“I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does.” This song came out when I was 14. It goes to another level hearing again as a 50 year old!

The Smiths changed my life in 1985. I learned to be happily depressed!😃

Oh, you've opened the floodgates now. Smiths fans are a passionate and particular lot.

I used to think as a kid that He was saying "I Am the Sun; I Am the Air" but it's "I Am the Son; I Am the Heir" lmao

You're absolutely spot on on your Joy Division comparison, both were Mancunian and both were contemporaries. Both wrote hymns to the loneliness of the human soul that all of us can relate to.

That intro is one of the most imitated guitar riffs. Very iconic.

You are one of VERY few reaction channels who have remained sincere and authentic to your purpose... thank you for not "faking it" and compromising your vision! It keeps us coming back xx

Johnny Marr's guitar is haunting and beautiful and is the sound of British 80's rock. One of my favorite songs ever.

The part where he says "it's a club, and you've got to go, you could meet somebody who really loves you " is haunting and familiar to those who go out to a social environment, like a nightclub/bar with all intentions of meeting up with someone, but are too shy or socially closed off to meet anyone, and end up leaving alone is depressing and sad

The Smith's - one of the best bands of the 80s. Listen to "Bigmouth Strikes Again", "Panic", "Ask"

One of the three best songs that define this genre...the other two are "Love will Tear Us a Part" by Joy Division and "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen.

Great reaction. You called it with the Joy Division comparison. The Smiths and Joy Division were both from Manchester, England, and they are a huge part of the city's cultural legacy. They are also both known for their haunting, depressive lyrics. Joy Division had broken up a few years earlier (in a time when everything was moving very fast), but were the leading lights of Postpunk at its peak, and their end is often referred to academically as the beginning of New Pop, when all that darkness and gloom gave way to chart-friendly Synthpop and New Wave acts. Meanwhile, Joy Division's followers were sowing the seeds of Goth. In the midst of all this, Morrissey and Johnny Marr of The Smiths were rewriting the rule book for a whole new, miserablist brand of Rock that has since become known as Indie. There were Indie bands before (including Joy Division), but The Smiths became the ultimate UK Indie act of the 80s. (In the US, our closest equivalent would have been R.E.M. but we used the term "Alternative" more back then, over here in the states). As you probably know, Joy Division became New Order after the death of singer/lyricist Ian Curtis. Did you know that their guitarist (and New Order vocalist) Bernard Sumner also had a hit supergroup with Johnny Marr of The Smiths? In fact, two of their biggest hits also featured Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. The band was called Electronic, they made three albums in the 1990s, and the first songs to check out are "Getting Away with It" (1989/US#38, USd#7, USmr#4, UK#12) "Get the Message" (1991/USd#8, USmr#1, UK#8), "Disappointed" (1992/USd#6, USmr#9, UK#6), and "Forbidden City (1996/UK#14). The Smiths were only around for a few years (1983-87) but they released a BOATLOAD of classic singles (19!!!), four LPs, and three compilations. And this is when singles were on 7" records, and The Smiths put as much love and care into their B-Sides as they did their A-sides and their LPs, so almost everything they did was pretty darn great. A more rabid fan might ask for all their singles to be reacted to, but I'll throw out a selected list. They only made a handful of videos, so that's a good place to start since their songs with videos are among their best known. And before you dive in, you should probably know that "How Soon Is Now?" was a one-off and nothing they ever did would sound like that again. Morrissey's solo B-side "Disappointed" has a similar guitar part, and Johnny Marr's Alternative classic "Dogs of Lust" with the band The The has a similar, swampy atmosphere, but that's as close as they'd get. As stylistically diverse as they were, their other stuff almost always had a jangly guitar sound between The Byrds, R.E.M., and The Pretenders, but somehow better than all of those (which is no mean feat). I know you checked out "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" and How Soon Is Now?" but here are a few others to get you started. Most of the "official videos" are the right versions. Their videos are rarely as artsy as their audience might suggest. Most are straightforward performance clips and some are just their Top of the Pops (a UK chart show) performances, which were typically lipsynced. These performances are still classic, though, giving an insight into the persona of Morrissey - a frontman like no other: "This Charming Man" (1983/UK#25) "What Difference Does It Make?" (1984/UK#12) "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (1984/UK#10) "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (1985/UK#23) "Bigmouth Strikes Again" (1986/UK#26) "Panic" (1986/UK#11) "Ask" (1986/UK#14) "Shoplifters of the World Unite" (1987/UK#12) "Girlfriend in a Coma" (1987/UK#13) "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" (1987)

“There is a light that never goes out” is a must!

