Do you remember the first time you heard The Smiths or Morrissey

It was "There Is A Light", 12 years ago, while driving. I was addicted from the very moment.

Hello solo, btw. I'm new but still a long time reader, so... it doesn't surprise me that my nick wasn't already in use. U hateful basterds, I'll enjoy annoying you with my colourful happy loving attitude :flowers:
 
Re: When was the first time you heard The Smiths/Morrissey

If you did a little searching you'd find a thread with an almost identical title. Try not to flood the board with duplicate threads.

P.
 
Re: When was the first time you heard The Smiths/Morrissey

If you did a little searching you'd find a thread with an almost identical title. Try not to flood the board with duplicate threads.

P.



Okay Uncle Kewpie.

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I remember I first heard of them when I was doing some research into The Decemberists, a folk band based in Portland. I heard that the frontman Colin Meloy, was influenced by a band called The Smiths, so I thought I might like them. The first song I heard was 'The Queen is Dead' and I didn't care for it very much. I didn't listen to them again for another year, when I decided to give them another listen. I found 'Frankly Mr Shankly' and 'Big Mouth Strikes Again' and was hooked ever since. I was put off Morrissey by what a lot of Smiths fans said about it not being particularly good. Fortunately, November Spawned a Monster cleared me of that misconception. Now, a year later I've got everything by the Smiths save 'Jean,' and 'Wonderful Woman,' and the majority of Morrissey's solo stuff. Through him I have also discovered Siouxsie and the Banshees, another sensational band.
 
About 1985, lying in the bath about 10.30, listening to John Peel, as a teenager. He played Reel Around the Fountain and I had never heard anything like it. In fact, it was terrifying. Nearly 30 years on I'm still entranced and getting my first Morrissey tattoo in a couple of days time.
 
It was 1988, I was 12 years old, and my older sister had given me her copy of The Queen is Dead. I was completely moved by The Boy with the Thorn in His Side because I was feeling isolated at that time and even though I didn't understand much of the song, I got that part and I generally just loved the music. The title track was great for me - fast and rowdy - and the last two songs also quickly became favorites because of their lyrics and beautiful melodies. My sister's boyfriend then left Viva Hate in our kitchen drawer and I soon fell in love with that album, too. We lived in a small town in the midwest where access to anything was very difficult, but we went on a summer vacation to NYC and I was determined to get anything I could. I found a copy of Mick Middles' "The Smiths: The Complete Story," and I was in complete awe to have found so much information in one place about my heroes. I also picked up a few more albums on that trip and I've loved them ever since.
 
I had just turned 12 years old, in June of 1993, and I was attending a summer day camp. Mostly arts and crafts, and some writing. A girl who I was friendly with, Julie Tatarowicz, was always wearing Morrissey t-shirts. The first I remember her wearing was one with the single cover to "We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful". I asked her who this guy with the cute geek glasses on her shirt was, and she said "His name is Morrissey. He's soo amazing, and sensitive, and really alternative." I remember thinking how clean-cut and not alternative he looked, compared to what I thought of as alternative at the time, which was grunge. Very shallow of me, I know. :o

Anyway, Julie, being the sweet gal she was, made me a duplicate copy of "Viva Hate" (which she said I just had to listen to and was her favorite of his solo albums at the time) on cassette tape, and I couldn't believe how unique the music was that I was hearing. The lyrics were so intelligent and full of yearning, and the music was beautiful, and I was so taken with his warm, lovely voice.
I've been a fan ever since. :guitar:
 
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I had just turned 12 years old, in June of 1993, and I was attending a summer day camp. Mostly arts and crafts, and some writing. A girl who I was friendly with, and a year older than me, Julie Tatarowicz, was always wearing Morrissey t-shirts. The first I remember her wearing was one with the single cover to "We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful". I asked her who this guy with the cute geek glasses on her shirt was, and she said "His name is Morrissey. He's soo amazing, and sensitive, and really alternative." I remember thinking how clean-cut and not alternative he looked, compared to what I thought of as alternative at the time, which was grunge. Very shallow of me, I know. :o

Anyway, Julie, being the sweet gal she was, made me a duplicate copy of "Viva Hate" on cassette tape, and I couldn't believe how unique the music was I was hearing. It was edgy and beautiful, really classic but very modern. I've been a fan ever since. :guitar:
Now 12 year old girls listen to Justin Bieber!!! :(
 
Yeah. I think it was in the Broadfield pub on Abbeydale rd. Sheffield. Girlfriend in a coma was on the jukebox. I didn't take any notice of it and didn't become a fan until about 2 yrs. later when someone with the nickname 'flexiface' gave me a tape with stuff from Hatful and The world won't listen on.
 
