I’m a longtime Morrissey fan. From the first time I heard The Queen is Dead by Morrissey’s band The Smiths in the 80′s, I was hooked. Morrissey’s music is generally very maudlin (if not straight-up depressing), but somehow it’s also hopeful and sweet. Below I have collected some terrific covers of songs by Morrissey and Smiths for your mope-rock enjoyment.
“There Is a Light…” -Neil Finn & Johnny Marr
Neil Finn of Crowded House is joined by Johnny Marr (of The Smiths and lately of Modest Mouse) in this terrific cover of a classic Smiths tune. Sample lyrics: “To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.”
“Everyday is Like Sunday” -Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy of The Decembrists does a solo acoustic cover of Morrissey’s classic beach song, which Meloy calls “a sad campfire song…the campfire is in danger of being put out by your tears.” Sample lyrics: “Every day is silent and gray. … Come, come, nuclear bomb.”
“The Headmaster Ritual” -Radiohead
Performed live on the band’s webcast, 9 November 2007. Sample lyrics: “Billigerent ghouls run Manchester schools.”
“The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get” -Josh Ackerman of The Mickey Mouse Club
Utterly awful. Sample lyrics: “Beware; I bear more grudges than lonely high court judges.”
“Ask” -Brett Johnson
My all-time favorite Smiths song. Sample lyrics: “If there’s something you’d like to try, ask me, I won’t say no; how could I? Spending long summer days indoors, writing frightening verse to a bucktoothed girl in Luxembourg….”
“Girlfriend in a Coma” -Josh Radin
Sample lyrics: “Girlfriend in a coma, I know, I know it’s really serious.”
“Panic” -Sweet and Tender Hooligans
There’s apparently a Morrissey/The Smiths tribute band. Who knew? Sample lyrics: “Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ.”
Post Your Favorites in the Comments
There are TONS MORE of these in the wild. Please post links in the comments!
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Snake River Conspiracy
“How Soon Is Now”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAl008wKLAQ
posted by Dave on 1-27-2010 at 10:32 pm
Love love love Colin Meloy.
posted by Sock on 1-27-2010 at 10:36 pm
Ocean Blue – There is a Light (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNFWLyto9wY)
J Mascis – The Boy with the Thorn in his Side (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hnNVyfcnEE)
Jeff Buckley – The Boy with the Thorn in his Side (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE9lfePRIOY)
Buckely’s is my favorite of them all
posted by RLC44 on 1-27-2010 at 11:39 pm
She & Him
“Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTOF_rwpJAY
posted by furiousk on 1-28-2010 at 12:01 am
Although it’s interesting that the Sweet and Tender Hooligans exist at all, it’s downright fascinating that the lead singer is hispanic. Morrissey had (and may still have for all I know) an extremely devoted following in the hispanic community which I would love to know the backstory of because it is so unlikely a fan base.
posted by Aaron on 1-28-2010 at 12:02 am
Zee Avi – “First Of The Gang To Die”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3zxO0mEfos
posted by Vicky on 1-28-2010 at 12:04 am
Funny thing–I like songs by The Smiths and Morrissey so long as I don’t have to hear Morrissey singing them.
My wife loves Morrissey and has actually seen Sweet and Tender Hooligans a couple of times. She’s also been to a couple of Morrissey concerts. Thankfully, she went without me.
posted by Tomas on 1-28-2010 at 12:10 am
“Half a Person,” The Welcome Wagon
http://stereogum.com/mp3/The%20Welcome%20Wagon%20-%20Half%20A%20Person.mp3
posted by jappio on 1-28-2010 at 12:48 am
“Half a Person,” The Welcome Wagon
(link fixed)
http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/new-welcome-wagon-half-a-person_031771.html
posted by jappio on 1-28-2010 at 12:50 am
please please (let me get what I want) tell me that you guys subscribe to coverville – Brian Ibbot’s fantastic covers podcast – he’s got a number of really great Smiths and Morrissey covers (5 versions of How soon is now for example)
http://coverville.com/song/How+Soon+Is+Now%3F/
posted by Chris P. on 1-28-2010 at 9:23 am
@Aaron – There was actually a conversation about this on the 11points website a while back : http://www.11points.com/Misc/11_Points_Inbox-O-Rama,_Number_7
This was the explanation given:
“I think all the Latinos are into Morrissey because of a band called DUNCAN DHU I don’t know if they did one or two covers from Morrissey’s songs, but they were freaking huge all over Europe and latin America, sooooo, if all the Latinos in their native countries are fans of Duncan Dhu ( a band that sounds exactly like Morrissey), then when they come to the US and learn English they are bound to like Morrissey.”
