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."
The Trap
Johnny Marr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talking what you want
To conceive what you got
Convince everyone
Silence speaks
Puts me at ease
Think I don't see how it's done
I forget to remember
A need to pretend
Gatta breathe to the end
The silence speaks
How could it be that way
Get out of your mind
Your force and words and lies to disguise
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
It won't work and we can't hide
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
I thought I knew but I can't decide
It's a trap, it's a trap
Give in to some
Watching and yearning
But just see what you've done
It's gone all wrong
At zero degrees
It got to be that way
You see it come
And now it feels like
You won't be what you was
Your force and words and lies to disguise
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
It won't work and we can't hide it
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
I thought I knew but I can't decide it
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
You don't love and we don't find it
It's a trap, it's a trap
Your force and words are lies to disguise
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
It won't work and we can't hide it
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
I thought I knew but I can't decide it
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
You don't love and we don't find it
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
I thought I knew but I can't decide it
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
We don't work and we don't f ind it
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
The lyrics of Johnny Marr's song The Trap depict a situation in which an individual is being manipulated and possibly deceived by someone else. The usage of words like "convince," "force," and "disguise" implies a sense of coercion or pressure being applied. This is contrasted by the singer who seems to see through the facade and recognizes that "silence speaks." The line "I thought I knew but I can't decide" suggests confusion, doubt, and perhaps a realization that the situation is not what it appears to be.
Through the use of phrases like "your force and words and lies" and "give in to some," the song communicates a cautionary message to listeners, warning them to be mindful of the dangers of manipulation and the importance of identifying one's own agency. The chorus repeating "It's a trap" portrays a sense of inevitability that the trap can't be avoided or escaped from.
Overall, The Trap is a reflective and introspective take on the theme of control or power dynamics in relationships, while exploring the difficult nuances around navigating these issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you see it coming
Are you aware of what's happening?
Talking what you want
You say what you want to hear.
To conceive what you got
You're trying to understand what you have.
Convince everyone
You're trying to convince others of something.
Silence speaks
Sometimes not saying anything says more than words.
Puts me at ease
The silence makes me feel better.
Think I don't see how it's done
You believe you're fooling me, but I'm not really fooled.
The script and the scenes
The plan and the actions taken are predictable.
I forget to remember
I sometimes forget important things that I should remember.
A need to pretend
Sometimes I feel that I need to act a certain way to fit in.
Gatta breathe to the end
I need to keep living until the very end of my life.
How could it be that way
Why did things turn out the way they did?
Get out of your mind
Stop thinking about it and move on.
Your force and words and lies to disguise
You're using forceful words and lies to hide the truth.
It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap
You've fallen into a trap and can't escape.
It won't work and we can't hide
Your actions won't work and we can't cover up the truth.
I thought I knew but I can't decide
I used to believe I knew the truth, but now I'm unsure.
Give in to some
Sometimes it's okay to submit to certain things.
Watching and yearning
Looking and wanting something you can't have.
But just see what you've done
You've made a mess of things.
It's gone all wrong
Things didn't go as planned.
At zero degrees
At the very beginning or end of something.
It got to be that way
It had to happen that way.
You see it come
You know what's going to happen.
And now it feels like
It seems like this is how it's meant to be.
You won't be what you was
You won't be able to go back to how things were before.
You don't love and we don't find it
You don't really love and we can see through it.
We don't work and we don't find it
Our relationship isn't working and we know it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES DOVIAK, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Booman
I really love stuff! Sounds like a mix between New Order and The Meeting Places :)
Priscila R
Loved it!♥
Mario Martell
Muy buena rola con el recuerdo de the Smiths
Piero Graziani
Ascoltare uno dei più grandi chitarristi inglesi da solista, nn ha prezzo. Solo i grandi fanno grande musica...Marr un grande e The Trap emozionante!
Vinícius Maia
i love this song
Mariela Leal
hermosa canción
Norse
Johnny has become a good singer.
Carlos M. de vasconcelllos
Indeed. I was think about it. At the 80s it was so rare..
Contains the Strange
i feel really sorry for people who will never discover these kind of under the radar glories.
Tony Lemon
Brilliant!