Former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has said his first album in four years, The Age Of Everything, will address the “impending danger” in politics. The 62-year-old will release the album on Friday, having recently held a sale of his guitar collection at Christie’s in London, named Marr’s Guitars.
Song Responds to Political Landscape
Speaking about the song Just Once More on the record, Marr said: “This is a song in response to that sense of impending danger coming from the political landscape.”
“One that I’ve got no influence over, but has such influence over mine and everybody’s life. Overwhelming dominance.
“I guess the music feels quite paranoid. This slight sense of danger.
“There’s references to a few figures going on in there – ‘I saw someone smile a broken smile, their line was crooked, for miles and miles’, this sums up quite a lot of those people.”
Other Songs Written in Reaction to Politics
He said that a number of other songs on the album were written in reaction to politics, including Fire With Fire and It’s Time. The Manchester-born guitarist added: “It’s Time is my way of singing about some worldly issues but finding defiance, in idealism.
“I wanted a lyric that matched the exuberance of the music but is actually about resisting cynicism and corruption: ‘Everybody ain’t making it, change the weather and breaking it, mobilise to know the truth, open eyes to know the truth’.
“I guess it’s about the assholes with dodgy views.”
Guitar Collection Auction Raises Nearly £4 Million
Marr’s guitar collection fetched a total of almost £4 million during the auction on September 17, with the star donating 100% of the hammer price from 10 lots to benefit the Guide Dogs For The Blind Association and the National Autistic Society.
With The Smiths, who were completed by singer Morrissey, bass player Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, Marr was one of the pioneers of British indie rock in the 1980s. The band released four critically acclaimed studio albums in The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986), and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), before breaking up in 1987.
They achieved three UK top 10 singles, and were best known for songs such as How Soon Is Now?, This Charming Man and Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now. Marr launched his solo career with 2013 album The Messenger, with all of his previous solo albums charting in the UK top 10.
