Love this song. For me, a masterpiece from the 80s. The album is fantastic too. But I love even more Meat Is Murder. I think you should hear The Headmaster Ritual and Barbarism Begins at Home, at least. You'd love these songs and particularly the basslines.

Trying to discern a single meaning from Morrisseys lyrics can be like navigating a minefield. He often switches focus midway through a song, and plenty of his lines have deliberately in built double meanings, some of his songs like this one are more 'themed' than specifically about one thing. That said, in the Queen Is Dead, it's worth noting that the imagery describes, as so often with Morrissey, British working class experiences: the pub and the church that leech poor people's health and money, kids pedding drugs, having to walk home (getting drenched). Set besides this, the Queen seems irrelevant and remote, yet she is also seen as a weird kind of mother figure, another source of dependence (like prayer and alcohol). The very people who would be set free (in a sense) by the abolition of pubs/church/royalty are the ones who defend it - life without her after all, would still be hard, but also somehow lonelier. It's a patently absurd situation and the song points to this - it's often overlooked that at his peak, Morrissey was most at home dealing in darkly comical ideas - not self-indulgent misery as many people imagine.

As far as I know not one person has reacted to Well I Wonder, it’s their greatest song, utterly spine-tingling..

Four fantastic studio albums and a place in the history of popular music. The Smiths stopped before somebody could tell them: "I've heard this one before".

Headmaster Ritual - its the bomb! Johnny Marr is amazing on that one

This is a great album NME called it the greatest album ever made and it’s one of greatest ever. A lot of great songs on here such as I Know It’s Over, Bigmouth Strikes Again, There is a light that never goes out. Bangers all through this album. The Headmaster Ritual is another great song by them and Barbarism begins at home

Ah yes, to be a working class lad in cold, rainy northern England in the 80s. Would I like to go back? Aye.

Thank you for the trip down memory lane...cruisin' in NYC/ blasting the Smiths and singing to the nightlife! LOL. Have a great day all!

Love The Smiths! This was a great album. It took me a while to get to grips with them, being a metalhead back in the day. Once I figured them out, there was no going back. Really original and influential band, certainly in the UK. I never found their music to be depressing. On the contrary, quite uplifting, sardonic and lyrically very witty, and often quite poignant. .

Ahh the band that I fell in love listening to. My first romance, my first heartbreak and just growing up in the 80's this band was the soundtrack to much of my life. This album is one of the best released in that decade. The Queen is Dead is actually my fave track but honestly the whole album is simply exquiste.

The Smiths are in my top 10 bands of all time. Morrissey’s emotional and lyrical resonance truly shakes me to the core. I’m so glad you’re reacting to their magnum opus. Please listen to the rest!

This is The Smiths best album, saying a lot as all their albums are great. There is a Light That Never Goes Out is its best song.

Morrissey always got a lot of attention, but Johnny Marr was/is one of the greatest guitarists/sidemen of his generation.

Great song. Great lyrics, great guitar, great drumming, great bass.

A masterpiece of an album there’s not a bad track

This and Shoplifters of the World are my 2 favorite Smiths songs. The whole album is great.

Great reaction, Justin. You always bring some inteto these songs.rest ng perspective

Oh, forgot, one my first real jobs was at a video rental place. My job was rewinding the tapes and sorting, plus cleaning and such. Be Kind And Rewind is a great lil movie.

One of the first CDs I ever bought in ‘84 (and I didn’t even have a CD player yet) was The Smiths Hatful of Hollow. There is something about the contrast between Morrissey’s somewhat mournful voice, his biting but poetic lyrics and the upbeat melodies that I find very appealing. Great timing too as last night I was watching another reactor listening to The Smiths Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now. 😊

Wow great reaction! You're so spot on especially about Andy Rourke's bass playing. Just subscribed. thank you!

The Smiths were one of the best 80's bands. Their whole discography is worth hearing Justin. Between Morrisey's unique voice and Marr's guitars they were very original (the bass and drums were darn good too.) One of my favorite 80's band's along with The Cure.

mate, you are far and away the most intelligent and intelligible reactor i have seen on you tube .excellent

Fantastic album 💿 bought this when it came out and have loved it ever since 👍

What a great reaction! Revisiting my youth😉❤️

The Smiths are one of my top ten favorite bands, so I. Am. Here. For. This. 👏👏👏 LOL at the olde tyme chain store list 👍

JustJP you really deserve props for reacting to songs that others seem to miss. Since you have visited this great album, you must react to their song "Bigmouth Strikes Again"! Looking forward to it!

Such a great album from start to finish... Those Drums!!!

Long live Morrissey!

