He is best known for being the founder member, songwriter and guitarist in The Smiths. The band released numerous singles and four studio albums between 1983 and 1987 until the band dissolved.
Since leaving The Smiths in 1987, Marr focused mainly on contributing to the work of established bands. He played session guitar and or wrote music for artists such as The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Billy Bragg and Kirsty Maccoll (among others). He also briefly became a full-time member of The The due to his friendship with singer Matt Johnson.
Most notably, in 1989 he teamed up with New Order's Bernard Sumner to form synthesiser/guitar super group Electronic. Combining at first with Pet Shop Boys vocalist Neil Tennant, the duo released Getting Away With It which peaked at #12 in the UK charts. Electronic soon solidified as just Sumner and Marr and between them they released three albums. Self titled debut, Electronic, Raise the Pressure and Twisted Tenderness were released in 1991, 1996 and 1999 respectively.
In 2000, Johnny formed his own band called the Healers. He quickly enlisted Zak Starkey the drumming son of the Beatles’ Ringo Starr. In 2003 Johnny Marr + the Healers released an album called Boomslang, which featured Johnny writing lyrics and on vocals which was an unfamiliar role for him.
In September 2006 Marr announced his membership of the US band Modest Mouse on his website. His work appeared on their 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The following year he joined The Cribs as a full time member, touring, co-writing and recording their 2009 album Ignore the Ignorant. He left the band in 2011 to concentrate on solo work.
In 2013 he finally released his first proper solo effort, The Messenger. This was followed by extensive touring with the setlist including songs from his time in The Smiths and Electronic. He quickly followed up this debut with his second solo set in 2014 with Playland.
In June 2018, He released his third album called Call the Comet with 12 tracks. Call the Comet received generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album scored an average rating of 76, based on 13 reviews. Writing for the Associated Press, Mark Kennedy opined that it was "easily his best as a solo artist, deep and rich both musically and lyrically" before concluding, "So feel free to stay in bed, Morrissey. Marr is who we need now."
Easy Money
Johnny Marr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And that's money money
That's money money
That's money money
Watching a human fall
And that's only money
That's money money
That's money money
That's no way to serve
No way to serve
No way to serve nobody
There's no benefit
There is no benefit
No way to benefit somebody
That's not any sense
No innocence
No way no way they sex, no way no
That's no way to serve
That ain't no way to serve
Working for it all
But it's money money
It's money money
It's money money
Watching a human fall
But it's only money
That's money money
That's money money
You can walk the street
And it's money money
It's money money
It's money money
Catch the fantasy
'Cause it's money money
That's money money
That's money money
No checks, no loan, no rent to pay
It's gone today
How to accumulate
There's not any sense
There is no innocence
There is money commerce no baby
It's all an expense
The way the pans are set
The way the weather burned nobody
It's just all expense
No way the world accepts
There is no innocence, no baby
That's no way to hurt
That ain't no way, no sir
Catch a fantasy
'Cause it's money money
That's money money
That's money money
Catch her and degree
And that's money money
That's money money
That's money money
Working for it all
But it's only money
That's money money
That's money money
Watching how we fall
'Cause that's easy money
That's easy money
That's easy money
No spend no sum no lays no claims
And there's no pain to play
No free fortune so let's just slave
No rainy day better come this way
Working for it all
But it's money money
That's money money
That's money money
Watching a human fall
And that's only money
That's easy money
That's easy money
C'mon come buy the tea
And it's money money
That's money money
That's money money
Catch a fantasy
'Cause it's money money
That's easy money
That's easy money
The lyrics of Johnny Marr's song Easy Money speak to the corrosive and ultimately meaningless nature of pursuing financial gain at any cost. Marr highlights the emptiness of working solely for financial gain, depicting the pursuit of money as a destructive force that erodes our humanity. The song begins with Marr admitting that he used to "want it all," which he identifies as money. That desire for money leads him to "watching a human fall" because it blinds people to the pain resulting from their actions.
