Morrissey's witty, self-lacerating lyrics and Johnny Marr's shimmering, multi-layered guitar created a partnership that burned intensely and briefly. In just five years and four studio albums, the Smiths redefined what indie guitar music could sound like and say.
Marr's guitar work, layered, jangly, drawing from rockabilly, funk, and electronic music, was the perfect counterpoint to Morrissey's drama. Their breakup in 1987 was acrimonious, and the bitterness between Morrissey and Marr ensured they'd never reunite.
Key Albums
Their masterpiece: witty, devastating, and musically adventurous.
More political and harder-edged, with the harrowing title track.
A debut that launched a thousand jangly indie bands.
Why They Matter
The Smiths proved that intelligence, vulnerability, and wit could define a rock band as powerfully as volume and swagger. They invented the template for indie guitar music that persists to this day.