"How Soon Is Now?" by The Smiths, first released as a B-side in 1984 and then as a single in 1985, is built on Johnny Marr's guitar. The sound is a dense, shimmering throb: chords that pulse fast and hard, almost like a machine, sitting under ghostly slide lines that swoop in and out. It feels less like strumming and more like a wall of sound switching on and off.
What was used
The details are debated, so take this as the commonly reported version:
- Tremolo from amps, not pedals: the pulse is widely reported to come from the built-in tremolo of several amps, Fender Twin-type amps among them, layered together.
- Synced in the studio: the amp tremolos are reportedly kept in time with the track by careful adjustment and editing, so the layers pulse together instead of drifting.
- Slide overdubs: the eerie swooping parts are reported to be slide guitar overdubs, recorded separately.
The rig below is an approximation: a common way to get close to this sound, not the exact original gear or settings.
Playing it
- Let the tremolo do the rhythm. Strum once and let the chord ring; don't fight the pulse with your picking hand.
- Timing is everything. A tremolo that drifts from the beat sounds wobbly instead of hypnotic.
- To fake the layered effect, record two takes with a looper and pan or blend them.
- For the slide parts, use a glass or metal slide with a light touch, rest it right over the fret wire, and add plenty of reverb.