This song is PERFECTION!! In my top 25 favorite songs of all time...dont judge me...I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does...😎🔥🤘❤

check out "this Charming Man" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by The Smiths.

Last verse has been cut... "When you say it's gonna happen now When exactly do you mean? See I've already waited too long And all my hope is gone.."

If somebody asked me what the 80's sounded like, it would be this song.

The sound of North England. Overcast, blackened brick industrial estates, coal ashes dating back to the industrial revolution paving back alleys. The birthplace of steam driven cotton mills, water pumps in deep mines, powered locamotion, economy of mass production, and power base of the Global Empires, and of our modern civilization.

I've not heard anything like this before, is why they were instantly famous.

I'm 29 and my brother recently got me into this song, he's 23!

Echo and the Bunny Men. It's time.

Big Mouth Strikes Again by The Smiths, it's a great song.

This is the "Angst" anthem for the Youth in the 1980's with a haunting musical melody and melancholy lyrics.. Simply brilliant !

I think Morrissey described himself as a “professional miserablist” once. He’s a unique cat.

"Every day is like Sunday"

"Girlfriend In a Coma" is my fav by The Smiths.

Dude, your open mindedness about music is great to see. So many people are closed off to different styles, so more power to you.

Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want is a classic Smiths track. Honourable mentions to There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, This Charming Man and Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. They're synonymous with slightly distorted, depressing and pessimistic music. Morrissey's voice is iconic, it's a voice that you instantly know it's him.

Dude, you *must* listen to the full length version. 6m 36s IIRC. Shorter cut misses the guitar solo (a rarity for a Smiths song) and a phenomenal beat-drop & rebuild sequence which still does the goosebump shit for me 35+ years later. Thanks for another great vid.

in 2009 i went to a Morrissey concert. it was amazing - dude's voice stayed exactly the same as it was 30 years back! it sounded so good i could have sworn i was listening to a studio recording rather than live performance. his music is so rich and unique. one of the best contributors to music ever.

This song is utterly insane. Marr said he was never able to replicate the guitars properly if I remember correctly. Listen to last night I dreamt that somebody loved me

The boy with the thorn in his side; Rubber ring; Well I wonder; Ask; Bigmouth strikes again; Shoplifters of the world unite; Heaven knows I'm misereable now. These are good choices to listen to. The video clip for "How soon is know" brings a much shorter version of the original song, with part of the lyrics being left out as well.

"I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar." My favorite band of all-time. The first band that I heard as a 15-year old whose lyrics actually made sense to me.

if you were into 80's New Wave, this song was probably in your top 10 (was for me), and every guy i knew, wanted to be with the girl in this video

I would pay money to go back and hear this song for the first time again, the intensity of things at that age, feel so lucky to have been a 15 year old and experience that music when it was released.

Only The Smiths could being miserable so much fun. Marr on ace guitar. My own favourite is the Never Played Symphonies, though that's Morrissey solo I think. Well worth the listen.

The "club if you'd like to go..." verse is absolutely timeless. Everybody visits this club at some stage. Hopefully not too often though.

This is one song I love to listen to in the dark to become totally immersed in the music.😁👍🎶❤️ There is a light that never goes out is one you have to listen to.

Billy Corgan said when he first heard this song his mind was blown, nothing had ever sounded like it before. And you're very right its got Joy Division vibes... pretty much the people who were listening to the Smiths were also listening to Joy Division at the time, good observation. Basically you'd be called a "new waver" if you were dressing like this and listening to his music.

Please do some Roxy Music, "More Than This", "Avalon", "Love Is The Drug".

Check out their song “Ask”!

''The boy with the torn in his side.'' is their best song

Fan for 31 yrs here. I'm 45. Fell in love with his music in 1991. He's changed my life. Love him so much. 💙Ⓜ💙Ⓜ💙Ⓜ💙Ⓜ

Panic, Everyday is like Sunday, I Know it's Over, Hairdresser on Fire When this song came out Morrissey made a point of saying that he had no idea who the girl is in the video nor had he ever met her. And that the Smiths basically had nothing to do with the video. The record company just put it together and released it. During their Queen Is Dead tour I was lucky enough to get pulled on stage by Morrissey along with many others to dance when he called all the security at the concert nothing but marshmallows. The difference between going to a Smith's concert and going to see Iggy Pop is that a Smith's concert the fans throw flowers to show their appreciation. And that an Iggy Pop concert they spit to show there's. Nobody does misery like Morrissey!

