In recent weeks, there has been an upsurge in people saying WHO Smiths belong to most Johnny or M
For, any reasonable person this approach is tiresome
Sure on the one hand Johnny formed the band, got the members, did all the music, helped with production, was often interviewed He gave Smiths a "street cool" that M could only dream of. He gave them a seriousness and to offset the erm, campness, managed the band (at times) hired vans and so on.
While M, looked in later years to be liked by football hooligans and gangsters, Johny actually knew these people
However, it was Morrissey that was the focal point, he was the wordSMITH, he was the voice, he gave most of the interviews. which were little works of art, in their own right. he designed the covers.
He created a world full of rich depth, he layered his work and the band with meaning, way beyond what Johnny could grasp.
Sure there was Andy and Mike who were important, in their own way. they helped with the bands sound but they were in no way near as important as M and Johnny
I say all this, as if one was to pick songs to show which band member made the song what it is- which component carries the song.. Bass drums, guitar, voice, words and so on
If one was to do this, then this song is, almost, pure Johnny...It's a huge win for Johnny.
He wrote it, it's his guitar that steals the show, M's voice is good sure, his words paint a picture BUT his words and voice are secondary to the guitar playing
On top of that, this song, Is one of their most popular songs, it's one a high percentage of people think of when they think Smiths
Johnny makes playing the guitar look effortless, much as Prince did but you watch Jesse, Alain and Boz try their hand at Smiths' songs, they kill them every time. This one especially
Watch this little clip _
How Soon Is Now? Clip
I try not to weep when I think of what could've been