There's no doubt about it: The Smiths are one of the greatest bands of all-time. Though they produced just four albums over the course of their relatively short time together, the impression that they left on the musical world - and their fans - proved incalculable. Fronted by that iconic and infamous crooner known only by his last name, Morrissey, and powered melodically by the legend that is Johnny Marr, The Smiths crafted four of the best albums of the 1980s across a period of near immaculateness. If you happen to be a fan of The Smiths, chances are that you don't take it lightly: there are few "casual fans" associated with this particular band; Smiths fans tend to give themselves up to the cause entirely, dedicating countless hours to the music, picking apart the deft lyrics, looking for hidden meanings, depths and - yes - new jokes. Morrissey's idiosyncratic lyrics - backed by Marr's gorgeously memorable tunes - rendered the Smiths as a kind of eternal gift. As is the case with being a fan of pretty much any band, being a Smiths aficionado comes with its own set of positives and negatives - not to mention a sense of sheer "elitism" for those folk who have given their entire lives to Morrissey and everything and anything he stands for (not recommended). To understand the 13 things mentioned in the following article, then, you'll have to be well acquainted with the band, its personnel, and their phenomenal discography... True fans, onwards...
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
