William, It Was Really Nothing

Infobox Single
Name = William, It Was Really Nothing


Artist = The Smiths
from Album = Hatful of Hollow
Released = August 20 1984
Format = 7" single, 12" single, CD (1988)
Recorded = Summer 1984
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 2:09
Label = Rough Trade
Writer = Johnny Marr Morrissey
Producer = John Porter
Video director =
Certification =
Reviews =
Last single = "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"
(1984)
This single = "William, It Was Really Nothing"
(1984)
Next single = "How Soon Is Now?"
(1985) Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Background = khaki


Lower caption = Alternate cover featuring Billie Whitelaw

"William, It Was Really Nothing" is a song by British band The Smiths. It was released as a single on 24 August 1984, featuring the B-sides "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" and "How Soon Is Now?", and reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on the compilation albums "Hatful of Hollow" and "Louder Than Bombs" as well as other best of and singles collections. In 2004 the song was ranked number 425 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

The original artwork depicted comes from an early 80s advertisement for A.D.S. speakers (the object on the bed is a speaker), however due to legal reasons later pressings were produced with new artwork, a lilac-tinted still of Billie Whitelaw from the film "Charlie Bubbles", directed by Albert Finney. The sleeve for the 1988 CD single reissue shows Colin Campbell from the 1964 film "The Leather Boys". This artwork had previously been used in Germany for the single "Ask".

When the band performed the song on "Top of the Pops", Morrissey ripped open his shirt to reveal the words "MARRY ME" written on his chest ("Would you like to marry me?" is one line of the song). [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,965652,00.html Return of the lone stranger | | guardian.co.uk Arts ] ]

Lyrics

The lyrics are directed to a man called William, who has recently split-up from a "fat girl" who wanted him to marry her. The protagonist comforts William, stating that marriage is "really nothing".

The song is popularly believed to have been written by Morrissey about his short-lived friendship with Billy Mackenzie, lead singer of Associates. Some fans speculated that the two were romantically linked and viewed The Associates' song, "Stephen, You're Really Something" [ [http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1467930/a/Double+Hipness.htm Associates Double Hipness CD United Kingdom ] ] as a response (Morrissey's full name is Steven Patrick Morrissey), though it was actually written by Billy's bandmate Alan Rankine. Morrissey himself has said of his band's song:

:"What 'William It Was Really Nothing' is about is... it occurred to me that within popular music if ever there were any records that discussed marriage they were always from the female's standpoint - female singers singing to women: whenever there were any songs saying 'do not marry, stay single, self-preservation, etc'. I thought it was about time there was a male voice speaking directly to another male saying that marriage was a waste of time... that, in fact, it was 'absolutely nothing'."

Track listing

7": Rough Trade / RT166 (UK)

# "William, It Was Really Nothing"
# "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"

* in original green sleeve

7": Rough Trade / RT166 (UK)

# "William, It Was Really Nothing"
# "How Soon Is Now?"

* in lilac reprint sleeve

12": Rough Trade / RTT166 (UK)

# "William, It Was Really Nothing"
# "How Soon Is Now?"
# "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"

* also released on CD Rough Trade RTT166CD (1988)

Etchings on vinyl

*UK 7" and 12" with green cover:THE IMPOTENCE OF ERNEST / ROMANTIC AND SQUARE IS HIP AND AWARE
*UK 7" with lilac cover:THE IMPOTENCE OF ERNEST / WE HATES BAD GRAMMER
*UK 12" with lilac cover:THE IMPOTENCE OF ERNEST / ROMANTIC AND [ ] IS HIP N'AWARE

The A-side etching is a pun on Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest", referencing Ernest Hemingway's latter-day impotence. The "Romantic and square..." etching is from Johnny Marr.

References