Love the song and adore the album. I honestly think the album is flawless for the most part.

This is my fav song of theirs from a 40 year fan

Great reaction, please do the whole album, it's a genuine classic! The whole album goes all over the place, but somehow it all works... if you only listen to one other track, make it "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", one of the greatest songs of all-time, no exaggeration... PS the sample at the beginning is from a 1962 movie called The L-Shaped Room, one of the "kitchen sink dramas" beloved by Morrissey - it's sung by a lesbian character, which is partly what attracted Morrissey to it... PPS The extended jam outro is a homage to the Velvet Underground's "I Can't Stand It" PPPS And for anyone who says Morrissey doesn't have a sense of humour, "hey, I know you and you cannot sing... I said that's nothing, you should hear me play piano!" is a great gag!

The Headmaster Ritual is a fantastic song; being from Manchester it really resonates with me.

Try The King Is Dead by Go West, think you might like that, it has Kate Bush doing multiple backing vocals due to her connections to Alan Murphy being in the band and working extensively with Kate

Headmaster ritual

The bass.....follow the bass...Morrissey and Marr danced on moving plates

Jeez, it's been 35 years. Where the hell has the time gone?

Yes. Its about Britain, the British Monarchy, Prince Charles will become King when 'the Queen is Dead' Queen Elizabeth wears headscrarves that resemble a sling (that triangle of cloth when you've hurt your arm). He puns on 'queen' - a camp gay man. There was an incident where someone broke into the palace in London and had a night--time encounter with The Queen... So, to me, its a slightly incoherent but but amusing dig at the monarchy and yes, there are monumental tracks on this album, but this is just the atmospheric opener. Love your intelligent reactions and honest evaluations, keep it up!

Gotta check out Derek Jarman's 1986 video of the song to get it's full message, power, & intent. Johnny was inspired by The Velvet Underground & The Stooges for this track, hence the extended "1970" style outro & wah freakout. The single & album was a high point for The Smiths, wherein they'd leveled up from Indie upstarts to claiming the crown of their commercial popularity, subversively appropriating it to launch a bold Sex Pistols-style volley against the monarchy with a high budget video by underground _Jubilee_ filmmaker Jarman. The Smiths were very much a Punk band, but with a wink & broad literary palette.

Smiths purists would probably hate me for saying so, but my favorite Smiths' song is 'Ask', a non-album single... it's them at their most "pop", it's just such a bouncy, uplifting song. Probably their catchiest tune...

I particularly like the album "Meat is murder" for the songs "Headmaster ritual" and "Barbarism begins at home", but also "Strangeways, here we come" is full of great songs...for example "Paint a vulgar picture"...

the song and the entire album is Genius

This is the song that made me a fan

Great album! Although my favorite was their fourth and last, Strangeways, Here We Come. Check out Girlfriend in a Coma. Marr is a really talented guitar player. His work on the first album really shows off some of his Scotty Moore influence.

Check out The The's "Mind Bomb" album for Marr on guitar outside the Smiths. Review "Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)" or "The Beat(en) Generation" though "Violence of Truth" is better but maybe not for all audiences.

Funny to think Charles is *still* waiting for his turn 36 years later.

LOVE

You should definitely listen to some of the Jeff Buckley's songs such as "Grace", "Lover, You Should've Come Over" or "Mojo Pin". Basically everything is amazing. Love your vidoes, keep up the good work!

Masterpiece of an album i would say

A brilliant album, Johnny Marr's fantastic tunes and Morrissey's poignant, sardonic, yet witty lyrics. The whole band are on fire, not a bad track to be found. Yes, it's very British, but it seemed to travel well, this was huge in Australia as well as the UK. It is certainly well known amongst a certain age group in the US. Keep them coming, Bigmouth strikes again, The boy with the thorn in his side, Cemetry gates, from The Queen is dead. Or, Sheila take a bow, Girl afraid, This Night Has Opened My Eyes, This Charming man. So many great songs to choose from.

I Know It’s Over is the best track on the album. Looking forward to you reacting to it sometime. Rubber Ring is their big masterpiece, but it’s not on that album :)

A top band The Smiths with a wealth of good material. This track, maybe not the best showcase of Marr's skills, but it rollicks along, and has some great lyrics. The 'broke into the palace' verse, cracks me up. A musically diverse band. They could go from this, rockier side, to out 'n' out whimsy, then into a track as hauntingly sad, and beautiful as 'Suffer little Children'. Great band. * Around this time JP, Manchester, the bands home town produced a whole wave of crackin', and equally diverse bands: Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Black Grape, A Certain Ratio, New Fast Automatic Daffodils. Any, and all worth adding to your 'to check out' list.

