The Smiths discography

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The Smiths discography
The Smiths Logo.svg
Logo of the Smiths
Studio albums4
Live albums1
Compilation albums10
Video albums1
Music videos13
EPs3
Singles24

The English alternative rock band the Smiths released four studio albums, one live album, 10 compilation albums, three extended plays (EPs), 24 singles, one video album and 13 music videos on the Rough Trade, Sire and WEA record labels. The band was formed in 1982 in Manchester by vocalist Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr, bass player Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. [1]

Contents

The Smiths' debut single was "Hand in Glove" (May 1983); it failed to chart. Its follow-up, "This Charming Man" (October 1983), met with critical approval and reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. [2] In 1984 the band reached number 12 in the UK with the single "What Difference Does It Make?" and went to number two on the UK Albums Chart with their debut album, The Smiths . Their next three singles all went into the top 20 of the charts in the UK, helping to consolidate their previous chart success. The next studio album, Meat Is Murder (1985), reached the top of the British charts; the only single to be released from the album, "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" (1985), failed to break into the UK Top 40. The Smiths' next six singles all made the top 30 in the UK, and their third album, The Queen Is Dead (1986), climbed to number two in the UK. [3]

Despite the Smiths' chart success, Marr left the group in August 1987 because of a strained relationship with Morrissey. [4] Failing to find a replacement, the Smiths disbanded by the time of the release of their final studio album, Strangeways, Here We Come , in September that year. Strangeways, Here We Come climbed to number two in the UK and became the band's highest-charting release in the United States when it reached number 55 on the Billboard 200. During their time together, as well as four studio albums, the Smiths also released three compilation albums ( Hatful of Hollow , The World Won't Listen and Louder Than Bombs ), while a live album Rank , recorded in 1986, was released in 1988 a year after the band split. In early 1992 WEA acquired the entire back catalogue of the Smiths and produced two compilations  Best I and Best II  – the first of which went to the top of the UK Albums Chart. The following year, 1993, WEA re-released the four studio albums, Rank and the three earlier compilation albums. WEA released two further singles compilations in 1995 and 2001, with a further compilation, The Sound of The Smiths , released in November 2008. [3]

Albums

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[5]
UK
Indie

[6]
AUS
[7]
CAN GER
[8]
NL
[9]
NZ
[10]
SWE
[11]
US
[12]
US Cash Box
[13]
The Smiths 217765
[14]
28944150129
Meat Is Murder
  • Released: 11 February 1985
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
115840
[16]
4539132711073
The Queen Is Dead
  • Released: 16 June 1986
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
213029
[17]
331117397059
Strangeways, Here We Come
  • Released: 28 September 1987
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
212827
[19]
332014135529

Live albums

List of live albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[5]
UK
Indie

[6]
AUS
[7]
CAN
[20]
GER
[8]
NL
[9]
NZ
[10]
SWE
[11]
US
[12]
US Cash Box
[13]
Rank 213382474225327754

Compilation albums

List of compilation albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[3]
AUS
[7]
CAN GER
[8]
IRE
[21]
NL
[9]
NZ
[10]
NOR
[22]
SWE
[11]
US
[12]
Hatful of Hollow
  • Released: 12 November 1984
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
791
[23]
2128
The World Won't Listen
  • Released: 23 February 1987
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
2254115161719
Louder Than Bombs
  • Released: 30 March 1987
  • Labels: Rough Trade, Sire
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
3830
[24]
62
Stop Me
Best I
  • Released: 17 August 1992
  • Label: WEA
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
16436
[25]
5674153545139
Best II
  • Released: 2 November 1992
  • Label: WEA
  • Formats: LP, cassette, CD
29190
Singles
  • Released: 20 February 1995
  • Label: WEA
  • Format: CD
513426
The Very Best of The Smiths
  • Released: 4 June 2001
  • Label: WEA
  • Format: CD
3034
The Sound of The Smiths
  • Released: 10 November 2008
  • Label: WEA
  • Format: CD
21
[26]
1142898
  • UK: 2× Platinum [15]
The Smiths Singles Box
  • Released: 8 December 2008
  • Label: WEA
  • Formats: 12 × 7" vinyl, 12 × CD
Complete
  • Released: 26 September 2011
    3 October 2011
  • Label: Rhino
  • Formats: 8 × CD, 8 × LP, 8 × CD + 8 × LP + 25 × 7" vinyl + DVD
6375
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Extended plays

List of EPs, with selected chart positions
TitleEP detailsPeak chart positions
UK
Indie

[6]
GIV 1 [27] [28]
The 12" Mixes
  • Released: 1988
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: cassette, CD
The Peel Sessions 9

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications
TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Album
UK
[29]
UK
Indie

