When NME gave Johnny Marr the Godlike Genius Award, editor Mike Williams said, “Marr had played a role in rewriting the history of music with The Smiths.” The guy is a guitar legend, but the best Johnny Marr guitar riffs don’t adhere to the well-worn path of blues-rock.
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The guitar is easy to learn but it’s difficult to sound great. It’s even harder to develop a unique sound and style. Marr connected with the 1960s jangly sound of The Byrds. He fused it with the status quo-rock-contrarianism of the Sex Pistols. Then he swung the rhythm like Bo Diddley.
This list could have been made up of only songs by The Smiths. Marr’s guitar break on “Bigmouth Strikes Again” or “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” deserve mention. But this is proof the man that founded one of the most influential British rock bands of his generation didn’t peak there. Alas, he’s written more legendary riffs than will fit here. Enjoy Johnny Marr’s most iconic guitar riffs.
[RELATED: 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Johnny Marr Wrote for Other Artists]
1. “How Soon Is Now?” by The Smiths
Proof of a consistently strong catalog, “How Soon Is Now?” may be The Smiths’ biggest song. And it’s a B-side. After Marr recorded the Bo Diddley-inspired guitar part, he felt something was missing. The solution was to run the track through multiple Fender Twin Reverb amplifiers with tremolo. Morrissey entered the studio and searched his notebook where he found lines he’d adapted from George Eliot’s Middlemarch.
2. “This Charming Man” by The Smiths
The opening riff hints at the sounds of West Africa. With “This Charming Man,” Marr showed a rare virtuosity among British indie bands. Released in 1983, it was The Smiths’ second single. The songs showcases Marr’s jangly ’60s influence juxtaposed with Morissey’s sullen lyrics.
3. “Dashboard” by Modest Mouse
Johnny Marr joined Modest Mouse in 2006. On his first night working with lead singer Isaac Brock, the pair wrote “Dashboard.” It was a hit. The album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank was the first time Modest Mouse reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Something more significant happened in Brock’s sweaty Portland attic. Marr picked up Brock’s early-’60s Fender Jaguar. He convinced the Modest Mouse front man to sell it. It became Marr’s primary guitar and later Fender would develop a Johnny Marr signature model based on the “Dashboard” guitar.
4. “The Headmaster Ritual” by The Smiths
Marr described the riff as Joni Mitchell “had she been an MC5 fan.” It also hints at The Beatles’ “Day Tripper.” For “The Headmaster Ritual,” Morrissey turns his ire on the British educational system and its regular use of corporal punishment. A quick lesson for the non-guitarists: a capo is a device used on the guitar for changing keys. No one in rock history slays a capo like Johnny “Fucking” Marr.
5. “Dogs of Lust” by The The
If he wasn’t cool enough, Johnny Marr also plays a mean harp. The riff to “Dogs of Lust” by The The is the sound of Marr connecting a guitar and a harp into one glorious riff. During Marr’s post-Smiths’ years, he was a wandering soul playing with the Pretenders, The The, and Electronic, his project with Bernard Sumner from New Order. Most sideman guitarists sound like everything and nothing at the same time. Not Marr. Pure legendary stuff here.
6. “We Share the Same Skies” by The Cribs
After Marr completed his tour with Modest Mouse, he began working with The Cribs. “We Share the Same Skies” appeared on the 2009 album Ignore the Ignorant. It was the first UK Top 10 album for The Cribs.
7. “(Nothing But) Flowers” by Talking Heads
“(Nothing But) Flowers” was the second single from Talking Heads’ final album Naked (1988). David Byrne had long been influenced by world music. On “Flowers,” Marr revisits the Ghanaian sounds of “This Charming Man.”
8. “New Town Velocity” by Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is now a well-deserved solo artist. On his debut solo album The Messenger (2013),
Marr creates an album connecting his entire musical journey. On “New Town Velocity,” he showcases his ability to create memorable melodies within chord progressions.
9. “Hi Hello” by Johnny Marr
By his third solo album Call the Comet, Marr finally sounds settled. He’s no longer wandering from band to band. He found comfort in being the guitarist and the singer. What didn’t change was his knack for charming—pun intended—guitar hooks.
10. “Pretty Boy” by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Johnny Marr’s book Marr’s Guitars (2023 Harper Collins) traces the history of his most iconic guitars. Some of these instruments were not only used to create The Smiths’ classic songs, but they became legendary (again) with Oasis. Before Oasis were a well-known band, Marr lent Noel Gallagher a few guitars. One of which was a 1960 Gibson Les Paul. The Les Paul was previously owned by Pete Townshend. Gallagher wrote “Live Forever” on this guitar. Then he smashed it at a gig in Newcastle after someone had jumped on stage to fight Liam Gallagher. So it’s fitting to end this list with Johnny Marr playing on a Noel Gallagher track. A remix by Robert Smith of The Cure was released later. “Pretty Boy” (Remix) has the rare distinction of a song featuring Johnny Marr, Robert Smith, and Noel Gallagher on the same track.
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