http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEq8DBxm0J4 And the number one is... 'How Soon Is Now,' of course. I've written a lot about Morrissey's knack for understanding what makes humans tick, but this is his masterpiece. It has been called 'The Stairway to Heaven' of the '80s, but it's much, much better than that. Ironically, it's both their defining moment and their most mistreated song. It first surfaced as the B-side of 'William, It Was Really Nothing', and was added to the compilation 'Hatful of Hollow' before belatedly being issued as a single in its own right. Given that virtually every Smiths fan already had a copy on vinyl twice, it was never going to be a huge success at the time. So why is this #1? Well, for one, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound? Tiny compared to this - play on full volume please and just be knocked out by the power of the band. Listen to the words: no one will ever write lyrics like this again, ever, ever. 'How Soon is Now' will be sung and related to in 500 years' time and beyond. And to cap it off it has the best opening line ever: 'I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar, I am the son and heir, of nothing in particular.' The Smiths were the greatest band of all time - 'How Soon Is Now' is the proof in the pudding.
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash