Certain Songs #2301: The Smiths – “I Know It’s Over”

Album: The Queen Is Dead
Year: 1986

. . .

“Because tonight is like any other night”

In August of 1986, Tim & I drove up to Berkeley to see The Smiths at the Greek Theater, a welcome respite from a summer that had totally gotten away from me, to say the least. Let’s just say I was feeling the brunt of making poor decisions in the the ole romance department.

We weren’t the only ones, of course: quite a few people who are reading this post went, and hopefully, one of them might post their ticket stubs, because mine is gone, lost in the chaos of the 80s almost killing me, though I continue to remember them fondly.

In any event, I gotta admit that I don’t remember a lot of details about that trip, like whether it was a day trip or if we crashed somewhere. I do remember running into other members of the Fresno contingent up there, and Tim remembers that we saw the Smiths as they entered the venue. And I totally remember loving the Smiths — with Craig Gannon freeing Johnny Marr to do leads, they were at the top of their powers as a live act — and the setlist backs me up: out of the the 20 songs that they did, 16 of them are songs that have been or will be featured in this blog.

On of those songs was this one: the massive, dramatic slow-burn ballad “I Know It’s Over,” which was at the end of their first encore.

“I Know It’s Over” wastes no time getting into it, as over a sparse Johnny Marr guitar and even sparser Andy Rourke bass, Morrissey enters, in medias desperationis:

Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head
And as I climb into an empty bed
Oh well, enough said

I know it’s over – still I cling
I don’t know where else I can go
Over…

Yup, it’s one of those songs, but instead of whinging about how he’s never ever going to have a relationship, “I Know It’s Over” is Morrissey whinging about the end of a specific relationship. Progress!

Seriously, though, what sets “I Know It’s Over Apart” is its remarkable third verse, where Morrissey imagines his ex speaking to him, clearly addressing all of the things he feels makes him worthy of love.

I know it’s over, and it never really began
But in my heart it was so real
And you even spoke to me, and said:
“If you’re so funny
Then why are you on your own tonight?
And if you’re so clever
Then why are you on your own tonight?
If you’re so very entertaining
Then why are you on your own tonight?
If you’re so very good-looking
Why do you sleep alone tonight?

I know… ’cause tonight is just like any other night
That’s why you’re on your own tonight
With your triumphs and your charms
While they’re in each other’s arms…”

Or is it just his own inner voice? Either way, just fucking brutal on every level, so brutal that you might not even notice the Emulator strings that Johnny Marr has used to underscore all of it, though at the same time, they’re hard to miss. And yet, as Mick Joyce finally breaks into the waltz-time beat, Morrissey continues, as he’s had more than one revelation.

It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind
Over, over, over, over
It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate
It takes guts to be gentle and kind
Over, over
Love is natural and real
But not for you, my love
Not tonight, my love
Love is natural and real
But not for such as you and I
My love

And as Johnny Marr adds a simple yet effective guitar hook and Mike Joyce gets ever more aggressive on the drums, Morrissey sings “oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head” again and again, “I Know It’s Over” gets bigger and bigger until it fills the entire formerly empty room with a lovely massive sound.

Live, they would take this outro and extend it beyond the breaking point, overwhelming everything in its path, making it a fantastic encore — an encore that we saw and loved that evening in Berkeley all those years ago.

“I Know It’s Over”

“I Know It’s Over” live in London, 1986

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