1985 Indie Rock Classic Started as a B-Side Before Becoming a Defining '80s Anthem
One of the most recognizable alternative rock hits started as an experimental B-side that wasn't expected to get too much attention. This was the story of The Smiths' song "How Soon Is Now?", which began its life as a B-side track for the 1984 single, "William, It Was Really Nothing."
Decades after it first came out, many fans consider "How Soon Is Now?" the definitive Smiths song, despite its interestingly modest start. Soon after the track debuted as a B-side, it was featured as a single on the compilation album Hatful of Hollow in 1985, and this is when it really started gaining traction.
"How Soon Is Now?" started climbing up the charts, peaking at No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart. It was rereleased in 1992 and performed even better, reaching No. 16. The song was very experimental for The Smiths. As they recorded the track, they tried out different guitar styles with the aim of creating a "swampy" feel.
The Smiths band member and songwriter Johnny Marr opened up about how the track was created in a 1997 interview with The Guitar Magazine, via SmithsSupernova, saying,"I wanted to write a track with an intro that you couldn't forget, something that you knew straight away was The Smiths."
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"Layering the slide part was what gave it the real tension," he went on. "It took an eternity. God bless the sampler, 'cos it would have been so much easier! But it was just one of those great moments." Marr also praised The Smiths singer Morrissey's vocals on "How Soon Is Now?" before simply calling it "a great track."
Over the years, despite how different the sound of "How Soon Is Now?" is from many of The Smiths' other tracks, it has become known as the group's signature song and is a major fan-favorite in alternative-rock music.
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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 5:58 AM.