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."
Say Demesne
Johnny Marr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we walked
A secret for a while
But that's ok
So we thought
Steal my cards
And soul
And sell 'cos you can
They get you
To get what they want
But you're in for love
You're in for love
And you will fight love
You're in for love
You still fight love
But you're in for love
And you will fight love
Your fucked, drunk, and your memory's stuck
Crashing, and turned to go back home
You're forgot
Feel no good
They're not
They're lost
And you're lost
Take Demesne to a room where she opens your heart
But you're in for love
You're in for love
And you will fight love
You're in for love
You still fight love
You're in for love
And you will fight love
You're in for love
And you will fight love
The lyrics in Johnny Marr's song "Say Demesne" tell the story of someone who finds themselves in a destructive and addictive relationship that they just can't seem to let go of. The song starts by describing the couple as being "crawling out of step, wrecked" which is a metaphor for how unstable and disjointed their relationship is. The line "Steal my cards and soul and sell 'cos you can" suggests that the other person in the relationship has taken advantage of and exploited the singer's vulnerability, leaving them feeling lost and unsure of themselves. The chorus "But you're in for love, and you will fight love" highlights how the singer is willing to put up with all the pain and suffering that comes with love because they believe it is worth it in the end. The line "Take Demesne to a room where she opens your heart" suggests that the idea of Demesne, which means a piece of land attached to a manor or castle, is a metaphor for the love they share, and how it can open them up to feeling something deeper and more meaningful.
Overall, the lyrics in "Say Demesne" are about the complexities of love and relationships, and how sometimes we can find ourselves in situations that are both destructive and addictive. The singer is willing to put up with a lot of pain and suffering because they believe that love is worth fighting for, even if it means fighting against yourself.
Line by Line Meaning
We were crawling out of step, wrecked
We were leaving in a disorganized and chaotic state
And we walked
We moved forward in spite of our situation
A secret for a while
We kept our situation hidden for some time
But that's ok
We justified our behavior
So we thought
We believed that our behavior was acceptable
Steal my cards
Take everything I have
And soul
Including my innermost being
And sell 'cos you can
Sell it because you have the power to do so
Say Demesne
Invoke the name of the property they want to possess
They get you
They manipulate you
To get what they want
To achieve their goal of possessing the property
But you're in for love
You are determined to pursue love
You're in for love
You are ready to risk everything for love
And you will fight love
You will face struggles and challenges in your pursuit of love
Your fucked, drunk, and your memory's stuck
You are in a bad state, intoxicated, and unable to remember clearly
Crashing, and turned to go back home
Your situation is deteriorating and you want to return home
You're forgot
You have been neglected and forgotten
Feel no good
You feel bad and lost
They're not
They are not helping you
They're lost
They are also struggling and confused
And you're lost
You are lost in your pursuit of love
Take Demesne to a room where she opens your heart
Go to the property and let it inspire and open up your heart
And you will fight love
You will face struggles and challenges in your pursuit of love
You're in for love
You are ready to risk everything for love
You still fight love
You continue to face challenges in your pursuit of love
But you're in for love
You are determined to pursue love
And you will fight love
You will face struggles and challenges in your pursuit of love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES DOVIAK, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JackAlope!
LYRICS
We were crawling out of step ground till we walked
Secret for a while, the blood's okay so we fall
Still my car is so on sell cause you can say to me
Let me get you, they get what they want
But you're in for love, you're in for love
And you will find love
You're in for love, you'll still find love
But you're in for love and you will find love
You're forced, drunk and your memory's stuck
Crashing into to go back home you forgot
Feel no good, they're not there, lost and you're lost
Take down into where she opens your heart
But you're in for love, you're in for love
And you will find love
You're in for love, you'll still find love
But you're in for love and you will find love
You're in for love and you will find love
Bethany Bitters
This song is truly a masterpiece.
Mikey
This song was INCREDIBLE LIVE !
Green Heart
it was indeed!
ellipsec01
Every song I hear from him is a classic. Pure freaking genius.
ליאור אזולאי
Too bad I can not listen to his albums through vinyls or CDs ... they can not be obtained in Israel
Anything4adollar
Every one of these tracks are WINNERS !!!
EarlofSuave308
Thank you for uploading all the songs in their entirety on your channel. I bought the vinyl copy so I can hear it the way it is suppose to sound, and the CD version for my car. I do not mind paying the money for great quality.
ליאור אזולאי
Too bad I can not listen to his albums through vinyls or CDs ... they can not be obtained in Israel😑
Sergio Prudencio
Beautiful music...
Pamela
Love his guitar! My favorite from Messenger? Hard to pick one. Would like to hear more of this LP live; deeper cuts meant.