Hear the Smiths’ Previously Unreleased ‘I Know It’s Over’ Demo
The Smiths unearthed a previously unreleased demo for “I Know It’s Over” on Thursday. The track will appear on a deluxe reissue of The Queen Is Dead on October 20th.
The demo of “I Know It’s Over” adheres closely to the final recorded version: Rumbly lines from Andy Rourke on bass, sharp triplets from Mike Joyce on drums, light acoustic rhythm parts and pushy but languorous leads from Johnny Marr on guitar. Joyce adds fills and cymbal splats to announce the arrival of each Morrissey hook. Morrissey alters the lyrics slightly, climbing into an “icy bed” (versus “empty” on the official version) and wondering, “I don’t see what else I can do” instead of “I don’t know where else I can go.”
The deluxe edition of The Queen Is Dead also contains a demo version of Louder Than Bombs‘ “Rubber Ring,” the band’s first take of “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,” a previously unreleased live album recorded at Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts in 1986 and Derek Jarman’s film The Queen Is Dead.
“You cannot continue to record and simply hope that your audience will approve, or that average critics will approve, or that radio will approve,” Morrissey said in a statement accompanying the reissue announcement. “You progress only when you wonder if an abnormally scientific genius would approve – and this is the leap the Smiths took with The Queen Is Dead.”