Great song great album great band 👌

This is a perfect album. Not a stinker in the bunch.

okay, Johnny Marr... Morrissey... blah blah blah... those drums and bass are just hit so hard in this song. The chiming guitar at the end of this song is really good though. What I find really interesting about this song is how much the rhythm section - drums, bass and rhythm guitar, and even the vocals for that matter - catch the vibe of Pornography-era Cure. In a good way. Andy Rourke reminds me a lot of Simon Gallup or Peter Hook in the way he plays - often motoric, but really aggressive at times, with occasional super-cool harmonics or funky octaves.

Fantastic album, please listen to it all! Easily The Smiths best and that's really saying something.

I haven't listened to this album in a long while. I was very into the Smiths in the 80s. I thought this track was the worst on the album, although I remember hearing a live version that I preferred. Never quite sure what Morrissey was going on about, apart from the obvious attack on the monarchy. You are right about them being a very British band. I don't know how well they translate for an American, even an American who likes a lot of British bands. Interested to see if you decide to go through the rest of album, and what your final thoughts are.

I suppose the next logical reaction would be to How Soon Is Now?, but instead I would check out What Difference Does It Make? or William, It Was Really Nothing. Better yet, how about reacting to some early Psychedelic Furs? Amazing stuff! I would recommend either India, So Run Down, Pulse or Imitation of Christ. One of the best (and loudest) concerts I've ever seen.

Aww, you started your show with a clip from Yes "Starship Trooper."

First time I remember hearing the Smiths which may speak more of my memory than anything. I have seen them mentioned in mixed terms in Tartan Noir* novels by various authors. I didn't mind this nor was I wowed with it. I wouldn't mind hearing more just to be able to form a clearer opinion of them. * a category of dark crime novels by Scottish authors, the most notable being Ian Rankin though Christopher Brookmyre should not be discounted.

Love the baannd, but your singa is a bit pitchy… and whiny. I found the groove and was shimmying my shoulders and my neck and head were making circles, pretty good for this early in the morn. I think it was the end jam that got me, I just had to endure the vocals. Couple days agoo, I watched Johnny Marr and band play How Soon Is Now, and throughly enjoyed it with John’s vocals. It was cool to see the iconic guitar effect played using a slide bar. Made me want to work more with my slide. Overall, I gradually enjoyed the song more and more. More Marr than anything. Still riding the Airto high from yesterday, played the whole album at work, and messaged some friends about it, and linked it. Also, learned a lot on the history and construction of said tune… what else do you want? Geez, I appreciate this sanctuary. Thank You to the host and commentary whether yay or nays. Peace and pitchy Music

I queued to buy this album on the day it was released and it still gives me great pleasure. There are a couple of weaker tracks but, on the whole, it's got mainly good songs and a couple of great ones. Most Smiths fans think this album is their best but I prefer "Meat is murder" and "Hatful of hollow". This particular song is one of the heaviest they recorded and provides a nice counterpoint to their more melodic and delicate tunes.

Morrissey didn't like the monarchy and then found out that he was a distant cousin of the queen. So he's basically just slamming the monarchy and the whole concept of the "royal" family. He mentions prince Charles in there somewhere. A lot of people around that time felt it was time to get rid of the monarchy all together. Anyway that how I remember it. I think you may be ready to reintroduce yourself to REM. Pop REM is to early REM, as early Beatles is to Acid Beatles. Anything off of the first 3 records I think you'll appreciate. But I would specifically suggest 'Can't get there from here', 'Driver 8', 'Camera', or 'Perfect Circle'.

This album is superb!

Smiths - definitely the sound of eighties alternative music. This album is my fave, tough choice, but you can't lose with a song like Cemetery Gates or I Know It's Over. Morrissey preferred Strangeways - he said he knows he's right because he served the coffee...

I’m watching this literally as the Queen has died. Bizarre eh??

She's not dead, she's probably pining for the fjords. I like the subtle line you skipped over: "And talk about precious things Like love and law and poverty Oh, these are the things that kill me" is repeated but the 2nd line is changed to: "But the rain that flattens my hair..." So he's equating Love, Law and Poverty with the rain that flattens his hair. It all means the same to him, either they're all very important or none of it is.

Here's Johnny!

I bought The Queen is Dead when it came out having just heard and loved How Soon. That opening song wowed me and then it was all downhill, with a return to the top with Big Mouth. The sound exploration, the vibe, the jam: i wanted more of what the title track gave me. Instead i got Morissey's poetry (wonderful) but very limited musical invention. It all ends up sounding a bit the same to me. I always listened to this at top volume in my speakers, that's where the magic really happens.

