The Smiths “Meat Is Murder” 1985. Released on this date, February 11th, making it 30 years old (!!). Today’s pull in honor of its release and because it is one of my oldest friend’s birthdays today; she is the one who first turned me on to the Smiths.

I am pretty sure I picked up this copy sometime during 1986 and it is a re-release of the UK original because “How Soon Is Now,” the B-side to the single “William It Was Really Nothing,” appears on my copy. Warner Brothers added “How Soon Is Now” to its North American market after “Meat Is Murder” gained chart success in the US and Canada, but interestingly the listing for “How Soon Is Now” does not appear on the back cover but plays as the first track on Side 2.

Oh how I loved wallowing in the sadness, despair and longing of this record back in the teenage years of the 80’s! “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” gave words to the angst of (perceived) loneliness and isolation. (In hindsight I was neither lonely nor isolated, though I clearly remembering wandering the halls of high school listening to this on my Walkman feeling miserable.) The album also helped kickstart a lifelong flirtation with vegetarianism. Hurrah for Morrissey inspiring healthy eating habits!