There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (track)
by The Smiths
Year: 1986
From the album The Queen Is Dead (track #9)
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There Is A Light That Never Goes Out appears on the following album(s) by The Smiths:
- The Queen Is Dead (track #9) (this album) (1986)
- The World Won't Listen (track #6) (compilation) (1987)
- The Sound Of The Smiths (track #15) (compilation) (2008)
- Singles (track #18) (compilation) (1995)
- ...Best II (track #14) (compilation) (1992)
- The Very Best Of The Smiths (track #13) (compilation) (2001)
- Complete (track #29) (compilation) (2011)
- Complete (track #76) (compilation) (2011)
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There Is A Light That Never Goes Out ratings
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Showing latest 3 ratings for this track. | Show all 1,062 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 10/01/2026 20:08 | araidernomore | 5,138 | 78/100 |
| ! | 09/01/2026 10:24 | Siromynian | 20,416 | 71/100 |
| ! | 07/23/2026 01:26 | stryker700 | 1,893 | 84/100 |
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This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 93.9/100, a mean average of 92.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 94.1/100. The standard deviation for this track is 15.1.
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This is an unusual composition for Marr to have written because it's got an easily followed verse-chorus-coda structure and a catchy pop melody, where so many previous Smiths songs had inverted, confusing structures and Morrissey's melodies were often a jabbering monotone.
It's also an unusual lyric for Morrissey to have written because in almost every lyric leading up to this one he was either lacerating himself or society. This one has a strong note of romantic fatalism in character with the singer's facade of neverending misery, but the negativity is almost gone, making Morrissey a lot more likable for these four precious minutes between two sloughs of sarcasm.
The synthesized flute and string parts playing in tandem during the coda really vividly capture a sonic image of nighttime in an urban area or on a highway. It's the best minute of music Marr ever composed, and paired with Morrissey's least unhopeful refrain, this is the best Smiths song. (Edited)
Happy 07/01/2013 13:33 | #80161
Some songs are so good that you fall in love with them instantly, playing them over and over again multiple times. "There Is A Light" is one of those songs.
koner1 TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/18/2014 04:11 | #127303
WOW. I don't even like The Smiths (neither do I DISLIKE them), but this song was amazing the first listen. I like what pannkakesangen about this song! I can't say much about it.
But there's one thing: the line about dying by the side of someone you love. That's so powerful. Damn.
"To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die"
Beautiful lyrics
ffudnebbuh TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/14/2019 11:53 | #237514
why is this song so popular? i bought the album when it came out and thought that it was Ok..but it wouldn't make my top 10 smiths songs (Edited)
