Andy Rourke’s isolated bass from The Smiths song ‘This Charming Man’ proves he was a genius
Johnny Marr usually gets the bulk of the musical praise for The Smiths‘ output, and it’s not hard to see why. Marr got the music songwriting credits for almost all of the band’s compositions, and his playing style was so unique to him that it largely overshadowed most of the other melodic elements that were peppered throughout The Smiths’ catalogue. But under the surface, a secret weapon lies just under the listener’s nose: a series of distinctive bass lines from Andy Rourke, who has tragically passed away.
Taking the lead from melodic players like Joy Division’s Peter Hook and R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Rourke combated his bandmate’s arpeggios with distinctive runs of his own, creating a sonic that fleshes out numerous classic Smith songs. Under these circumstances, The Smiths identified themselves as one of the most unique bands around, much of which can be traced back to Rourke’s idiosyncratic basslines.
Though the low-end register of most indie songs is forgotten in the dusty recesses of our minds, Rourke brought his musical chops to the fore. Just below the heavily oscillated guitar chords of ‘How Soon is Now’ lies a jumpy bassline inspired by R&B and Motown. ‘Girlfriend in a Coma’ lets its playful and elastic play into the ironic tone of the song, while ‘I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish’ finds Rourke walking all over the bass as brass and drum crashes threaten to drown him out. But Rourke was just as distinctive as Marr’s singular picking style and Morrissey’s unmistakable voice.
The best part is that Rourke is a distinctive presence from the beginning of the band’s career. Just listen to ‘Hand in Glove’ or ‘You’ve Got Everything Now’ to hear how fully formed Rourke was right out of the gate. He was a defined musician who helped to add further rendered wonderment to the marvellous skill of Marr and Morrissey. But if you want the perfect example of Rourke’s genius standing right in front of you without ever giving it a second listen, then go back and listen to ‘This Charming Man’.
Better yet, listen to the track twice: once isolated and then again with all the other song’s elements. Like Hook, Rourke favours hitting octaves and creating his own melodic lines while occasionally throwing in hammer-ons and complex runs to keep the proceedings interesting. But his outlining of the song’s basic chords and implementation of noticeable effects makes him a kindred spirit to The Cure’s Simon Gallup.
It takes a brave soul to add such a mind-bending bass line to an already note-heavy guitar song, but Rourke never overwhelms the song’s composition or catchy elements. He’s happy to stay in the background, even though his bass line demands proper attention.
It’s a powerful bassline that not only accompanies perhaps one of Britain’s most beloved indie anthems but showcases the quiet genius Rourke was. A deeply talented man, his legacy live son within iconic songs like these.
