally discovering the bands that would shape my taste in music for years to come, none more blatant than The Smiths. The Mancunian’s are thee NME band. Not too long ago, their third album was voted the best album named the best album of all time by the publication.
And it was NME that introduced me to the majesty of Marr and Morrissey when they released an issue celebrating the 20 year anniversary of, yep, The Queen is Dead. Like a good sheep I immediately went to my nearest Virgin Megastore (if that doesn’t scream 2006, nothing does) and picked up a copy. As everyone knows, when you are approaching a band cold like this then the albums first track can make or break your opinion on them. Lucky for me the opening track is one of the greatest songs the band ever created. Most of my experience with The Smiths prior to The Queen is Dead was half hearing “There is a light that Never Goes Out”, or “How Soon is Now”, neither of which have the power and pace of “The Queen is Dead”. I was hooked, smashed, and rebuilt as a Johnny Marr fan before Morrissey even opened his mouth. The sheer power of the opening guitar pretty much guaranteed that I would love the rest of the album, and with Morrissey’s regicidal lyrics providing me with a hint of what to expect tonally.
Like most of The Smiths output, “The Queen is Dead” is so many things at once. It’s farcical, powerful, hilarious, deeply concerning, and by no means depressing. For anyone young person wondering what all the bloody fuss is about, start here.
