Johnny Marr ranks 5 of his own songs: here's where the Smiths classics land

Johnny Marr has agreed to put his own back catalogue to the test, comparing some of the most celebrated songs of his time with Smiths against tracks from his solo career. In a video made for NME, the guitarist took part in the so-called "blind ranking": a list of five songs to be ordered by preference without knowing the next title in advance. It's a game that had him weighing up classics from the Smiths and Electronic alongside more recent compositions, including a track from his new album, "The Age Of Everything", released on 2 October.

The first title put to Marr was "Getting Away With It", the Electronic hit, the project he founded with Bernard Sumner of New Order. The guitarist noted that the track still works brilliantly live, even for those hearing it for the first time. Next up was "Spin", taken from his new solo album: Marr admitted that not everyone knows it yet, but stressed that it still manages to leave its mark.
Particularly telling was his comment on "This Charming Man", one of the Smiths' signature songs. While acknowledging its huge popularity, Marr observed that the song flies by in an instant and still represents a direct link to his own youth for him: "I can still hear the kid who wrote those guitar parts."
Talking about "Easy Money", his 2014 solo single, the musician called it a thoroughly catchy track, capable of sparking a bigger reaction from the crowd than any other song at his shows.

But the most emotional moment came with "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", one of the Smiths' most beloved masterpieces, to which Marr reserved particularly affectionate words, even without giving it top spot in the ranking. "It's a beautiful song to play. I'm still very proud of it," he said, recalling a recent performance in Liverpool. It was precisely on that occasion, he explained, that he realised the song represents something more than just a classic from the band's catalogue: "It occurred to me that it's the 'You'll Never Walk Alone' of my generation." So here is Johnny Marr's ranking, from 1 to 5, of his own songs.

1. Johnny Marr – Easy Money (2014)
2. The Smiths – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (1986)
3. Electronic – Getting Away With It (1989)
4. Johnny Marr – Spin (2026)
5. The Smiths – This Charming Man (1983)

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The interview with NME was also an opportunity to present "The Age Of Everything", Marr's new solo record, and to discuss his musical passions, from the Cure to Fontaines D.C., as well as the relationship between music and politics. Meanwhile, the guitarist is getting ready to return to the stage: a show in Liverpool is set for 14 November, followed by a short tour through Mexico, Brazil and Chile. The gig at London's OVO Arena Wembley, billed as the biggest solo show of his career, has instead been postponed to a date yet to be announced.

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