“Because its title is both shocking and hilarious, “Girlfriend in a Coma” is perhaps the most famous – and most scandalous – of all songs recorded by the Smiths. It’s because of that shock, hilarity and scandal that the song deserves celebration on the 30th anniversary of its August 10th, 1987 release.

The legendary status of “Girlfriend” – included on the band’s fourth and final album, Strangeways, Here We Come – began with singer-lyricist Morrissey‘s daring to provoke. He pretended to offend the tradition of conventional pop song subject matter; his daring was part of how the Smiths enlivened 1980s music, setting new standards for the language of popular communication. Morrissey won pop star status for romanticizing unconventional, misunderstood passions. His songs for the Smiths were trailblazing inspiration for the acceptance of social perspectives and emotional sensitivity that cool hipster rock had forbidden.

“Girlfriend in a Coma” is an AIDS song. It’s a response to the crisis that took the lives and broke the hearts of so many friends and lovers – the holocaust of the 1980s. In contradistinction to Elvis Costello’s notion that Morrissey could not complete an introductory thought, the song’s terse, subtle elegance goes on to address a worldwide trauma.

Poet-provocateur Morrissey displayed a pith and potency that refused to wallow in self-pity, just as Marr’s delightful guitar melody refused to supply a dirge. But beneath the calm, white-knuckle surface, the pain is there, waiting to be discovered – especially by listeners who know how the record’s complex emotions actually felt. (For those who don’t, who are too inexperienced or unaware, the infectious tune teaches a lesson in sympathy.)”