Even as he castrates himself in a field of wheat, Morrissey is a force. Few can toss a poison kiss like him. And with a voice both gray and fey, he sings the bedsit blues for millions of troubled youth.
In “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side,” the boy needs to get laid, but he’s misunderstood. To show that he knows, Johnny Marr plays a sad, simple tune. And when Morrissey yodels, you’re floored — pleased that The Smiths could hang such a tender portrait of an honest mope.
Rarely would he sound this wise or compassionate again.
Note: The Smiths were a good band, but they were scattered. Songs were tightropes; LPs were indiscriminate. The Queen Is Dead (1986) is their best collection.
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