I Know It's Over

"I Know It's Over"
Song by the Smiths
from the album The Queen Is Dead
Released	June 1986
Recorded	1985
Studio	Jacobs Studios, Farnham[1]
Length	5:48
Label	Rough Trade
Songwriter(s)	Morrissey, Johnny Marr
Producer(s)	Morrissey & Marr

"I Know It's Over" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths. Recorded in 1985, it is the third track on their third studio album The Queen Is Dead.

Background

The instrumentation was written by Johnny Marr in summer 1985. Morrissey's vocal performance on this track is considered by many to be one of the finest of his career. The song was originally meant to have trumpet on it during the refrain at the end, but it was scrapped.^[2] In the book Songs That Saved Your Life, Simon Goddard explains that Morrissey did not show his bandmates the lyric until the instrumental track was entirely finished.^[1] Marr once described witnessing Morrissey's vocal performance as "one of the highlights of my life".^[2]

Reception

Simon Reynolds of Pitchfork wrote "The writing in 'I Know It’s Over' is a tour de force, from the opening image of the empty—sexless, loveless—bed as a grave, through the suicidal inversions of 'The sea wants to take me/The knife wants to slit me,' onto the self-lacerations of 'If you’re so funny, then why are you on your own tonight?' and finally the unexpected and amazing grace of 'It’s so easy to hate/It takes strength to be gentle and kind.'"^[3] In 2017, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone placed the song number three in his ranking of 73 songs by the Smiths.^[4]

More negatively, Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone wrote that "As expected, Morrissey dons his misery-goat costume for "I Know It’s Over" and "Never Had No One Ever" (except for Mom, natch)."^[5]

Live performances

The song was performed 29 times by the Smiths, being played on every show on the UK leg of the Queen Is Dead tour besides the final one-off show.^[6] The song is featured on the 1988 live album Rank.

Cover versions

The song was covered frequently in live shows by late American musician Jeff Buckley, and a cover was recorded in 1995.

In popular culture

The song is used as a plot point in the film 500 Days of Summer, in which the protagonist (as a child) misinterprets the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of the song as genuine.

Personnel

• Morrissey – vocals
• Johnny Marr – guitars
• Andy Rourke – bass guitar
• Mike Joyce – drums

References

1. Goddard, Simon (2013). Songs That Saved Your Life (Revised Edition): The Art of The Smiths 1982-87 (second ed.). Titan Books. ISBN 9781781162590.
2. NME Blog (16 June 2016). "The Incredible Full Story Behind The Smiths' 'The Queen Is Dead' As Told By The Band". NME. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020.
3. Reynolds, Simon. "The Smiths The Queen Is Dead". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021.
4. Sheffield, Rob (1 August 2017). "The Smiths: All 73 Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
5. Coleman, Mark (11 September 1986). "The Queen is Dead". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021.
6. Passions Just Like Mine. "I Know It's Over". Archived from the original on 23 February 2020.