[6]
AUS
[7]
IRE
[30]
NZ
[31]
US Dance
[32]
"Hand in Glove"19833Non-album single later included on Hatful of Hollow
"This Charming Man"2515215
  • UK: 2× Platinum [15]
Non-album single later included on Best I
"What Difference Does It Make?"198412112The Smiths
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"10111Hatful of Hollow
"William, It Was Really Nothing"1718
"How Soon Is Now?"198524153936
"Shakespeare's Sister"26111Non-album single later included on The World Won't Listen
"Barbarism Begins at Home"Meat Is Murder
"The Headmaster Ritual"
"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"49120
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"231154649The Queen Is Dead
"Bigmouth Strikes Again"198626140
"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"
"Panic"1117The World Won't Listen
"Ask"1419
"Shoplifters of the World Unite"19871217
"Sheila Take a Bow"1013Louder Than Bombs
"Girlfriend in a Coma"1311229Strangeways, Here We Come
"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"23213
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"30217
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"9131
"This Charming Man" (re-issue)199281089
  • UK: 2× Platinum [15]
Best I
"How Soon Is Now?" (re-issue)16190
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"2517622Best II
"Ask" (re-issue)199562Singles
"Sweet and Tender Hooligan"Louder Than Bombs
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (demo)2017The Queen Is Dead(2017 collector's edition)
"The Queen Is Dead"85

Other certified releases

List of other certified songs
TitleYear Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Album
"Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want"2019Hatful of Hollow / Louder Than Bombs
"This Night Has Opened My Eyes"2024
"Back to the Old House"2024

Other album appearances

List of appearances on other albums
TitleYearAlbum
"Bigmouth Strikes Again" (Live)2013The Old Grey Whistle Test: The Anthems

Video albums

List of video albums, with selected details and certifications
TitleAlbum detailsCertification
The Complete Picture [33]
  • UK: Platinum

Music videos

List of music videos
YearTitleDirector(s)NotesRef.
"How Soon Is Now?"1985Paula Grief and Richard Levine [34]
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"Ken O'Neill [35]
"The Queen Is Dead"/"Panic"/"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"1986 Derek Jarman A short film made for the 1986 Edinburgh Festival. [36]
"Panic"A promo video for the "Panic" single was made using a mixture of concert footage and footage from Jarman's film. [36]
"Ask" [36]
"Shoplifters of the World Unite"1987 Tamra Davis Combines footage of The Smiths on The Tube in April 1987 with footage from the film A Place in the Sun . [35]
"Sheila Take a Bow" [37]
"Girlfriend in a Coma" Tim Broad [38]
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"Video produced for a single whose release was cancelled. [39]
"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"Promo video released after The Smiths had split, which recycles footage from the "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" video. [40]
"Ask" (live)1988Peter FowlerPromo video produced to promote the Rank live album. [41]
"This Charming Man"1992UnknownUses footage originally shot for the Tyne Tees Television show The Tube in 1983. [35]
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" Tim Broad Recycles footage from the "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" promo video. [42]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Smiths</span> English rock band (1982–1987)

The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band’s songwriting partnership. The Smiths are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from 1980s British independent music.

<i>Strangeways, Here We Come</i> 1987 studio album by the Smiths

Strangeways, Here We Come is the fourth and final studio album by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on 28 September 1987 by Rough Trade Records, several months after the group disbanded. All of the songs were composed by Johnny Marr, with lyrics written and sung by Morrissey.

<i>Meat Is Murder</i> 1985 studio album by the Smiths

Meat Is Murder is the second studio album by English rock band the Smiths, released on 11 February 1985 by Rough Trade Records. It became the band's only studio album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart, and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. The album was an international success: it spent 11 weeks in the European Top 100 Albums chart, peaking at number 29. It also reached number 110 on the US Billboard 200 in the United States.

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<i>The World Wont Listen</i> 1987 compilation album by the Smiths

The World Won't Listen is a compilation album by English rock band the Smiths, released on 23 February 1987 by Rough Trade Records. The album is the second of three compilation albums—the others being Hatful of Hollow and Louder Than Bombs—released by the Smiths while they were still an active band. It reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, staying on the charts for 15 weeks. In the United States Louder Than Bombs was released in place of The World Won't Listen.

<i>Louder Than Bombs</i> 1987 compilation album by the Smiths

Louder Than Bombs is a compilation album by English rock band the Smiths, released as a double album in March 1987 by their American record company, Sire Records. It peaked at number 62 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. Popular demand prompted their British record company, Rough Trade, to issue the album domestically as well. Upon its release in the UK in May 1987, it reached No. 38 on the British charts. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 365 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and ranked No. 369 on a 2012 revised list. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1990.

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<i>...Best II</i> 1992 greatest hits album by the Smiths

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<i>Singles</i> (The Smiths album) 1995 greatest hits album by the Smiths

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"How Soon Is Now?" is a song by English rock band the Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. Originally a B-side of the 1984 single "William, It Was Really Nothing", "How Soon Is Now?" was subsequently featured on the compilation album Hatful of Hollow and on US, Canadian, Australian, and Warner UK editions of Meat Is Murder. Belatedly released as a single in the UK in 1985, it reached No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart. When re-released in 1992, it reached No. 16.

References

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Sources