Sad bastard music, thank you for being in my life, for sure.

One of the most important albums of my youth–and all those heart broken moments of yore–comes from The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead, which needs no introduction in this space.

Despite all my teasing of male friends who pay homage to this particular brand of music over the river and through the woods, I love those boys most all the same. And particularly because, despite many a contrary opinion, this music is some of the most helpful when you hope to actually hunker down and get something done.

One of my favorite tunes on The Queen is Dead, “There is a Light that Never Goes Out”, is one of those particular tunes. And it’s been on repeat as I try and actually compile my year end lists with just a day to publish.

What is so remarkable–and worth noting–about this track is that despite appearing on the 1986 record, and boasting a heavy popularity as one of the more important tunes on the record, it wasn’t released as a single until a whopping six years later, in 1992. Of course, it is filled with anxious yearning and forlornness, all standard fare for Mozz and Marr.

So, as my lamp light burns late into the eve, and I work work work, expect this to be background noise.