(Credits: Far Out / Chantal Anderson / The Smiths)
Sat 28 February 2026 8:00, UK
One thing that marks The Smiths out as a truly iconic band is the sheer amount of their B-sides that have gone on to be hits.
‘Cemetery Gates’, ‘How Soon Is Now?’ and ‘Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want’ all failed to make the cut of a finished album, yet have gone on to become the band’s most recognised and beloved hits.
The latter, in particular, has grown in adoration with every passing year. While fans of The Smiths in their contemporary era weren’t quite sure what to make of the pared-back track, in comparison to their more textural and ambitious album tracks, modern audiences have grown to love the quiet desperation of it.
In many ways, it sort of defines the Johnny Marr and Morrissey working relationship. Technical and delicate guitar playing is paired with the hushed hopelessness of Morrissey’s voice, almost stripping bare the feeling of vulnerability that exists within all of us.
The song’s growth within the public consciousness is almost the antithesis of Morrissey himself. In contrast to the song, he seems to disillusion himself from his original fan base with his progressive shift to the right of politics. Despite that, The National’s Matt Berninger continues to listen to it and grapple with Morrissey the artist, over Morrissey the person.
He explained, “I’m a very progressive liberal, and I find Morrisey’s current politics really disgusting. Yet I still listen to so much of his art, especially early Smiths and hear so much incredible songwriting, incredible poetry, incredible bravery, and incredible empathy for everyone, including, and sometimes mostly, himself. But I loved his sense of self-protection, of self-care and self-aggrandising. He really was a cheerleader for himself – just like Greg Dulli, but in a different way – confessing all his true demons and saying, ‘I’m OK with myself nonetheless.’”
He continued, “This song is just such a simple prayer. It is exactly what it is: ‘Please let me get what I want.’ Then there are little details of not having had a dream in a long time, it’s so sweet and yet so genuinely pleading. It’s beautiful, and I still have faith when I hear it. I have faith in this kind of writing and this kind of music, regardless of other factors sometimes.”
Ironically, the song’s sentiment can almost serve as an anthem for fans like Berninger, who so desperately want Morrissey to reverse his spiral into vitriol and become the artist who championed the people once again. Like the dream Morrissey has in this song, the reality of him becoming that person once again feels increasingly far away, yet still, Berninger holds on to hope.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to go back and try to pull apart the things that you love and try to dismantle them and convince yourself not to love them anymore,” he claimed.
Concluding, “I think by understanding how much you love that work (you), maybe figure out how you can continue to love somebody who might need your love. I still love Morrissey. What can I tell you?”
