I Know It's Over
| "I Know It's Over" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Smiths | |
| from the album The Queen Is Dead | |
| Released | June 1986 |
| Recorded | October–November 1985 at Jacobs Studios, Farnham[1] |
| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Length | 5:48 |
| Label | Rough Trade |
| Songwriter(s) | Morrissey, Johnny Marr |
| Producer(s) | Morrissey & Marr |
"I Know It's Over" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths. Recorded in 1985, it is the third track on their third studio album The Queen Is Dead.
Background[]
The music was written by Johnny Marr in the summer of 1985. Morrissey's vocal performance on this track is considered by many to be one of the finest of his career. The song was originally meant to have trumpet on it during the refrain at the end, but it was scrapped.[2] In the book Songs That Saved Your Life, Simon Goddard explains that Morrissey did not show his bandmates the lyrics to the song until the instrumental track was entirely finished.[1] Marr once described witnessing Morrissey's vocal performance as "one of the highlights of my life."[2]
Reception[]
Simon Reynolds of Pitchfork wrote "The writing in 'I Know It’s Over' is a tour de force, from the opening image of the empty—sexless, loveless—bed as a grave, through the suicidal inversions of 'The sea wants to take me/The knife wants to slit me,' onto the self-lacerations of 'If you’re so funny, then why are you on your own tonight?' and finally the unexpected and amazing grace of 'It’s so easy to hate/It takes strength to be gentle and kind.'"[3]
More negatively, Rolling Stone wrote that "As expected, Morrissey dons his misery-goat costume for "I Know It’s Over" and "Never Had No One Ever" (except for Mom, natch)."[4]
Live performances[]
The song was performed 29 times by the Smiths, being played on every show on the UK leg of the Queen Is Dead tour besides the final one-off show.[5] The song is featured on the 1988 live album Rank.
In popular culture[]
- American musician Jeff Buckley recorded a cover of this song in April 1995, which was later released on the compilation So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley.
- The Trash Can Sinatras covered the song on tribute album The Smiths Is Dead.
Personnel[]
- Morrissey – vocals
- Johnny Marr – guitars
- Andy Rourke – bass guitar
- Mike Joyce – drums
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Goddard, Simon (2013). Songs That Saved Your Life (Revised Edition): The Art of The Smiths 1982-87 (second ed.). Titan Books.
- ^ Jump up to: a b NME Blog. "The Incredible Full Story Behind The Smiths' 'The Queen Is Dead' As Told By The Band". Archived from the original on 9 December 2020.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon. "The Smiths The Queen Is Dead". Archived from the original on 17 February 2021.
- ^ Coleman, Mark. "The Queen is Dead". Archived from the original on 17 February 2021.
- ^ Passions Just Like Mine. "I Know It's Over". Archived from the original on 23 February 2020.
External links[]
- 1986 songs
- Songs written by Morrissey
- Songs written by Johnny Marr
- The Smiths songs