They’d already broken up, but I was just falling in love. And it’s been the longest love affair of my life–my love for The Smiths. “Ask” was the bomb that brought me to my first (and best) boyfriend Wes. “I Know It’s Over” serenaded me as the soil fell over my head after my break-up with Robert. “Rusholme Ruffians” was the secret love letter that scratched its name on my arm with a fountain pen. And years later, I’m still wondering “How Soon is Now” as I feel “Unloveable” in the black that I wear on the outside because black is how I feel on the inside.

I still cherish my cassette tapes. And I even just recently wrote a blog post entirely comprised of The Smiths lyrics. Those lyrics spoke to me, and they still do. And I have yet to hear a guitarist as talented as Johnny Marr. I love The Smiths. They are a light that never goes out for me.