The Smiths - — Ask (official Music Video)

The official music video for (1986) is a quintessential collaboration between The Smiths and avant-garde filmmaker Derek Jarman . It captures the band's signature "miserabilist" charm through a lens of artistic defiance, juxtaposing upbeat, jangly guitar pop with imagery of social awkwardness and looming existential dread. Visual Narrative and Symbolism

: The video is notable for featuring Craig Gannon —briefly the band's fifth member—alongside the core four. The Smiths - Ask (Official Music Video)

: The video features a "nerdy," bespectacled teen attempting to declare his love to a girl with a bouquet of flowers—a literal embodiment of the lyric, "Shyness is nice, but shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you’d like to" . The official music video for (1986) is a

: Reviewers often highlight the contrast between Johnny Marr’s optimistic rising guitar chords and Morrissey’s themes of isolation and social failure. : The video features a "nerdy," bespectacled teen

: The Smiths appear in blurred, dreamlike intersections, maintaining their air of mystery while focusing on Morrissey’s expressive performance. Production Context

Directed by Jarman, the video eschews high-budget 80s gloss for a grainy, artsy aesthetic.