Originally a B-side with "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" on the 12” single version of “William, It Was Really Nothing” in 1984, the song was subsequently featured on the compilation album Hatful of Hollow and on US., Australian and Warner UK editions of Meat Is Murder. It was belatedly released as an A-side in the United Kingdom in 1985, reaching #24 on the singles chart.
Although a club favourite, “How Soon Is Now?” did not chart as well as writers Morrissey and Marr had expected. Most commentators put this down to the fact that the song had been out on vinyl in a number of forms before being released as a single in its own right. The original track ran for nearly 7 minutes; however, the 7” single edit cut the length down to under four minutes. The complete version is generally used on compilations.
How Soon Is Now?
The Smiths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
There's a club if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home and you cry
And you want to die
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
See I've already waited too long
And all my hope is gone
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
The lyrics to The Smiths' song "How Soon Is Now?" touch on themes such as loneliness, isolation, and the desire for human connection. The opening lines, "I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar," speak to a sense of inadequacy and insecurity that the singer feels. They feel like they've inherited a feeling of shyness that they can't shake and that others may judge them for. However, the following line, "I am the son and heir of nothing in particular," shows that this shyness feels like an inherent part of their identity rather than a learned behavior from their family or upbringing.
Later in the song, the singer pleads with someone to "shut your mouth" if they're going to criticize the way they go about things, emphasizing the need for acceptance and understanding. They state that they are "human and need to be loved, just like everybody else does." The song then mentions a club where the singer could potentially meet someone, but in the end, they're left feeling alone, crying, and wanting to die. The final lines, "When you say it's gonna happen now, when exactly do you mean? / See I've already waited too long and all my hope is gone," convey a sense of hopelessness and frustration with the lack of connection in their life.
Overall, "How Soon Is Now?" is a powerful and relatable song that speaks to the universal desire for love and connection, as well as the fear of rejection and loneliness. Its haunting instrumentation and lyrics continue to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
I am the son
I am the offspring
And the heir
And the successor
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
Of a severe introversion that is socially unacceptable
I am the son and heir
I am the descendant and inheritor
Of nothing in particular
Of no specific legacy
You shut your mouth
You remain silent
How can you say
How can you assert
I go about things the wrong way?
I act inappropriately?
I am human
I am mortal
And I need to be loved
And I require affection
Just like everybody else does
Just like all other humans
There's a club if you'd like to go
There is an establishment if you wish to attend
You could meet somebody who really loves you
You might encounter someone who genuinely adores you
So you go and you stand on your own
So you depart and remain unaccompanied
And you leave on your own
And you depart individually
And you go home and you cry
And you return to your residence and weep
And you want to die
And you desire to expire
When you say it's gonna happen now
When you declare it will transpire promptly
When exactly do you mean?
When precisely are you referring to?
See I've already waited too long
Because I have already endured excessive delay
And all my hope is gone
And my optimism has vanished
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny Marr, Steven Patrick Morrissey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steveh7682
If I liked the song and I wanted to do a cover it may take me a week or so to do it .I listened to it and didn't think much of it . I listened to all the songs I could find on the Smiths and Johnny Marr because I like How Soon Is Now so much . I find it's the only song I like of Marrs and the Smiths.
If Marr wrote the music to that song , he most likely wrote what came natural to him with the style and from what patterns he uses to practice with . Marr may be able to play that song with ease because it's in him . He may have trouble learning what music I have written . It's just repetitious practice
.I'm learning How Soon Is Now because someone I know wants to do a cover of the song when she gigs out . She writes her own material ,both music and lyrics , but feels she want's to do a few covers in between her own stuff. Since she moved here from another town and doesn't have her band anymore I may get to play out as part of her band .I'm old and rusty but there's nothing more I like than playing in a band and gigging out .
Here's the person's own materialwho want's to do a Marr's cover . If ya think it isn't to your liking be easy with criticism.
People get their feelings hurt when people make negative comments of their art .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSokxhIbJGg
@beeweejr
@@license45
Oh Wow!
1. I Want To Know What Love Is
The rest of Top 30 in no order:
Head Over Heels
What About Love?
How Soon is Now?
Like A Virgin
Material Girl
Turn Up The Radio
Relax
We Don't Need Another Hero
A View To A Kill
Don't You Forget About Me
Run To You
Somebody
_________
Born in the USA
Fortress Around My Heart
Jungle Love-The Time
Saving All My Love For You
We Are The World
I Feel For You
High On You
Carless Whispers
Everything She Wants
Along Comes A Woman
In My House
Rhythm of the Night
Some Like It Hot
You Give Good Love
Valotte
Lay Your Hands
Can't Fight This Feeling
Be Near Me
I Can't Hold Back
@marammahmoud4381
Lyrics:
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
There's a club if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go and you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home and you cry
And you want to die
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
See I've already waited too long
And all my hope is gone
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
@raoufbasit
Almost 40 yrs later and that riff still haunts me. This song is timeless.
@jessicah4462
They pull your soul and stretch it to its lengths. They’re divinity.
@greypilgrim2028
raoufbasit: A certain Buffy haunts me every time I hear this song.
@jamiethibodeau1
Sighhhhhh
@Tripleseis88
I AM THE SUN
@jordanremington4938
was it not charmed??
@derbydrifter
It's that damn guitar . . it's haunted me all my life.
@elevenpoisons2484
it's a beautiful sound, and when i listened to it for the first time in years the nostalgia was stroong
@apsarasangreal84
Me too ,BooBoo, me too
@botbot-wo2yx
100% dude