As part of his ‘Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr’ compilation, Johnny Marr has released one of two new songs.
The former Smiths rocker has shared the infectious new track ‘Somewhere’, which he wrote while on tour with The Killers and Blondie in 2022.
He said of the track: “I’ve played a lot of arenas over the years, and as far as songwriting goes, there’s nowhere to hide. For a song to work, it has to be a banger. I know it’s almost uncool to think that way, but I grew up in a house where my parents listened to Motown, where you couldn’t get a song released if it wasn’t full of hooks.
It is followed by the song ‘The Answer’, which appears on the collection of solo hits spanning the first decade of Johnny’s career outside of the iconic Manchester group.
In addition to the two new songs and tracks from his four top 10 solo albums and other solo highlights, there’s also his 2015 cover of Depeche Mode’s “I Feel You.
“It’s a conversation I have from time to time with [Pet Shop Boys’] Chris Lowe about how much harder it is to write songs that you want to listen to in the daytime. It’s easier to do something that’s perceived as cool if it’s a bit moody. But for me, the mission with these records was to make songs that you could listen to on your way to school, on your way to the gym, on your way home from work – you know, like you did with, say, Blondie.
The deluxe edition features previously unheard demos and rarities: ‘Hi Hello’ (demo), ‘Somewhere’ (demo), ‘The Answer’ (Crazy Face version), ‘The Messenger’ (demo) and ‘Speak Out Reach Out’ (Crazy Face version).
Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr’ will be released on November 3rd on heavyweight 2LP, CD and a limited deluxe 2CD with additional material. Independent record stores will have a limited gold 2LP while HMV will have a limited cobalt blue 2LP. Pre-order through all major music outlets.
