The Smiths, and more specifically lead singer Morrissey, have always inspired a rabid, all-consuming love in their fans. When I was first introduced to the band, a friend of mine said that fans, normally middle-class and British, male and female, would fight their way onto the stage for the opportunity to throw their arms around the singer. A recent photography exhibition by Ryan McGinley, featuring rapt concertgoers staring at Morrissey like God himself is singing, seems to confirm this point.

"The Queen is Dead" is the third of the Smiths' four studio albums, and is widely considered to be the best. Morrissey's lyrics are literary and emotional, but feature a sharp, dry British wit. Johnny Marr's guitar work is frequently brilliant, adding weight to some songs and lightening others. He spans a number of genres: from pop to country and folk on songs like "Vicar in a Tutu" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again."

The songs on "The Queen is Dead" can be divided into two categories, with a few falling somewhere in the middle. There are the heavy, overly sad songs like "I Know It's Over" which personally, I find to be a bit of a drag. In contrast, there are upbeat, poppy masterpieces like "The Queen is Dead" and "Frankly Mr. Shankly." These songs are frequently funny, starting out with lines like "Sweetness, sweetness, I was only joking when I said by rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed."

Morrissey is an amazing songwriter; he has a light touch for a lot of heavy subject matter, and manages to be sharp and cutting without much of an effort. The song "The Queen is Dead" is about sneaking into the palace and killing the queen, and is a laundry list of social complaints that somehow evades being labeled as whining. "Some Girls are Bigger than Others" is about some girls being, er, bigger than others, and is probably the lightest song on the record.

One of the largest problems with the Smiths' legacy is that recently they've become associated with a lot of really bad pop culture (their song "How Soon is Now" is the theme for the WB's "Charmed"). The band is occasionally thought of in the same vein as modern emo music, which could not be less accurate. "The Queen is Dead," excluding a song or two, completely disproves this point.

The Smith's are one of the best rock bands to come out of the 1980s. Their lyrics are brilliant and their songwriting is original and interesting. The devotion of their following is surprising only in its extremity, the music is wonderful and stands up very well over repeated listens. "The Queen is Dead" is a great album and deserves a listen today.