John's Track of the Week: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

Song: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Artist: The Smiths

Album: The Queen Is Dead

Year: 1986

I'll be up-front about this one. I was inspired to write about it after seeing (500) Days of Summer last week. If you haven't checked it out for yourself yet, you really should. It's a great film, and has an equally-awesome soundtrack. Though I personally can't relate to the subject matter of the "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" (being lost, anxiety, amongst other things) at this juncture in my life, it fits the movie superbly, which is probably why I've been drawn to it above all of the other songs featured. It may even provide some cool insight to The Smiths' career as a whole (excuse the corniness that may ensue). Though the band called it quits after just four albums, Morrissey has continued to make music to this day, so in a way, the track speaks to his inability to either leave, or settle.

There are actually a lot of other interesting facts to go along with the track. The name is said to be derived from the reign of Queen Mary I of England. It's been suggested that it's a paraphrased version of a Hugh Latimer quote, among other things. The narrative also has several possible sources. The most popular, and probably most credible, of these theories is the one involving James Dean's Rebel Without A Cause. It's pretty much been proven by this point, but even though the mystery surrounding it has vanished, it's still intriguing. Another oddity is the fact that the song wasn't released as a single until 1992, long after the band's demise, even though it experienced a high level of popularity on the initial album. Listen below if you're in the mood.