So why is The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
The Smiths are a band that I “missed” entirely until I was perhaps in my mid-30s or so. And then one day, probably while poking around some Internet radio station or early streaming music service, something clicked and I got it and a whole new world of music opened up for me.
In its greatest 500 albums rankings, Rolling Stone described The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead as “mope rock with its eye on grandeur.” I kind of like that, but feel The Smiths are mope rock perhaps, but not bum out music. It’s energetic and striking moody music* that never ranges over into sad territory.
* In fact, I have a massive Spotify playlist that I’ve curated for years called The New Mood, which captures a range of bands that represent this kind of vibe.
On “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” fast-paced jangle pop matched with Morrissey’s consistently clever lyrics, great voice, and unusual melodies show off the best of what The Smiths can do.
The title track, “The Queen Is Dead,” is about as “hard” rock as The Smiths get, which meets my personal sensibilities in a great way. I love the way that Morrissey’s vocal part resolves during the verses on this one.
There’s something insanely catchy about “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.” I puzzled over its lyrics –based on the oddball song title and the phrase’s repetition throughout the song – and couldn’t make much sense of it. But what does make sense to me is that the song again reflects a perfect blend of energy, catchiness, and a moody sensibility that gives “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” a weight (that may or, likely, may not have anything to do with the bigness of some girls versus others).
Some stats & info about The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? British Bands, Rock Music, Indie Pop, College Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #113
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Queen Is Dead released? 1986
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #381 out of 1,000
The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Oh, has the world changed, or have I changed?
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.