Barely two minutes long and bursting with life, William, It Was Really Nothing is Johnny Marr distilled — a fast, joyous, endlessly chiming riff that never stops moving. It's one of his most beloved parts among guitarists.
What makes the tone. Bright, clean, compressed jangle at pace, with a glassy top end from high capo'd voicings. The part cascades and rings, propelled by an even, insistent right hand. There's no grit — the energy is all in the speed, the chime and the layering. It's jangle-pop at its most economical and perfect.
The analogue recipe. A bright guitar with a capo into a clean Fender or Vox amp, treble up, light compression for sustain. Play the arpeggiated figure cleanly and evenly at tempo — that's the whole trick. Modest reverb, no drive. Doubling the part adds width to the chime.
On a Boss GT-100 / GT-1000 / GX-100. A clean amp model, bright EQ, compressor up front, short reverb. Capo the guitar high. Focus on picking accuracy at speed — the cascading figure only sparkles if the right hand stays even.
On a Kemper. A clean, bright Vox profile with a compressor. Capo high and let the strings ring. The part is the star, so keep the tone simple and clean and nail the picking.
Skip the guesswork. The Soulster Tonebook for fans of The Smiths → covers Marr's capo tricks and bright-jangle settings — and our Johnny Marr guitar tone guide → unpacks his approach.
Put it on the wall. The "William, It Was Really Nothing" Northern Life print → and Studio Life t-shirt → celebrate a two-minute masterpiece. Also on the "William, It Was Really Nothing" Practice print → and the "William, It Was Really Nothing" Studio print →.
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