Hear Me Out: ‘Some Girls are Bigger Than Others’ is the riff that defines Johnny Marr
The article argues that “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”, the closing track on The Smiths’ 1986 album *The Queen Is Dead*, deserves more recognition as a defining example of Johnny Marr’s guitar playing. Often treated as a quirky, lesser finale after “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”, the song pairs a delicate, intricate riff with Morrissey’s deliberately playful lyrics.
The piece places the track in the context of the band’s unusually united 1985 recording sessions, when the group and engineer Stephen Street were working together amid tensions with their label, Rough Trade. Morrissey said the lyrics drew on a Carry On film and his observations about women; Marr initially found the title unexpected, but later said he was happy with the song. The article sees its mix of beauty and humour as an example of the balance between light and darkness that the whole band helped create.
- The article calls “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” a defining Marr riff.
- The song closes *The Queen Is Dead*, after “There Is a Light”.
- Its intricate guitar part contrasts with Morrissey’s playful lyrics.
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The Smiths were an English band whose singer, Morrissey, and guitarist, Johnny Marr, wrote most of their songs. Their 1986 album The Queen Is Dead is widely regarded as a key record of the band’s career, and its final track was written during recording sessions in 1985 with engineer Stephen Street.
The song’s title and lyrics draw on humour, including a reference Morrissey linked to a Carry On film. Marr’s guitar part is delicate and intricate, while the words are playful, giving the track a different mood from some of the band’s darker songs.
The Smiths were recording amid tensions with their label, Rough Trade, though the sessions were described as unusually united. The song’s place on the album has often led it to be seen as a quirky ending, while discussion of it centres on how its contrasting music and lyrics fit the band’s wider work.