The UK 80's was full of nicey nice pop music but The Smiths kept us down and real . Amazing voice and amazing relatable lyrics ❤

I love how Jayvee can pull off the freshness that he is hearing all these songs for the first time. I am guessing Jayvee is well versed in various music styles, genres and eras but he makes people feel warm and fuzzy about what they like.

It's interesting you make the comparison with Joy Division. This is probably the only Smiths track that has that similarity. However, in later years Johnny Marr (the lead guitarist of the Smiths) and Bernard Sumner (of New Order, the group formed out of Joy Division) formed a band or "supergroup" called Electronic.

"...of a shyness that is criminally vulgar" only Morrissey could come up with a line like that! I played this song on a loop after having had my heart broken. That crying, vibrating guitar, couldn't have expressed pain better. If you would reconsider reacting to Siouxie and the Banshees' "Rhapsody", or Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm", "Cherub Rock" or "Tonight", or Bad Brains' "I against I- it would so make my day! Any of these songs are 100% worth listening to!

Morrissey/The Smith's are the absolute epitome of melancholy. When you are in a depression, the lyrics, the voice it soothes you, it understands your pain...when you are in positive spirits they almost make you laugh with a strange nostalgia for what you have made it through. "When you're dancing and laughing and finally living, hear my voice in your head and think of me kindly"-- "Rubber Ring"/The Smiths

The Stone Roses - I am the resurection PLEASE!!!

Every alternative dance club in the late 80s played this. And it was good.

Oh my! It reminds me of high school. Listening to The Smiths, driving to the coffee shop at 2 a.m., smoking clove cigs and drinking loads of coffee, and talk about the most important and intellectual philosophies of life.

This song, "Fly on the Windscreen" by Depeche Mode, and "Everyday is Halloween" by Ministry were all dancefloor fillers at my favorite haunt.

The only good thing about the tv show Charmed was the time the intro song got stuck in my head, i looked it up 5 years later in college, and discovered The Smiths.

30+ years of listening to this song and it still affects me when I listen to it.

The Smiths are Champions and spokespeople for awkward teenagers everywhere. Lead singer is a huge Oscar Wilde fan. They helped me out so much when I was young and, as an older adult, I enjoy them just as much. In fact, I wore my Smiths "Meat is Murder" shirt today while I was out running errands. ❤ Too many good songs with good memories for me to request but I hope you do more of them.

I heard this when I was 16 years old. It was the first song I ever heard that really resonated with me. So different than anything else on the radio at the time. I started listening to WFNX in Boston. It was the birth of the alternative format. A great time to be into this stuff.

Wow, so glad you’ve discovered The Smiths, there’s no turning back now...enjoy!!

16 years old, living alone working a YTS . Johnny and Morrisey got me through some hard ,tough , cold and mad times.Keep it up Jayvee you're speaking my language.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Oh my teenagers years, feeling no one understood me!

Even back in the 80s it took a few listens to get the Smiths 😊

The song that defined a decade. It's a masterpiece in my opinion. Glad you discovered it!

"Well I Wonder" please if you dont mind, really want that song to reach bigger audience. Very underrated.

Morrissey is a lyric master ❤️

The soundtrack of my teen angst. Then it turned up as the theme music for Charmed in the 90s

One of the ultimate 80s songs. Thanks for the reaction and I hope you introduce a new generation to The Smiths!

I went alternative clubbing in the late 80s and early 90s, and this song always got played once a night.,... when those opening notes would start, the whole vibe of the club would change and a whole different group of people would take the floor... some of the most artistic and expressionful dancing I ever saw in a club. You never left the club til after this song was played (well, and : Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus). Just meandering memories of an old X'er

If you were in an alternative clique in high school you listened to the Smiths. You just did. Morrissey, the lead singer, had a solo career too. If you want to go that way try 'Suedehead'.

MORRISSEY. The KING and QUEEN. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏻✊🏼♥️♥️♥️

Absolutely one of my favorite recording artists (The Smiths & Morrisey). This is definitely one of my favorite songs ever. The song is classic. One of the best ever produced from lyrics to production values. Still fresh 30+ years later.

Isn't it a joy to watch someone that loves music hear a song you really like for the first time? It's like watching them open a gift you treasure as well.

Just occurred to me that you need to check out The Cocteau Twins!

