“How Soon Is Now”, which guitarist, Johnny Marr, described as The Smiths' "most enduring record" - is about their front man Morrissey's crippling shyness.  It has since become an anthem for the alienated and socially isolated. It’s a depiction of a social misfit at odds with the trendies and cool kids becoming an iconic moment in its own right.  The song was named after a question posed in Marjorie Rosen’s feminist film study, Popcorn Venus – one of Morrissey’s favorite books.

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."  "I wanted it to be really, really tense and swampy, all at the same time. Layering the slide part was what gave it the real tension. It took an eternity."

The Smiths’ installed red lightbulbs in their London Studio to create the atmosphere they wanted to record the song.

The oscillating guitar has been compared to the one heard in the Rolling Stones cover of Bo Diddley’s song, ‘I Need You Baby (Mona).’

Various Sources