The Smiths A-Z: "This Night Has Opened My Eyes"

[Famous when dead]

3:40 (Album/Peel version)
3:17 (Studio demo)

Produced by Roger Pusey.
The song being OK'd by him was to signal the end of the BBC caring about any furore surrounding The Smiths / Ferrari & The Sun allegations.
Ultimately leading to a BBC statement:
"The Sun got it wrong again".
Their support throughout this time & requesting further Peel sessions probably shouldn't be underestimated - probably not something that would happen today.

"At least 50 per cent of my reason for writing can be blamed on Shelagh Delaney who wrote ‘A Taste Of Honey’. And ‘This Night Has Opened My Eyes’ is a Taste Of Honey song – putting the entire play to words."
(Morrissey - NME).

Delaney's A Taste Of Honey influence:

"You can't just wrap it up in a bundle of newspaper."
"...and dump it on a doorstep."
"That river, it's the colour of lead."
"I'm not sorry and I'm not glad."
"Oh well, the dream's gone, but the baby's real enough."

(Note: more evidence of Morrissey reading, not watching: I had to source the play to check the quotes - not the screenplay).

Possible (book-cited) influences:

"Perhaps pretending
You never saw the eyes
Of grown men of twenty five
That followed as you walked
And asked for autographs
Or kissed you on the cheek
And you never could believe
They really loved you"
Janice Ian: "Stars", 1974.

Jamie Tyrone: "This night has opened my eyes to a great career in store for me, my boy!"
Eugene O'Neill's play via the 1962 film (Jamie Tyrone played by Jason Robards).

Played ~50 times by The Smiths.
Played once by Morrissey (Vegas, 2021).

Jo's life poignantly set to music or a go to the bar moment?
Regards,
FWD.

 

[Deleted member 29227]

When I first got, & played, Hatful (back in the day), this song really stood out for me, so much so I'd play it on repeat, time & time again.
Marr's jangly guitar, Rourke's magnificent bass, and the fine touches from Joyce on drums, are really outstanding. It's such a beautiful, sorrowful, haunting track, and (as always) the way Moz delivers it, it's absolute perfection.

 

[butley]

This song may be my least favourite Smiths track with a vocal. Johnny’s instrumental tracks are at the bottom of the bin for me but I’ve never warmed to this song either Taste is a funny thing and I know this track is loved but there you go. Give me Work Is A Four Letter Word any day any day any day.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

3:40 (Album/Peel version)
3:17 (Studio demo)

Produced by Roger Pusey.
The song being OK'd by him was to signal the end of the BBC caring about any furore surrounding The Smiths / Ferrari & The Sun allegations.
Ultimately leading to a BBC statement:
"The Sun got it wrong again".
Their support throughout this time & requesting further Peel sessions probably shouldn't be underestimated - probably not something that would happen today.

"At least 50 per cent of my reason for writing can be blamed on Shelagh Delaney who wrote ‘A Taste Of Honey’. And ‘This Night Has Opened My Eyes’ is a Taste Of Honey song – putting the entire play to words."
(Morrissey - NME).

Delaney's A Taste Of Honey influence:

"You can't just wrap it up in a bundle of newspaper."
"...and dump it on a doorstep."
"That river, it's the colour of lead."
"I'm not sorry and I'm not glad."
"Oh well, the dream's gone, but the baby's real enough."

(Note: more evidence of Morrissey reading, not watching: I had to source the play to check the quotes - not the screenplay).

Possible (book-cited) influences:

"Perhaps pretending
You never saw the eyes
Of grown men of twenty five
That followed as you walked
And asked for autographs
Or kissed you on the cheek
And you never could believe
They really loved you"
Janice Ian: "Stars", 1974.

Jamie Tyrone: "This night has opened my eyes to a great career in store for me, my boy!"
Eugene O'Neill's play via the 1962 film (Jamie Tyrone played by Jason Robards).

Played ~50 times by The Smiths.
Played once by Morrissey (Vegas, 2021).