I had a punk babysitter who was into this kind of 80’s alternative and goth music, and she used to play The Smith’s for me. I loved the dark and melancholy feel of their songs. For some reason I didn’t really listen to the SMITHS until my 20’s. I knew a few songs like this one, big mouth strikes again and there is a light that never goes out, (still my fav smiths songs) but i didn’t buy any of their music band really listen until I was older. An older guy who listened back when they were big told me that kids like him always were either team Smiths or team The Cure. Idk how true that is but it reminded me how ppl used to be team Beatles or team stones. I think I’d have been team stones and team smiths bc I like darker sounding bands. As it is I like songs from all of them. Less so the Beatles although there’s a lot of nostalgia with the Beatles bc I had a step dad for a few years (who was one of my fav step parents) who was big into the Beatles. But anyways one of my fav lines of all time comes from a smiths song. /if a double decker bus, hits the two of us, to die by your side, the pleasure the privledge is mine/

Love that you did this!! Took me straight back to my youth! Love this album!!

I'm not a huge Smiths fan really. But this is in my top 3 songs of all time. It's genius. The guitar riff is unbelievable. I did have the rare experience of meeting Morrisey when I worked at a London radio station.

You have to check out their song “Ask!”

The Smiths had many, many good songs, but my favourites are "What Difference Does It Make" and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" .. I think you'll really enjoy them too .. Wayne

I love how you described his voice as haunted! I think that is the perfect word to describe it, it carries an emotional weight to it

The impact of this band was immense back in 1983/1984. When you remember what sort of pop tunes were constantly played on the radio stations, this band came to the surface with such an exquisite and deep tunes/sensations. And the music, oh the music. Back to basics, this was the mantra with The Smiths, when pop music was full of keyboards and all kinds of ultra electronic sounds.

Smiths is the best band of all time by NME magazine

You are very clever to link The Smiths to Joy Division. Genre wise they could be both considered - post punk - among other things and it's the same era and such. yeah you did good! :-D

I had typed up the lyrics and asked the high school librarian to make a copy. She read it and had the most concerned look when she asked, “Did you right this?” Love the Smiths.

The very opening guitar riff has been sampled and used in so many tracks, it's had a life of it's own. Cheers from Down Under;)

It's something a lot of people missed in the 80's somehow: Morrissey is a gay man from working class Northern England. When he says "You shut your mouth How can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved Just like everybody else does", that's a big part of what he is talking about. And in being the heir of "nothing in particular", its not just about his isolation and shyness, but about being from Northern England, which was the industrial, working class part of England getting utterly destroyed in the 1980's, the "heir of nothing in particular". He always has this back and forth with where he is from that comes out in the music, so even if it feels universal, it is grounded very much in his and his band mates' lives.

And here...The Smiths got me through my teenage years and never, till you just said it, did I think of them in relation to Joy Division. You aren't wrong. There is a Manchester thing going on there.

Aaaah yes 🙌 The Smiths were with me the whole way through my nursing career in the 80’s. Love Love Love 💕

Best song of the 80's! truly unique sounding! This was an anthem for introverts, and could actually get them on the dancefloor when played :)

Do Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now!

It's too bad that this wasn't the complete version of the song. It's missing the last verse, which ties the whole message. The lead singer for The Smiths is Morrissey, he has been bisexual, asexual/celibate and has expressed that he doesn't like any of those labels. In other words, he's complex and different. This song is about him not finding where he belongs, then he hears about a club with people like him, he goes there just to find out that he's an outcast even among outcasts. Then he's told to not worry and that he will soon find someone to love, which is when he asks how soon is now? Because he's been waiting his whole life.

Love The Smiths...have for years. There is a unique and odd beauty in the contrast between music that makes you want to happily dance and lyrics that make you want to cry.

Still gives me goosebumps every time I hear this song.

You'll find that there is no "type" of people who love The Smiths/Morrissey. From gang members, to housewives, to lawyers, to strippers, to school teachers, to, well, anyone can be a fan of The Smiths/Morrissey. I love them, but would I die for them? Probably not. So maybe I'm not a real fan, then.

Jay you should check out 'Hazard' by Richard Marx, you might like it

Wall dancing & spinning through 1985 at The Starck Club, Dallas. It was magical.

Love your perspective on music , we all see something different based on our experiences , you keep it real and just add to the narrative in a positive way, you're a kind person , never forget that 👍

Watch old versions of Charmed and this was the theme tune

The theme from CHARMED AND THE CRAFT

Reminds me of The TV series Charmed with Shannen Doherty. This was the intro song in some parts of the world. Great song.

One of my favorite songs by The Smiths

Like seriously, there is no such thing as a bad Smiths song.