“The Smiths Do Not End” — And Never Will, Thanks To Morrissey
An Opinion Piece by Fiona Dodwell
“I am well aware of the Smiths’ rise in recent years, and their affirmed position in our cultural heritage. It proves how taking risks can work beautifully … and if you don’t take risks when you make music then what the hell are you doing making music? It was always about a refusal to surrender to enemy propaganda — something I still face today just as much as I faced it in 1983, 84, 85, 86 and 87. The Smiths do not end.”
These were Morrissey’s words as published recently on his site Central. For fans, for those who have followed the singer and his decades of musical releases, his words hit the nail on the head.
The Smiths were great for the same reason Morrissey as a solo artist is — yet, as he quite rightly points out — he has been demonised for the same qualities his seminal pop group were praised for. Nothing has changed for Morrissey, from the 80’s when he fronted the acclaimed group, up until the present, where he continues to challenge the narratives that overshadow society and the mainstream media.
These thoughts bring to mind the divisive flock who often rear their ugly heads on social media to proclaim their love of The Smiths, all the while saying they refuse to support the Morrissey of today. Such beliefs, founded on very shaky ground, are easily dismantled when one realises that The Smiths are the essence of Morrissey and one cannot divide him from their releases and cultural importance.
Without the Morrissey they so love to criticise today, The Smiths would not have become the band people so clearly and publicly adore. There would be no This Charming Man, no Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now or The Queen is Dead. The two — Morrissey and the band — are irrevocably twinned, and it is asinine to attempt to separate them.
There are very few who would dare to contend that another voice, another lyricist, could have brought to life some of the miraculous moments in the pop group’s active years. Whether it’s the achingly raw melancholy of his delivery in Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, or the jarring, almost hypnotic mood he rouses in Meat Is Murder, Morrissey brought something so unique and distinct to the table that no other artist could have ever replicated it.
Morrissey was the face of the group, the heart of it. He was the voice of a jilted generation back then, as he is now. To try to minimise his relevance is to re-write history in the most absurd and wholly disingenuous way. It is undeniable that it was Morrissey who gave The Smiths their edge. If the band had not had such an intelligent, opinionated and charismatic frontman, there would certainly have been great music from the band, but the group would not have become the adored icons of their generation in the ways in which they have. It was Morrissey’s mind and soul that conjured the sobering beauty of morality in Meat Is Murder, and created the poetical landscapes glimpsed in the words of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. It was Morrissey who pushed the boundaries, who stood firm as an anti-establishment figure, penning politically charged tracks at a time when — much like now — to be outspoken and controversial was a huge risk.
A number of critics and detractors may continue to try to steal or edit Morrissey’s solo accomplishments (whilst still lavishing their praise upon The Smiths) because they do not agree with his views. This is clearly nothing to do with the music, and more to do with their own mindset and cognitive limitations.
In reality, Morrissey remains the same outspoken, frank and witty provocateur now that he was back at the beginning. Perhaps the people who bemoan how they can’t align themselves with Morrissey due to his convictions and opinions are actually the ones who have changed. Maybe age has dulled their capacity for independent thought? Perhaps the spirit of free-speech and rebellion they once admired in Morrissey now frightens them, as they scroll through social media to inform them what pre-approved cultural narratives they should be endorsing on any given day.
Perhaps, soberingly, it is that the youth of The Smiths in the 80’s affords respect and recognition from the music world and press, whereas increasing age seems to bring about a brittleness in their attitude; you’re suddenly labelled as a curmudgeonly and stubborn artist rather than one who provokes, challenges and inspires.
It is clear Morrissey helped to make The Smiths the adored band they are today, and anyone who professes love of them is confessing their love for him. The two are part of the same beating heart, and have fuelled generations with great art.
