In honor of Morrissey's new album World Peace is None of Your Business, Uncut released a list of the thirty greatest Smiths songs as chosen by various musicians. Though the list included a lot of predictable choices ("There is a Light That Never Goes Out," "This Charming Man") and some unexpected ones ("Half A Person," "This Night Has Opened My Eyes"), some excellent songs were left off. Here are twelve Smiths songs that are missing from Uncut's list but should have earned a spot.
1. Jeane
Though most of the Smiths' earliest songs were pretty gloomy (look no further than the next few songs on this list), "Jeane" was the punchy, peppy exception. Originally released as a b-side to "This Charming Man," leaving "Jeane" off of the Hatful of Hollow and Louder Than Bombs compilations was an awful shame.
2. Pretty Girls Make Graves
With its bouncy yet sinister rhythm and drizzly guitars, "Pretty Girls Make Graves" epitomizes the grey, rainy atmosphere that I listen to the Smiths' debut album for. The instrumental outro alone makes this a post-punk classic.
3. Still Ill
If you take the energy of "This Charming Man" and meld it with the atmosphere of "Pretty Girls Make Graves," you'd get "Still Ill," which contains Morrissey's brilliant critique of his British peers: "England is mine, it owes me a living/But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye."
4. Suffer Little Children
"Suffer Little Children" might be among the least catchy songs the Smiths ever wrote, but one brilliant songwriting decision makes the entire song for me: Johnny Marr's spine-tingling progression of B minor, E, G# minor, and G at the end of each section, first heard between :30 and :35, which transforms a traditionally pretty ballad into something far more ghostly.
5. Girl Afraid
Johnny Marr's considered an indie rock guitar hero because of songs like "Girl Afraid," one of the best examples of Marr's intricate arpeggio talents and unreal sense of melody.
6. Rusholme Ruffians
If "Girl Afraid" introduced us to Johnny Marr's rockabilly influence, "Rusholme Ruffians" cemented it. However, Morrissey's the true star here, working with a simple, repetitive chord progression to give us a dozen brilliant melodies, not to mention some of his best lyrics.
7. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
The exclusion of this song from Uncut's list was pretty surprising to me, as I always assumed it was considered a Smiths classic. It's an unusual song, with a fake fade-out and guitars that seem to rise from the dead, but it's still one of the band's best ballads.
8. Nowhere Fast
The Smiths rarely ever flexed their rock 'n' roll muscles, but when they did, the results were totally exhilarating, such as "Nowhere Fast," which boasts some great rockabilly riffs and one of Johnny Marr's rare "guitar solos."
9. Well I Wonder
Before its inclusion on Uncut's list, my vote for most underrated Smiths song was "This Night Has Opened My Eyes." I'm now changing my vote to "Well I Wonder," which is one of the most achingly beautiful songs not just by the Smiths, but by anyone, especially in the '80s.
10. Ask
"Shyness is nice, and shyness can stop you/From doing all the things in life you'd like to." If there's a single introvert on planet Earth who can't relate to that, then they're lying about being introverted. This is the best pop song of the Smiths' later period.
11. Is It Really So Strange?
In '86-87, the Smiths went through a "glam rock" phase, where their songs starting taking on the bright pop sheen of T. Rex and other '70s glam bands. Among these songs were the unimpeachable "Panic," "Shoplifters of the World Unite," "Sheila Take A Bow," and "Is It Really So Strange," though the last of these is perhaps the most overlooked, relegated as a B-side.
12. I Won't Share You
When Johnny Marr found an old autoharp lying around the studio, he and Morrissey quickly wrote and recorded this song and placed it as the last track to the band's last album Strangeways, Here We Come, proving that these two were brilliant partners right up until the end.
What are your favorite Smiths songs? Let us know in the comments section!
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