The first Smiths selection from my oldest daughter, Sophia, is ‘Pretty Girls Make Graves’ from the band’s 1984 self-titled debut album.
This song finds the narrator unable to reciprocate the sexual advances of an aggressive woman because he’s either gay, asexual, impotent, or simply afraid. Morrissey has always been cagey about his sexuality, but many of his lyrics suggest he is gay. Just as many suggest he isn’t interested in men or women. This song supports both readings.
My next featured song by The Smiths again comes courtesy of my younger daughter, Fiona. ‘This Night Has Opened My Eyes’ was recorded in September of 1983 for a BBC Radio program hosted by John Peel. Several songs from that appearance were released on compilation albums.
This is a good example of my daughters’ interest in The Smiths leading to a better appreciation and understanding of the band by me.
Way back in July of 2009, before this Song of the Day blog was even a year old, I posted a week’s worth of songs by The Smiths.
The reaction was swift and ugly: “Ugh!” “I can’t stand it!” “Grating!” “I can’t believe you are doing a whole theme week on the Smiths.”
Even my wife, largely a stranger to the blog’s comment section, chimed in to register her disgust.
Throwing back to the week of January 18, 1964, we find one of history’s greatest rock-n-roll songs tucked away at #2 behind Bobby Vinton’s ‘There! I’ve Said it Again..’
The Kingsmen’s ‘Louie Louie’ never made it to #1 but it is one of the best-known rock songs of all time, one of the most covered, and one of the most misunderstood. It’s an unintelligible three-chord masterpiece.
Throwing back to the week of January 16, 1954, we find Eddie Fisher’s ‘Oh My Papa’ with a stranglehold on Billboard’s Weekly Singles chart. The song, which I featured a few weeks back, clung to #1 from the beginning of the year through mid-February.
For a few of those weeks, including this one, it prevented a much better song from reaching #1. Dean Martin’s classic charmer ‘That’s Amore’ peaked at #2.
Meet Me In Montauk 