The second verse strengthens the message even further. Marr argues that serving no one and not benefiting anyone else is not a way to live life. He seems to suggest that chasing after money can be a dead-end street that blocks any true connection between people. The chorus emphasizes how easy it is to catch the fantasy of quick riches, but it comes at a cost of alienation and depersonalization. The bridge underscores that any financial gain still entails a cost, and it does not bring happiness nor benefit anybody. In the end, Marr's message is that the accumulation of money often comes at a very high price—the price of losing our humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to want it all
I once desired absolute wealth and prosperity
And that's money money
This craving was fueled by money, and the allure of having more of it
That's money money
Repeatedly emphasizing the central role of money
Watching a human fall
Observing someone suffer or struggle
And that's only money
The root cause of this suffering is centered on money
No way to serve
The situation lacks any true service or benefit to anyone involved
No way to serve nobody
Expanding on the fact that this situation benefits no one involved
There's no benefit
Once again, highlighting the absence of any benefit in this scenario
No way to benefit somebody
Emphasizing, yet again, the lack of any positive or beneficial outcome
That's not any sense
There is no logical or ethical sense to this situation
No innocence
The situation is inherently corrupt, and lacks purity or innocence
No way no way they sex, no way no
Unclear interpretation, could be a vague comment on the situation being unsexy and unattractive
That's no way to serve
Reiterating the lack of any beneficial or positive outcome for anyone involved
That ain't no way to serve
A more forceful assertion of the above sentiment
Working for it all
Putting in tremendous effort to achieve success and earn money
But it's money money
This hard work is still fundamentally tied to money and the desire for more of it
You can walk the street
Implying that there is a certain level of freedom and mobility associated with wealth
Catch the fantasy
Chasing after the fantasy or idea of accumulating more money and achieving greater success
'Cause it's money money
Other motivations or ideologies are not the driving force behind this fantasy, but simply the desire for more money
No checks, no loan, no rent to pay
Highlighting a situation where there are no typical financial obligations to deal with, possibly alluding to extreme wealth
It's gone today
This wealth can be quickly lost or disappear
How to accumulate
Asking the question of how to accumulate more of this wealth
There's not any sense
Once again emphasizing the lack of logical merit or ethical sensibility in the chase for wealth
There is no innocence
The pursuit of money is inherently corrupt or devoid of ethics
There is money commerce no baby
Unclear interpretation or possible commentary on the commercialization or corruption of industries or aspects of life that used to be pure or innocent
It's all an expense
Emphasizing the fact that even the accumulation of wealth comes at a cost
The way the pans are set
Possibly a metaphor for societal structures and settings that promote inequality and wealth disparity
The way the weather burned nobody
Unclear interpretation, possibly commenting on how natural and environmental phenomena don't discriminate in who they affect
It's just all expense
Reiterating the idea that everything comes at a cost, even wealth and prosperity
No way the world accepts
The current state of financial and societal structures is not accepted or tolerated
That's no way to hurt
This situation is painful and damaging, and should not be accepted or perpetuated
That ain't no way, no sir
An assertive and strong statement against the status quo
Catch her and degree
Possibly another metaphor for chasing after or attaining wealth and success
And that's money money
Emphasizing the centrality of money in this situation
That's money money
Repeatedly emphasizing the central role of money
That's money money
Once again continually emphasizing the role of money
Working for it all
Continuing to work hard and put in effort to achieve success and wealth
But it's only money
Highlighting the fact that this hard work is once again fueled purely by the desire for more money
Watching how we fall
Observe the eventual downfall or crash associated with this extreme pursuit of wealth
'Cause that's easy money
Emphasizing the simple and almost carefree nature with which this money is desired, rather than the hard truth of the consequences
C'mon come buy the tea
Possibly an allusion to the British tradition of afternoon tea, implying that monetary wealth can buy access to this luxurious lifestyle
And it's money money
Emphasizing the role of money in purchasing such luxuries
That's money money
Once again repeatedly emphasizing the central role of money
Catch a fantasy
Chasing after unrealistic and fleeting fantasies or desires, driven once again by the allure of money
'Cause it's money money
Reemphasizing the central role of money in driving such fantasies
No spend no sum no lays no claims
Possibly implying that there are no downsides to this financial pursuit, but this is a fallacy
And there's no pain to play
Further emphasizing the false idea that one can achieve financial success without any drawbacks
No free fortune so let's just slave
Urging a change in mindset from the pursuit of financial success to one of rejecting the idea of slavery to this pursuit
No rainy day better come this way
The idea that, instead of saving for the future, one should work hard and continue chasing the fantasy of wealth and success, no matter the costs
That's easy money
Reiterating the concept of easy, carefree pursuits of wealth, when in fact the reality is more complex and problematic
That's easy money
Once again emphasizing this concept of easy wealth and success, which is ultimately a problematic pursuit
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES DOVIAK, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stewdogg42
Saw Johnny live last night opening for The Killers. He sounded phenomenal.
@BiancaXBlack
That’s how I got here too :p
@davidhlavac3704
@@BiancaXBlack Me three
@qwertyboom9533
Me Four
@ednovakoski4768
Loved him when he opened at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for the killers! Me five!
@xMrCANNONx
@@qwertyboom9533 me five!
@ASocialCJ
This man has been the most effortlessly cool human walking the Earth since the 80s.
With that being said it's not just the clothes or the look, but Johnny Marr's guitar playing is just so brilliantly unique it's impossible to emulate no matter how simple.
@Moyetniishiswa2000
Rik Ocasek?
@trappistpreserves
It's the music, looks, clothes, playing, and attitude. His attitude is cool. He is cool.
@theselector4733
@@trappistpreservesAnd the wig 😁