William, It Was Really Nothing
| "William, It Was Really Nothing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Smiths | ||||
| from the album Hatful of Hollow | ||||
| B-side |
"How Soon Is Now?" "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" | |||
| Released | 20 August 1984 | |||
| Format |
7" single, 12" single, CD (1988) | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1984 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 2:09 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Johnny Marr, Morrissey | |||
| Producer(s) | John Porter | |||
| The Smiths singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Alternative cover featuring Billie Whitelaw | ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
"William, It Was Really Nothing" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released as a single in August 1984, featuring the B-sides "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" and "How Soon Is Now?", and reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on the compilation albums Hatful of Hollow and Louder Than Bombs, as well as other best of and singles collections. In 2004, the song was ranked No. 425 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
When the band performed the song on Top of the Pops, Morrissey ripped open his shirt to reveal the words "MARRY ME" written on his chest ("Would you like to marry me?" is one line of the song).[2]
Lyrics and background
Morrissey has said of the song: "It occurred to me that within popular music if ever there were any records that discussed marriage they were always from the female's standpoint, female singers singing to women. There were never any songs saying 'do not marry, stay single, self-preservation,' etc. I thought it was about time there was a male voice speaking directly to another male saying that marriage was a waste of time ... that, in fact, it was absolutely nothing."[3]
The song is popularly believed to have been about Morrissey's short-lived friendship with Billy Mackenzie, lead singer of the Associates. The Associates' album, Double Hipness, released in August 2000, included the song "Stephen [sic], You're Really Something", recorded by Billy MacKenzie and Alan Rankine during the band's reunion in 1993 as a response to "William, It Was Really Nothing".
Track listing
| 7" RT166 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "William, It Was Really Nothing" | 2:10 |
| 2. | "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" | 1:50 |
- in original green sleeve
| 7" RT166 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "William, It Was Really Nothing" | 2:10 |
| 2. | "How Soon Is Now?" | 6:43 |
- in lilac reprint sleeve
| 12" RTT166/CD RTT166CD | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "William, It Was Really Nothing" | 2:10 |
| 2. | "How Soon Is Now?" | 6:43 |
| 3. | "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" | 1:50 |
Artwork and matrix message
The original artwork depicted comes from an early 1980s advertisement for A.D.S. speakers (the object on the bed is a speaker). For legal reasons, later pressings were produced with new artwork, a lilac-tinted still of Billie Whitelaw from the film Charlie Bubbles, directed by Albert Finney. The sleeve for the 1988 CD single reissue shows Colin Campbell from the 1964 film The Leather Boys. This artwork had previously been used in Germany for the single "Ask".
British 7" and 12" with green tinted cover versions feature the matrix message: THE IMPOTENCE OF ERNEST/ROMANTIC AND SQUARE IS HIP AND AWARE
British 7' with lilac tinted cover: THE IMPOTENCE OF ERNEST/WE HATES BAD GRAMMER
British 12" with lilac tinted cover: THE IMPOTENCE OF ERNEST/ROMANTIC AND [ ] IS HIP N'AWARE
As well as being a reference to The Importance of Being Earnest, "The impotence of Ernest" is an allusion to the impotence that Ernest Hemingway suffered in his final years. The "romantic" line was said by John Lennon to Hunter Davies.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA) | 8 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 17 |
References
- ↑ "William, It Was Really Nothing rating". Allmusic. Retrieved on 29 October 2012.
- ↑ Simpson, Mark (31 May 2003). "Return of the lone stranger". The Guardian. London.
- ↑ http://www.metrolyrics.com/ml-discussions-william-it-was-really-nothing-lyrics-the-smiths/1296.html