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."
I Want the Heartbeat
Johnny Marr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And life's a ward
Now she's on me
Fast machine transmits
Her wave to wave activity
Pure correct technology
Quick strap connect that beat to me
Flatline reveal transmits
I want the heart beat
Pulse connect that kick for me
All night I've got your frequency
Fast machine transmits
Your wave to wave activity
Get me my own machine
Technology, technology
Get me my own machine
Let me switch her on again
Hook me up
Receive
I want the heartbeat
Get me
My own machine
Technology technology
Get me
My own machine
Let me fix her up again
Hook me up
Receive
I want the heartbeat
The song "I Want the Heartbeat" by Johnny Marr is a bold declaration of the singer's desire to feel the pulse and energy of life. The opening lines itself are self-explanatory, conveying the desire to have an accurate and reliable heartbeat like winning a jackpot. Life is a lottery, but with a proper pulse, its ward becomes a bit more manageable. The song's theme revolves around technology and its impact on human life. The lyrics imply that modern machines are capable of transmitting waves and sustaining human heartbeats. The fast machine in the song represents a futuristic tool that could connect the singer to the heartbeats of his loved ones, making him feel more alive and connected.
The lyrics also explore the correlation between technology and the human body. It seems as if Marr is attempting to convey how technology can connect and sustain us on a deeper level. He is urging the listener to embrace technology fully and utilize its advantages. This song is an incredible example of how technology has penetrated and influenced our lives in many ways.
Overall, "I Want the Heartbeat" is a captivating tune that tells a story of our relationship with technology and how we desire it to connect and enhance our lives. It's evident that Johnny Marr is curious and optimistic about the role of technology and its potential to elevate our human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Pulse correct my lottery
Make my heart beat in rhythm, like a good omen that everything will go according to what fate has in store for me
And life's a ward
The world is a place of healing and recovery - where one undergoes life events that will mold them.
Now she's on me
The rhythm of life is now beating on me and I can feel it in my veins.
Fast machine transmits
Our life events keep moving, never slowing down, constantly being relayed through our experiences.
Her wave to wave activity
The constant up and down flow of life events that we experience.
Pure correct technology
A refined and precise method of living life, where every beat is a signal to make something happen.
Quick strap connect that beat to me
Give me a steady rhythm and hook it onto my own life so that I can move forward without faltering.
Flatline reveal transmits
The times when life is at its the most difficult, forcing us to grow, learn, and push beyond what we consider our limits.
Heart rate to her maximum beat
The moments of growth and struggle that put our hearts to their ultimate test, where we are pushed to our limits and beyond.
I want the heart beat
I want to feel life's rhythm and pace beating inside me - I want to live intensely and feel every moment that life has to offer.
Pulse connect that kick for me
Make my heart rate go up so that I can fully experience everything that life has to offer and all the sensations that come with it.
All night I've got your frequency
I am tuned into life's rhythm and vibrations, feeling them coursing through me all night long.
Get me my own machine
I want to have control over my own life and the way I experience it - I want to be in charge of my own fate.
Let me switch her on again
I want to get back to the rhythm of my life and feel the beat of my heart once more.
Hook me up
Connect me to life's energy and help me feel it in every fiber of my being.
Receive
Let me feel life's energy and rhythm in every moment, with every beat of my heart that comes and goes.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES DOVIAK, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alvaro Salinas
What a class act. Johnny . If you ever read this. Your performance @ lollapalooza 2014 was just astonishing. You just rocked the damn stage from start to finish. I mean after your show, vampire weekend and julian casablancas sounded like a damn joke. Well done sir.
Dirk Yarborough
I'm so happy to read this! I just snagged 8th row on the aisle in LA in October.
Nacho Garrofé
Increiiiiible el show de Johnny! Que emoción cuando cerró con There's a light, por favor!
Thomas Revere
Johnny Marr has transformed from that guy who plays guitar for the Smith's to one of my 3 favorite guitar players of all-time.
John Frusciante and David Gilmour are the other two.
johnnyatab
This is unique.
FreddysNightmare78
Yup. Added to playlist. Album of 2013 for me. Buy it PEEPS this is clasic Brit-Rock!
britunculus
Reminds me so much of The Buggles. Good stuff.
Pamela
Thanks for uploading entire LP; bought it anyway
ליאור אזולאי
I couldnt find it in my country
Sergio Prudencio
Good rock...