How Soon Is Now?

This song - which guitarist, Johnny Marr, described as The Smiths' "most enduring record" - is about their frontman Morrissey's crippling shyness. It has since become an anthem for the alienated and socially isolated.

Marr wrote this song, "William, It Was Really Nothing" and "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" over a productive four-day period in June 1984.

Marr revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that he set about composing a memorable introduction: "I wanted an introduction that was almost as potent as 'Layla.' When it plays in a club or a pub, everyone knows what it is."