Pick your favourite song by The Smiths. Now, pick your favourite lyric by them. By the time you’ve read this piece, I bet you’ll have changed your mind.

Everyone knows the haunting sound and powerful words to ‘How Soon Is Now.’ Personally, not a favourite song by The Smiths. It’ll always be, for me- ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.’ I adore that song. Everything about it. I just love that song to pieces.

It’s the specific one-liners that make this band the best group to have ever come out of the UK. It’s one-liners such as : “I would go out tonight but I haven’t got a stitch to wear” or “Why do I give valuable time to people who don’t care if I live or die.” I could go on about how lyrically, The Smiths are the best band to have ever existed.

Marr is fanstastic, as are Rourke and Joyce. But people, stop calling Morrissey “arrogant.” His clever lyrics influenced cheap imitations that bum ‘The Queen Is Dead.’

‘This town will drag you down’- every time I come back to the Isle of Man during uni holidays, that lyric seems to be stuck in my brain. I feel that this line was written for me, and anyone who is from a desolate place that oozes negativity.

Some may say, to appreciate The Smiths you had to have been there. I was born in 1986(the golden era of hip hop!) So, I guess I was late! But, I found The Smiths when I was lost. There are a handful of bands that have influenced my life and maybe changed it. I’m not the only one who feels this way about The Smiths.

I don’t want them to reform, as much as I love them- I just don’t want them to. I’m unsure of my reasons, I suppose they are odd. Maybe you feel the same, maybe you don’t.

I’ll leave you with this. If The Smiths stayed together- they may have burnt out and made “bad” records(I doubt it). Instead, they quit whilst ahead and Morrissey became a great solo artist and Marr gave us Modest Mouse.

So, before you become a small minded fool and label them as “depressing.” Then proceed to label Morrissey as “arrogant”- just remember, they said what you thought in such a charming and sarcastic manner- and also with great wit.