Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
Sire Records, 1984
ISBN: 0-7599-25569-2

CD Summary:
This is a long album--24 songs of melancholy 80's pop/rock music. I haven't listened to it since high school, when my friends and I were obsessed with the Smiths and their lead singer, Morrissey. I picked it up again because it has the song "Asleep" on it that is repeatedly mentioned in the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which I really loved. As I listened to "Asleep" again, I see how perfectly it goes with the plot of the book - sad and sweet at the same time. Morrissey also has a soft spot for young hoodlums, as evidenced in the songs "Shoplifters of the World Unite," and "Sweet and Tender Hooligan." And not all of the songs are depressing like people assume about The Smiths. Some are downright upbeat, like "Is it Really so Strange?," "Sheila Take a Bow," and "Ask."

Critical Evaluation:
It is easy to see why The Smiths have a huge following among teens to this day. I still see them wearing t-shirts with the band's album covers pictured on them. The lyrics are literate, cheeky, and most of all, melodramatic. They are filled with extreme angst that we only feel in our teen years. Take for example the lyrics from "Half a Person:"
"Call me morbid, call me pale,
I've spent six years on your trail,
and if you have five seconds to spare,
then I'll tell you the story of my life,
16 clumsy and shy...
that's the story of my life"

Or the extreme yearning in "Please please please let me get what I want" or "Unloveable" I think the titles sum it all up. I can easily picture Charlie from Perks lying on his bedroom floor listening to those songs over and over as well. There is also much sexual ambiguity in the lyrics that make the band a big draw for gay and questioning teens. Morrissey is the voice of every bad, lovelorn teen poet, but you can't help but love him.

Listener's Annotation:
Let your inner teen-poet loose and let The Smiths sing you to sleep.

Information about the Artist:
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in 1982 by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr in reaction against the synthesizer-pop new-wave bands popular at the time. The band broke up in 1987, but enjoys a cult following to this day.

Genre: pop-rock music

Curriculum Ties: none

CD-talking Ideas:
I would probably play a few representative tracks from the album, such as "Panic," "Sheila Take a Bow," and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now."

Interest Age:
15 and up.

Challenge Issues:
It's hard to imagine much that this album could be challenged for. It contains a passing reference to Caligula, and people might suspect that Morrissey is gay (though he claims asexuality) and challenge it for that reason. I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form to fill out.

Why I chose this CD:
I chose this CD because of the song "Asleep" that was featured prominently in the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I think it would be a great CD to recommend if teens liked that book.