recaptcha: carcass obtained – Could’ve been the follow up to Meat is Murder.
posted by nikki on 1-28-2010 at 9:31 am
Hi Aaron,
Actually, Nikki is onto something. Gustavo Arellano once wrote an article about the Mexican-Morrissey love, here is the link. In the first 2 pages it comes up with a pretty good reason why we love Morrissey.
http://www.ocweekly.com/2002-09-19/music/their-charming-man/1
And Duncan Dhu is a great band too.
posted by Marcos H on 1-28-2010 at 9:46 am
The Divine Comedy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVWK2tBEjFU
posted by Joe on 1-28-2010 at 10:14 am
“Panic” by the Puppini Sisters. They are an “Andrews Sisters” type group who do covers in a 40s style. Quite interesting!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVmSKbrTUH0
posted by Jaclyn McKewan on 1-28-2010 at 11:12 am
Scheider TM’s light 3000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnEC35485DM
posted by Andrew! on 1-28-2010 at 12:40 pm
Soho did a nice sample of “How Soon is Now” to open up their song Hippie Chick back in like 1990/91. The bar at college I went to would usually play the songs back to back. Hippie Chick was usually first.
posted by robnj on 1-28-2010 at 1:19 pm
Thank you for this! The Smiths have been my all time favourite band for 20+ years.
I can’t link to it because I’m at work and youtube is verboten but check out the German techno weirdo Schneider’s cover of There’s A Light That Never Goes Out. Very trippy!
posted by Ted Lange As Your Bartender on 1-28-2010 at 4:58 pm
THE SONS & HEIRS
Great tribute band…always a fun show!
http://thesonsandheirs.com/wp/
example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcmGoBXZi5Y
Cheers!
posted by Monica on 1-28-2010 at 8:02 pm
Anthrax’s cover of “London” actually introduced me to The Smiths. I think I was 13 or so and only listening to metal at the time.
posted by Joel on 1-29-2010 at 8:33 am
Death Cab For Cutie did a decent ‘This Charming Man’ on ‘You Can Play These Songs With Chords’.
posted by John Madden on 1-29-2010 at 8:44 am
The Halo Benders- “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Wantâ€
posted by Mark on 1-29-2010 at 10:15 am
Bobby Bare Jr’s rockabilly take on “What Difference Does It Make”.
posted by TheBazile on 1-29-2010 at 10:50 am
“How Soon Is Now” by Love Spit Love.
posted by jmg134 on 1-29-2010 at 12:54 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQr0SPXH66c
The Killers. Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself. :)
posted by Leanie on 1-29-2010 at 3:36 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM1e16nqHLo
The Deftones are huge Smiths fans.
posted by Ben on 1-29-2010 at 3:53 pm
cemetry gates, covered by the beautiful mistake. amazing.
posted by heath on 1-29-2010 at 10:31 pm
I am also afraid of large boats…I can get on them, but standing next to them freaks me out…same goes for anything that’s extremely large…over sized statues of animals freak me out…like the tigers in front of Dodger Stadium…I HATE them…I also hate heights, spiders, people with masks on and clowns…it’s nice to know there are other nuts out there like me…
posted by Lynn on 1-30-2010 at 12:43 am
Quicksand – How Soon Is Now?
http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/music/watch/v2907684z3WCdSfW
posted by riotnrrd on 1-30-2010 at 9:51 am
MOJO NIXON!!! Girlfriend in a Coma!
posted by Skid on 1-30-2010 at 12:29 pm
I love the J. Mascis and Killers covers, but of things not mentioned,
Pete Yorn’s cover of Panic is great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MxcWzSmiWU&feature=youtube_gdata
posted by Jeff on 1-30-2010 at 12:39 pm
Big Mouth Stikes Again- The Treepeople
posted by Mark on 2-8-2010 at 3:20 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoG5P8_gTHE
posted by flau on 11-6-2010 at 8:46 pm