Yeah. I think it was in the Broadfield pub on Abbeydale rd. Sheffield. Girlfriend in a coma was on the jukebox. I didn't take any notice of it and didn't become a fan until about 2 yrs. later when someone with the nickname 'flexiface' gave me a tape with stuff from Hatful and The world won't listen on.
:lbf:
 
Well I had heard the name The Smiths and, er, I liked the name. SO I looked them up on Spotify (this was only a matter of years ago) and put on the only song of their's I'd properly heard of (This Charming Man, which I recalled from a Guitarist magazine interview with Johnny Marr, whom I was then unfamiliar with) and swooned with delight.

I was rather a big Van Halen fan at this point I recall (bizarre right?) and The Smiths made me realise how utterly misguided I was - Van Halen were flashy meaningless showoffs making pumped up cartoon rock, I now realised. The Smiths were my first contact with "alternative" music, which is a sphere whose history I am now relatively well versed in.

I digested as much of their discography as I could that day. On Spotify. Spotify is god damn amazing.

That isn't even an interesting story but it's a very vivid memory. Such is the power of Moz and the Smiths I suppose.
 
It was probably when WDDIM made the UK top 20 in early '84 [I don't remember hearing TCM which made the top 30 late in '83] there was an interview with Morrissey in Smash Hits a few months later when HKIMN was in the charts and upon reading that I knew I'd found my leader :blushing:

I heard them being interviewed on Piccadilly Radio in mid '83 too. [Mike Sweeney's daytime show]
 
It was 2009, I were in love with a local musician, not widely known. He was invited to a radio show, hosts were also musicians but quite popular. He told about music he listened to and his favorite songs. And he put “Panic” of the Smiths because of its*sprightliness he said. “Hang the DJ” was sounding on the radio, you know... I liked the lyrics and the way the vocalist pronouncing R in “provincial” ;) This was the first time I heard the name of Morrissey and I also discovered that my beloved man even had used some elements of Moz-style (“replete Morrissey” he was called by journalists). 2009 was the first and only year when Moz visited my country so I'd noticed some posters in my city. And decided to listen something of his solo works. I choose “It's not your birthday anymore” because of its title. I liked the song and the powerful voice but not too much (God only knows how I kick myself nowadays for missing M-concert). But I were in love as you remember... so which means that favorite musician and my true love were one person :lbf: Time goes, time runs – summer of 2011 comes. At last I understand that he doesn't love me – and never do, I'm alone and not feeling myself home. Maybe it was after I'd seen on TV a local documentary about the Smiths which was terribly unsuccessful and reminded a collection of urban legends but anyhow I were founded myself listening to “There is light that never goes out” again and again. He's a flautist and you remember the ending flute solo... Next I thought how precise the lyrics were and then I felt as if the voice – beautiful, rich, emotional Morrissey's voice – was embracing me and healing my sore heart.
Now... he plays with the band which hosted this radio show, I work with them too. He has the same girlfriend and I have Morrissey's music) Nobody can complain.
 
how soon is now floating on the radio at some point in my tweens im guessing but it was the riff for hand in glove that hooked me. so much tension and longing stretching wrenching in that riff.


also, pepla
 
I was like 10 and saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off...Cameron was staring at the Monet or whatever it was and there was the harpsichord version of what I now know to be 'Please please please'....I loved it. Then I saw that other Molly Ringwald film was it 16 candles...They played the track when john cusack was angsting on the bed..I said 'I love this song! I heard it in Ferris Bueller's...my 15 year old brother handed me a Smiths cassette and said 'thank me later'.

and I do xxx
 
The first time I heard the smiths was when I was trying to impress a guy in my teenage years. I found out they were his favourite band and I was keen to impress him. On my way to meet him walking through an empty, pitch black park I first heard this charming man and while I listened to them to impress him
They later became my favourite band and I have such an emotional connection with the music. The guy turned out to be not a great guy to say the least but I always thank him in my head for bringing me to moz.
 
It was in 1986 when I first heard Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others on German radio. It impressed me, because it was so different from what I had heard before. The lyrics, the music, fading out and in. As Anthony said to Cleopatra.... :)
 
Hand In Glove on Peel, all those years ago. A real "What the hell is this?" moment.

I had the same reaction when I heard The Bullfighter Dies last year. The more things change the more they stay the same.
 
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