[dropcap]B[/dropcap]ack in 1986 the Smiths drew their literary battle lines with distinct passion, as Morrissey famously offers up in “Cemetery Gates” that “Keats and Yeats are on your side/While Wilde is on mine.” It led a generation of loners to flock to the writings of Oscar, and probably did more for literature among disenfranchised British and American youth in the ’80s and ’90s than your hack high school English professor. But what if each Smiths song was its own book?
The idea seems plausible, in both theory and execution, and not just because the lyrical wit and wisdom of Morrissey is something people still pore over. Smiths songs all have their own personal identity, and now the UK’s Standard Designs has given them their own spine (enter Mozzer joke here), and a place on the wall near the titles on your bookshelf.
The company’s Etsy shop now features four prints of Smiths albums depicting the songs as a pack of Penguin books, each title its very own piece of literature, and author credits falling to both “The Smiths” and “Morrissey & Marr.”
They’re available for sale individually or as a four-print package, and while you’re at it, check the Oscar Wilde print — where the writer declares Morrissey’s on his side as well — which according to the designer was allegedly displayed during an episode of Girls.
Check out the 16.5-inch x 11.5-inch prints below, and dig back into the Standard Design catalog for entries from Joy Division, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, and the Stone Roses. Naturally, only one Roses design is available. Sorry, Second Coming.
