I don't remember the movie, but sometime in 1993, I heard my first ever song by The Smiths. The movie definitely wasn't from 1993; I was watching it in 1993. And it wasn't Pretty in Pink; there is a Smiths song on that soundtrack, but I never noticed it when I watched the movie previously. Since I didn't know the name of the song, I did what any music fan in 1993 would do, and watched the music section of the credits. There were only two songs I didn't know. I asked my brother which one he thought it was, and he told me it was the one by The Smiths.
The song? "How Soon Is Now?" This is arguably the band's best known song (and yes, it was covered by Love Spit Love for The Craft soundtrack), and probably the most cliched song to hear as my first real Smiths song. The opening lyrics are amazing, and it's the kind of song that brings a listener physically into the music. In high school and college, I spent a lot of time listening to music in my room, and this was one of those songs that painted a clear visual for me - people in a club, dancing, making awkward eye contact, going home wrapped in anxiety. I had a similar experience with Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Joy Division, man.
Anyway, "How Soon Is Now?" is my favorite Smiths song, followed closely by "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" (also a great cover of this song by the band Loquat - come because you enjoy The Smiths, stay for what sounds like a xylophone) and "Shoplifters Of The World Unite." Check them out if you like songs about awkwardness, isolation, love, loneliness, and staying home. I also recommend Marc Spitz's novel How Soon Is Never?, which is a fun story even if you're not a fan of the band. I'm also a fan of the essay, "Viva Morrissey!" from Chuck Klosterman's book Chuck Klosterman IV. It's about attending a Smiths fan convention.
There's a new movie out right now (you can rent it on Prime) called Shoplifters of the World. It's about a group of Smiths fans celebrating on the day the band broke up (they broke up in 1987) and a subplot focused on a super fan who takes a radio station hostage and forces the DJ to play Smiths songs. This last part is based on a legend about a guy in Denver who planned to take over a radio station and do the same thing. He never went through with it, but it became part of The Smiths mythology. My weekend plans are to watch this movie like The Smiths fan I am. It might be terrible. It might be awesome. Either way it'll be an hour or two of me getting to listen to people talk about how much a band meant to them. I miss having conversations like that.
Enjoy today's piece - the opening lyrics to "How Soon Is Now?" There are so many good lyrics in this song, including my favorite, "I am human and I need to be loved/Just like everybody else does," and the entire last section, but the opening lyrics are so great, I couldn't resist stitching them today.
And, yes, I did listen to The Smiths at 10 am today.
Thread palette: DMC C310 (2 strands), C3799 (3 strands)
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