You should definitely listen to the rest of the album

Woolworths!

No pressure to describe this masterpiece. I remember a funny time with an old friend of mine when I introduced him to this song and he wasn’t having it. He was criticizing it how he could give a shit about British history and royalty. All I could do was be like what the fuck!! And guess what? Over time and listening to it more it became one of his favorite songs. Go figure. By the way, Marr’s guitar work in this one is nothing short of sensational. Long live the Smiths.

The Headmaster Ritual next I would say don't feel Justin is embedded yet

It sound like a cross between WIRE and Duran Duran.

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out from this same album might be the greatest song of the 80's

Just a great album...Bigmouth Strikes Again.

There are still Albertson's out west.

Great bassist which I believe is Gary Day here.

Albertson's still exists.

Maybe check out Shoplifters Of The World next.

Not even in my top 25 Smiths songs. It's fun and funny, but this is a band you need to hear more to understand. The more you hear from this band, the more you love them! Morrissey is still a jerk, and the bassist and drummer need to get paid for their work.

THE MIGHTY SMITHS!

Good song but with a certain musical linearity overall. Although I listened to The Smiths for a while in the mid-80s, I never really liked the bombastic intonations in Morrissey's voice. but hey, it's his style after all ! There's a B-side of one of their single that I really like called "London". one of the Smiths' most powerful tracks musically with straightforward lyrics, all in just two minutes. I hope You could do that one someday !

It sounds like a cross between WIRE and DURAN DURAN.

Listen to Johnny Marr album Call the Comet.

Outliers: Points that lie outside of the middle zone of a sample of numbers. (So no "lee" in it.) In data, this would be suspected "noise". Values that are so far away from the average that they're likely to be oddities (and will often just be ignored). Nothing to do with the music, but no harm done, I hope. Of course sometimes the outliers are the real truth.

Outlier (OUT - liar) a data point that differs significantly from other observations. Outliers is the title of an interesting book by Malcolm Gladwell, too. As far as the music, not an outlier for me. ⭐️⭐️

Isn't this album by 87?

One of their best songs, but also try How Soon Is Now, The Death of a Disco Dancer and That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore.

These are outliers for extended jams, How Soon is Now? and The Queen is Dead. Most all songs not like this, at all, in regards to longer jams.

For me, not one of the most essential Smiths tracks, so I hope you move on and pick out some of their more famous songs to get to know this band.

Hey Justin! Be kind, please rewind. If not, it was like 3 bucks! Lol!📼📼📼💲💲💲

I don't listen to Morrissey now because of his far-right affiliation to the 'For Britain' party. I did enjoy hearing this again, though it is far from their best song. 'Stiil Ill', 'Old House' 'Cemetery Gates' are all great.

Hes saying she is a figure head and not relevant anymore. In the line where he says u can go for a walk where its quiet and dry and talk about precious things. Like love and law and poverty. Those are things he sees as more important than a useless monarchy

The Smiths were a band so lauded by the NME that it instantly made me resistant to anything they did. So I gave this short shrift at the time. Music was more tribal back then., and I was done with Manchester bands after Joy Division. Now it sounds great to me, and there's no denying that Johnny Marr was the most influential British guitar player of his era.

This is not generally my kind of sound, but I've always had a strange liking for The Smiths...maybe it's the very effective way they summed up the coldness of the social and political landscape of Britain in the 1980s. I have to admit, however, that their (quite small) discography is a bit hit and miss.

Just before this album was released a man broke into the Queen's bedroom and sat on her bed for about 10 mins before the alarm was raised. Rusty spanner etc references the lack of security. During the war the monarchy and the people were united against a common enemy, today it's out of touch and more or less irrelevant. A very good song but I still can't stand Morrissey.

Ah, The Smiths. This is lively enough. My brother has many times spoken highly of them, and I have done my best to absorb their musical wonders, as yet with no success. While they signified in his life, they never had that function for me; there are about seven years between us, which can be an eon in musical geology. Forgive me, JP, if I do not find myself able to contribute positively to this gathering of enthusiasts. [P.S. 'Outliers', presumably extrapolated from 'outlying', meaning 'those which out-lie', is probably pronounced as if it is 'out-liars'.]

If Morrisey didn't hate the royals so much, we'd have had a lot less amazing music to listen to.

The Smiths are one of those bands where I either love what they’re doing or I don’t. That said, this is pretty good. But honestly, it’s hard to like anything that Morrissey does, knowing what a bigot he is.

This song is good but the smiths have much more to offer than this one imo