How Soon Is Now?
The Smiths, 1984, from Hatful of Hollow. Solo by Johnny Marr.
Marr's shimmering tremolo riff and slide lines make the whole track a guitar feature rather than a single solo.
How Soon Is Now? is built around Johnny Marr's shimmering tremolo riff and layers of slide guitar, so the whole track feels like a guitar feature rather than a single solo. Using his Gibson ES-355, Marr stacks pulsing tremolo chords with eerie, keening slide lines that drift in and out over the rhythm. The result is hypnotic and atmospheric, a wall of guitar textures that carries Morrissey's vocal. The song's sound influenced countless indie and alternative guitarists who wanted to build songs from texture as much as riffs. Listen for how the slide lines wail above the pulsing tremolo, creating tension between the steady throb and the soaring melodies.
How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths is ranked #298 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Johnny Marr and the song was released in 1984. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #59 (uDiscover Music).
In our lists
- Genre Champions — #21
- The 25 Greatest Indie Rock Guitar Solos — #12
- The 25 Greatest New Wave Guitar Solos — #1
- Slide Guitar — #14
- The Best The Smiths Guitar Solos — #1
- The Best Johnny Marr Guitar Solos — #1
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on How Soon Is Now?
Johnny Marr played the solo on The Smiths's How Soon Is Now? (1984).
What guitar was used on the How Soon Is Now? solo?
A gibson es-355, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does How Soon Is Now rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#298 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.