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“The dream has gone”: Every 1960s British movie referenced by Morrissey in The Smiths
Morrissey drew on British films and plays from the 1960s when writing lyrics for The Smiths, weaving dialogue and story details into songs. The article argues that cinema was central to the band’s creative world, helping explain the dramatic, socially observant quality of some of their best-known lines.
A Taste of Honey, starring Rita Tushingham, is presented as a major influence: lines from the play appear in ‘This Night Has Opened My Eyes’ and ‘Hand in Glove’. Tushingham’s other films, The Leather Boys and The Knack… and How to Get It, are linked to the ‘Girlfriend in a Coma’ video and ‘Half a Person’; Ken Loach’s Poor Cow is connected to ‘Death of a Disco Dancer’. The article also identifies The Family Way as a source of lyrics and single-cover imagery, though the supplied text ends before giving further examples.
In short
- 1960s British cinema shaped several Smiths lyrics.
- A Taste of Honey was a major source.
- The article links songs to films and their dialogue.
Explained simply
The Smiths were an English band whose singer, Morrissey, wrote lyrics that often drew on books, films and plays. Some songs borrow dialogue or details from 1960s British screen stories, including A Taste of Honey, a play by Shelagh Delaney that was also made into a film starring Rita Tushingham.
Tushingham appeared in several films associated with the band’s songs and videos, while Ken Loach’s Poor Cow and the film The Family Way are also cited as influences. These references link the songs to stories about everyday relationships and social life, and help explain some of their vivid, dramatic scenes.