The Smiths A-Z: "I Know It's Over"

[BookishBoy]

Next up in our Smiths A-Z project is this song, the third track on The Queen Is Dead album, released in 1986 - and also then featured on Rank, the following year.

The song was performed live 28 times by the Smiths, while it has been played live 94 times by Morrissey, almost all in 2011 and 2012.

What do we think?

 

[BookishBoy]

Johnny, talking about Morrissey recording the vocals on this song:

"I'll never forget when [Morrissey] did that. It's one of the highlights of my life. It was that good, that strong. Every line he was hinting at where he was going to go. I was thinking, 'Is he going to go there? Yes, he is!' It was just brilliant."

 

[Johnny]

This was always my favourite song by The Smiths. I changed, life changed but I'm pretty sure I will always return to this as the very best song The Smiths created.

 

[Deleted member 30524]

A very moving and touching song and without doubt the most beautiful song the smiths have ever recorded.

 

[Amy]

Amazing, flawless and something only Morrissey could write.

I know it's over, still I cling
I don't know where else I can go
Over it's over, over it's over, it's over la la la la la
I KNOW IT'S OVER
and it never really began
but in my heart, it was so real.

 

[Roger O]

Like walking around the Pieta at the Worlds Fair when I was two, I cried and wouldn't look. Safe at number 1.

 

[Ketchup]

This is utter perfection. I'm not aware of any other song, by anyone, which comes close to this. The beautiful Morrissey lyrics, the beautiful Morrissey voice & emotion, the music, the tempo are all just so perfect, I could cry.

 

[Flibberty]

A classic song and one of the group's finest recordings. The lyrics are some of Morrissey's best.

It's a shame that it was paired with Never Had No One Ever, as Stephen Street has previously discussed, but that is a minor quibble.


Just to show other viewpoints and not because they should be considered in any way definitive...

In the poll on this board this song ranked 2nd from 73 of the group's songs.
In the poll on the Hoffman board this song ranked 15th from 73 of the group's songs.

 

[Watson]

Not much I can add to the above comments - it is perfection, not just one of the best songs by the band, but one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded.

Moz's live version at York Barbican in 2011, despite there being a full on fist fight taking place around me, was one of the most memorable renditions of any song I have heard live. Stunning.

 

[BookishBoy]

It makes me feel like such a walking cliché of a Smiths fan, but this song literally did prevent me from killing myself, in early 1987. So I'm eternally grateful for that, although it means I can't really listen to the song now. It's just too much.

But as others have said, yes, absolutely, one of the most powerful, incredible songs in all of popular music. And I hope Morrissey realises just how many people he's helped (through song) over the last 40 years.

 

[Surface]

A stunning and beautiful song, I took this picture of him performing it at Bradford in 2011. I had tears in my eyes at the time!

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

It’s the piercingly painful
beauty of songs like this that
they created together where it pisses me off when Marr today says that ‘Isaac Brock is the greatest lyricist that I’ve ever worked with’. If anyone of them ruins The Smiths legacy, it’ll be Johnny Marr’s totally idiotic comments like that one above.


Anyway.


What’s great about this song for me, and I think I prefer the live version, is the dynamics of the song. Especially at the point ‘while they’re in each other’s arms’ were the music, the band, and vocal soar, a cry from out of the dark, an exploding of emotions from realization and anger to acceptance ...


‘With your triumphs and your charms

While they're in each other's arms..."

It's so easy to laugh
It's so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind
Over, over, over, over’

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

It makes me feel like such a walking cliché of a Smiths fan, but this song literally did prevent me from killing myself, in early 1987. So I'm eternally grateful for that, although it means I can't really listen to the song now. It's just too much.

Thank you for sharing. I’m sure a lot of us feel that way about these songs and have gone through that, but sadly must go unspoken, rarely if ever to be shown on solo.

But as others have said, yes, absolutely, one of the most powerful, incredible songs in all of popular music. And I hope Morrissey realises just how many people he's helped (through song) over the last 40 years.

so true.

 

[Roger O]

I did skip over this for about 20 years knowing what a sweet Jam I would miss. I lifted many a needle. Lame but true. It was that powerful for me. It' fine now. Totally crankable!

 

[Dirk Blaggard]

A great song, a masterpiece. This song coupled with Queen Is Dead, took the Smiths into a whole new league, they were suddenly one of the greats, up there with The Velvet Underground, Scott Walker,Bowie and the rest
A jokey reference would be, its like Scott Walker got dumped by the love of his life and channelled into a song.

All that said, as good as it is, in a way it has too much power. It really draws you in and you get lost in it.
Due to this, I actually do not listen to this song that much. Some songs have so much power, you have to limit your interaction with them
Music is magic, and this song is all the proof you need


Edit meant to say, to Bookushboy,
Im sorry you were in such a state that the urge to move on, took you over, I'm happy you made it through.

(The reason some people hate M and want to bring him down isn't due to politics as such It's due to songs like this, his magic, It's due to the love his voice and words generate, the spells he casts.
People know he is important and beyond them, so they aim to history him.- or it could be he that he talks a lot of crap in interviews)

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

It makes me feel like such a walking cliché of a Smiths fan, but this song literally did prevent me from killing myself, in early 1987. So I'm eternally grateful for that, although it means I can't really listen to the song now. It's just too much.

But as others have said, yes, absolutely, one of the most powerful, incredible songs in all of popular music. And I hope Morrissey realises just how many people he's helped (through song) over the last 40 years.

btw, for me it’s Asleep. Probably the only Smiths song that, as much as I love it, I usually try not to listen to. It’s simply too heavy, and I was a little surprised to hear M start doing it live. I Know It’s Over and Asleep must be two of the heaviest out of their catalogue, well, for me anyway.

 

[Roger O]

There are a handful of sub categories. Trophy for bravest. It's almost how dare he, in a good way. Whats a pub?

 

[Mike Rourke]

A truly wonderful song - even better (one might venture) than Dagenham Dave.

 

[Mike Rourke]

A stunning and beautiful song, I took this picture of him performing it at Bradford in 2011. I had tears in my eyes at the time!

View attachment 79592

But were you dancing (with tears in your eyes)?

 

[Surface]

But were you dancing (with tears in your eyes)?

Lol, very good that Mike Rourke!!