Jeff Buckley Called Morrissey a “Living Legend” and Covered These Two ‘The Queen Is Dead’ Era Songs by The Smiths

Throughout his career, Jeff Buckley covered songs by Edith Piaf (“Hymne à l’amour”), Led Zeppelin (“Night Flight”), Nina Simone (“Lilac Wine”), and country artists Joe “Red” Hayes and Jack Rhodes (“A Satisfied Mind”), among others. During the early 1990s, Jeff Buckley also often covered The Smiths live, and his recordings of two of the band’s songs were later released on posthumous compilations.

“Jeff was a huge Smiths fan,” said Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert, around the release of Buckley’s cover of the Smiths’ “I Know It’s Over” in 2007. “He thought Morrissey was a living legend, so this song was a very meaningful choice.”

Though their paths likely never crossed, Morrissey shared a mutual admiration for Buckley and even called his 1994 debut album Grace one of his favorite albums of all time.

In his lifetime, Buckley also covered two The Queen Is Dead-era songs by The Smiths during the early ’90s.

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[RELATED: Remembering Jeff Buckley’s Handwritten Letter of Apology to Bob Dylan in 1993]

“I Know It’s Over” 

Buckley’s rendition of The Smiths’ “I Know It’s Over,” which he recorded at Sony Studios in New York City in April 1995, was first released more than a decade later on the 2007 compilation, So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley. 

A music video also accompanied the song when it was later featured on the 2016 compilation, You And I, a collection of Buckley’s covers of songs by Sly & The Family Stone (“Everyday People”), Bob Dylan (“Just Like a Woman”), Jevetta Steele (“Calling You”), and more, along with some of his originals.

Directed by Amada Demme and executive produced by Amy Redford, the daughter of Robert Redford, the music video tells the story of a mother and her young son who can’t sleep in his own bed. The child’s room has nods to Buckley with the letter blocks “J” and “B.” In the video, the little boy also strums a guitar while watching grainy footage of Buckley performing.

“When I first heard Jeff, he gave me permission to feel fully and with contradiction,” said Redford. “He inspired me to fight for authenticity and to feel confidence in simplicity. To collaborate on these songs coming to life, and to see the community of people who Jeff touched, has been a privilege.”

“The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”

Also released on The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead, the band’s classic “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” was another favorite of Buckley’s and a staple around his live shows during the early 1990s. In 1993, Buckley’s recording of “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” was distributed as a 7-inch in 2016 and paired with a cover of Nina Simone’s “If You Knew (Live At Café Sin-é)”, and was later featured on the compilation album, You and I.

“My philosophy is to allow Jeff’s legacy to grow on a grassroots level with an orderly release of work, rather than letting it all be dumped on the market at the same time,” said Guibert. “Folks have seen that, and it has paid off, and I am very proud of that.”

Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images