1986 didn’t start well for Britain’s favorite indie band of the 1980s. The single titles written by singer Morrissey such as “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” or “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” have long been part of everyday language on the island. And the very special aura of the Mancunians had long since reached the USA with their huge fan potential. But there was a huge crisis within the band.
After the successful completion of the American tour, bassist Andy Rourke was temporarily retired due to ongoing problems with heroin. In addition, there were business and contractual difficulties with their main label Rough Trade in London. It’s all a bit difficult to understand from the outside, because the quality of their new songs, such as the late 85 single “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” was still extraordinarily high. Despite all these quarrels, at least the – also not unproblematic – division of labor between the creative duo Morrissey and Johnny Marr delivered a continuous output.
June 1986 was once again dominated by The Smiths. The LP’s inner gatefold sleeve showed the band peacefully united in front of “Salford’s Lads Club”. A pose that has since been recreated thousands of times by the international fan base between Malmö and Melbourne at the original location in Manchester.
The Smiths’ star never shone brighter than in 1986
Ten songs are on the original pressing of their third album, which was celebrated by international critics precisely because of its variety. The Smiths came out of the constant whining niche, Morrissey and Marr had apparently fought fruitful duels.
Eternal pearls like “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” or “Bigmouth Strike Again” can be found on “The Queen Is Dead” as well as the (ironic?) hopping rhythm of “Frankly, Mr. Shankly”. All classics of British guitar pop, which helped them to a brilliant stadium tour in the USA. In 1986, The Smiths’ star shone at its brightest commercially and artistically.
Only pessimistic observers would see the song “I Know It’s Over” as a portent, with the eccentric Morrissey lyrically processing the internal struggles of the Smiths. Should the lyric “I don’t know where else I can go – I know it’s over – and it never really began” be interpreted as referring to everyday life in the band?
Today we know better. With the exclusive single “Panic” following the album “The Queen Is Dead”, Morrissey turned against the emerging dancefloor culture in an unelegant way. DJs and thus the (black) club culture were equally kicked into the bin. An affront to the soul roots of his music director Johnny Marr.
1986 was a big year for The Smiths; but as in a Greek drama, ruin was already lurking on the horizon at the moment of victory: Massive rumors swept through the London media landscape that farewell was near. The Twilight of the Gods was to follow in 1987.