Jo's life poignantly set to music or a go to the bar moment?
Regards,
FWD.

should have been the b-side to Shoplifters.

This song is staggering genius, the vocal delivery those words the music, no one writes like that. And we were hooked forever.

 

[brody]

This was the first song that I heard by the Smiths. It was about two years ago; it was late, I was compiling a spotify playlist of the generic bedroom pop I used to listen to and this was in the recommended section. I remember vividly the track sticking out to me. The poignant lyrics sung in a hushed croon, the warm and melodic guitar picking, and that bass which just dominates the entire mix- they all came together to form this hauntingly beautiful song unlike anything I had heard prior. The lyrics are just quintessentially Morrissey and are ever quotable. The storytelling and imagery still impress me; it all just forms this bleak and hopeless picture
“He said he’d cure your ills,
but he didn’t
And he never will”
“She took away your troubles,
But, then again,
she left pain”
“I’m not happy and I’m not sad”

I will forever hold this song dear. Hearing this live in Vegas was unforgettable.

 

[Dirk Blaggard]

To me this is what the Smiths were all about.
I thought and I was wrong, that M would be like this forever. a wordsmith supreme. I miss this guy like a person misses a dead parent.
he meant so , so much for a while.
Not many bands are magical. Smiths were. M was. I love this song more than I can express. He really did engage with an Englishness that hadn't been done in quite the same way.

 

[Skylarker]

Great song, but never was one of my favorites.

 

[Ryan]

3:40 (Album/Peel version)
3:17 (Studio demo)

Produced by Roger Pusey.
The song being OK'd by him was to signal the end of the BBC caring about any furore surrounding The Smiths / Ferrari & The Sun allegations.
Ultimately leading to a BBC statement:
"The Sun got it wrong again".
Their support throughout this time & requesting further Peel sessions probably shouldn't be underestimated - probably not something that would happen today.

"At least 50 per cent of my reason for writing can be blamed on Shelagh Delaney who wrote ‘A Taste Of Honey’. And ‘This Night Has Opened My Eyes’ is a Taste Of Honey song – putting the entire play to words."
(Morrissey - NME).

Delaney's A Taste Of Honey influence:

"You can't just wrap it up in a bundle of newspaper."
"...and dump it on a doorstep."
"That river, it's the colour of lead."
"I'm not sorry and I'm not glad."
"Oh well, the dream's gone, but the baby's real enough."

(Note: more evidence of Morrissey reading, not watching: I had to source the play to check the quotes - not the screenplay).

Possible (book-cited) influences:

"Perhaps pretending
You never saw the eyes
Of grown men of twenty five
That followed as you walked
And asked for autographs
Or kissed you on the cheek
And you never could believe
They really loved you"
Janice Ian: "Stars", 1974.

Jamie Tyrone: "This night has opened my eyes to a great career in store for me, my boy!"
Eugene O'Neill's play via the 1962 film (Jamie Tyrone played by Jason Robards).

Played ~50 times by The Smiths.
Played once by Morrissey (Vegas, 2021).

Jo's life poignantly set to music or a go to the bar moment?
Regards,
FWD.

FWD, how do you have such encyclopaedic knowledge?

 

[Famous when dead]

FWD, how do you have such encyclopaedic knowledge?

Not difficult.
1. Good resources - epubs et al.
2. Proficient at searching.
3. Pull a few links to old information.
4. Cobble it together in to a post.
Not sure that constitutes encyclopedic, but just how I like to present information.
Regards,
Not on the spectrum,
FWD.

 

[Ryan]

Not on the spectrum,
FWD.

LOL

 

[Who Rattled Your Cage]

"A shoeless child on a swing/reminds you of your own again." Beautiful, tragic, haunting lyric, wise beyond Moz's years at the time.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

"A shoeless child on a swing/reminds you of your own again." Beautiful, tragic, haunting lyric, wise beyond Moz's years at the time.

Born old, sadly wise