The New York Dolls
Johnny Marr's jangly, arpeggiated guitar style owes a direct debt to the Dolls' guitarist Johnny Thunders, particularly the melodic interplay heard on their 1973 self-titled debut. While the Dolls were rawer and more aggressive, Marr refined their approach into something more nuanced and atmospheric. This influence is most evident in The Smiths' approach to guitar as both rhythm and lead instrument simultaneously, creating the shimmering wall of sound that became their signature.
Buzzcocks
The Manchester punk pioneers provided The Smiths with a direct template for combining pop sensibilities with punk energy, especially evident on singles like 'Ever Fallen in Love.' Pete Shelley's ability to craft three-minute emotional torrents influenced both Morrissey's vocal phrasing and the band's approach to concise, emotionally direct songwriting. The Buzzcocks proved that punk could be both melodic and deeply personal, a lesson The Smiths absorbed completely.
Patti Smith
Morrissey's literary approach to lyrics and his dramatic, gender-fluid stage presence draws heavily from Patti Smith's groundbreaking work on 'Horses' (1975). Smith's ability to blend high art references with rock mythology, particularly on tracks like 'Land,' provided a blueprint for Morrissey's own Oscar Wilde-meets-kitchen sink realism. Her influence is especially apparent in Morrissey's declarative vocal style and his positioning of the singer as poet-prophet.
Context
The Smiths emerged from Manchester's post-industrial decay in 1982, born from the ashes of punk's first wave and the city's burgeoning independent music scene centered around Factory Records and venues like the Hacienda. They represented a specifically Northern English response to Thatcherism, combining the literary traditions of kitchen sink realism with the musical innovations of post-punk. Their sound crystallized at the moment when indie music was becoming a distinct movement, separate from both mainstream pop and punk orthodoxy. The band operated within the C86 indie scene but transcended it, offering a more sophisticated musical and lyrical palette than many of their contemporaries.
Legacy
The Smiths' influence runs through virtually every British indie band from Stone Roses to Radiohead to Arctic Monkeys, establishing the template for guitar-based alternative rock that prioritizes melody and literary lyrics over power chords. Their impact extends beyond music to fashion and cultural attitude, creating the archetype of the sensitive, intellectually curious outsider that defined indie culture for decades. Bands like Suede, Blur, and Oasis all built their early careers on variations of The Smiths' formula, while their influence on American indie rock can be heard in everything from R.E.M.'s later work to contemporary acts like The National.
Why it matters
Understanding The Smiths' influences reveals how they synthesized seemingly disparate elements—punk's emotional directness, glam rock's theatrical sensibility, and post-punk's musical adventurousness—into something entirely new. Their ability to channel these influences through a distinctly Northern English sensibility explains why their music feels both universal and deeply specific to time and place. Recognizing these connections illuminates how great bands don't emerge from nowhere but rather represent the perfect synthesis of their musical environment and cultural moment.