Dynamic duos power many influential bands, including John Lennon and Paul McCartney and Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. One of the most notable pairings is Morrissey and Johnny Marr of The Smiths. Despite their brief existence as a band, they left an indelible mark on British guitar music. Their influence is still felt strongly today.
In just five years, the Manchester band released four studio albums. Their music helped transition from the punk era to the indie and alternative rock eras that followed. Morrissey’s dramatic performances and Marr’s dynamic playing formed the pinnacle of the group’s spear, which would deeply pierce the cultural fabric.
From the gothic atmosphere of the early single ‘What Difference Does It Make?’ to the industrial grooves of ‘How Soon Is Now?’, the quartet covered a wide range in their time. Each member became a legend in their respective fields. However, in a story as old as time, the group would quickly burn out in 1987. The competing characters of Morrissey and Marr stoked enormous acrimony due to changing artistic tastes and the trappings of fame.
Frontman Morrissey summed it up perfectly in the final track of The Smiths’ fourth and final album, Strangeways, Here We Come, released in 1987. Although the song is a tender acoustic composition, the frontman expresses his possessive nature. It expresses his reluctance to let Marr go and collaborate with others in the post-Smiths world. In one of the verses, he sings as explicitly as possible. “I won’t share you, no / I won’t share you. With the drive and the dreams inside / This is my time”.
Disagreements over the direction of their careers would bring things to a head and serve as the final nail in the coffin for the duo. Marr’s work with other artists such as Talking Heads also contributed to their split. Regarding the song’s pointed lyrics, Marr later recalled: “Someone brought them to my attention before we left his studio. There were raised eyebrows and ‘Whaddya think of that then?’ But that was all in a day’s work for me really, still is.”
Typically confident, he added: “If that sentiment came towards me, I feel quite good about it.” It’s nice.
