The Smiths would often combine Johnny Marr's uplifting music with Morrissey's downbeat lyrics. Superficially, some of their songs could be perceived as depressing but the lyrics were always emotionally genuine and sometimes leavened with surprisingly effective humour.

One of the most important bands of all time

I was a lifelong fan since the first time I heard the queen is dead

🇬🇧 experiential poetics ! Masterfully expressed in Rock 🎸

That's the Smiths in a nutshell. Upbeat music, depressing lyrics. Great stuff

I am pleased you've reacted to a number of Smiths songs. Thank you! Here's a few more for you: I Want The One I Can't Have, Still Ill, The Queen Is Dead.

I just been watching your other Smiths reactions. The Smiths were about all I would listen to after first hearing 'Panic' the song that first got me hooked. They were the background music for my life during my teens and now at 53 am still listening and enjoy getting to see other people appreciating their work. So many good songs to choose from but I'll recommend 'What difference does it make?' As one to listen to. All the albums though are very good. A great band.

The music is so jangly and beautiful

I went to school in Manchester and this brings back all kinds of memories from that time!

Good stuff guys ... I love the smiths thanks

Lots of comments about Morrissey and Marr but the bass playing by the late great Andy Rourke was an equally important ingredient of the Smiths sound

U gotta check out "Still Ill" by them , one of my faves

You guys should listen to Cemetry Gates or Some girls are bigger than others ! Very good The Smiths songs.

Hello guys, from the same album, same tematic and same upbeat, 'barbarism begin home' is really really incredible song. You should reacted to it.

Really interesting that you point out the counterpoint between Marr's upbeat music and Morrissey's downbeat lyrics... one opposite example was Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (from The Queen Is Dead LP), which Marr thought was one of his best tunes to date, but he was disappointed when Morrissey came up with such a throwaway lyric... nice thoughtful reaction, thanks.

Listen to ‘ How soon is now ‘ for a classic Smiths anthem and ‘ Panic ‘ because it mentions my city’ Dundee ‘ in the lyrics 😊

More of the Smiths!! 💖

Thanks, if you're looking for suggestions, Half A Person, Meat Is Murder, Nowhere Fast, The Queen Is Dead

Please react to Barbarism begins at home by The Smiths similar theme

if i could only convey the memories this song brings back to simplier times. less hair now but I got to experience the greatest era of music.

Little ditty ...bout jack 🎶 n...Dan 🎶 john cougar mellencamp😅!!! 🇺🇸 🌎.

this was a real lovely video! would have loved to see y'all dig into the subject matter a lil more. also, you both seem like you have quite a sweet relationship. sub'd

i like the lyrics as i went to a school in the late 70s with caning, fight, persecution etc

Great reaction to a fantastic song, check out The Cure - “A Forest” it’s a big fan favourite

Well I Wonder is my fave Smiths tune try that one guys

A great song. To me it is about bullying. Eradicate bullying.

How soon is now by the smiths

If you want to compare a band in the same era as The Smiths but on the opposite side of the world have a listen to Hunters & Collectors 'Throw your arms around me'. The original- not the cover by Pearl Jam.

Great that you pick some old stuff from the Manchester boys. Still trapped in the 80´s sometime. ; ) However, is it for you more common to get into british-english language songs as a canadian, as it would be for an us-american? I spend a half year in Cleveland and it was for me sometimes a quite hard time to get all at once. When we had a trip to Canada (almost just Toronto), it felt so comfortable - it was so easy to me understanding people over there, with my Oxford-English kind of school lessons.

A classic!

The Smiths were one of the very few bands around that dealt with such complex and controversial topics like; abortion, child abuse, institutional abuse, hate crimes, LGBT+ issues, vegetarianism, gender roles and on and on. They're often dismissed as a depressing band, and Morrissey's post-Smiths career has not helped matters. But for a few years there, Morrissey and Marr created some of the best, most thoughtful and beautiful songs from the 80s.

I've always felt that people who claim The Smiths lyrics are depressing are kinda missing the point, or at least missing out on the humour. Blacker than black as it is.

This is a pretty good record of life in English schools in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Corporal punishment might have been phased out , but the daily casual brutality still carried on. I can vouch for that. I remember a sports teacher called Mr Hunt that regularly stripped naked and walked through the showers with Kipper the Slipper whacking our naked arses whilst slagging us off. It was the norm. Not all teachers were like that, the majority were doing their best. But there was room for what the smiths sing about here. I remember being punched by the bloke that ran the school library!

For something non-Smiths I suggest “Complete Control” by The Clash or “Monkey Gone to Heaven” by The Pixies.

Meat is Murder The Smiths best album by far in my opinion.

Please could you do Morrissey ft. Siouxie and The Bunshees - Interlude

the smiths seem to sound better as time goes on- i think the smiths split up after releasing their BEST record, strangeways here we come- pretty unusual as bands normally exit as the music gets weaker