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The Smiths (album)

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The Smiths
Studio album by
the Smiths
Released20 February 1984 (1984-02-20)
RecordedSeptember–November 1983
Studio
Genre
Length42:55 (original UK vinyl release)
45:36 (versions including "This Charming Man")
LabelRough Trade
ProducerJohn Porter
The Smiths chronology
The Smiths
(1984) 		Hatful of Hollow
(1984)
Singles from The Smiths
  1. "What Difference Does It Make?"
    Released: 16 January 1984

The Smiths is the debut studio album by English rock band the Smiths, released on 20 February 1984 by Rough Trade Records. After the original production by Troy Tate was felt to be inadequate, John Porter re-recorded the album in London, Manchester and Stockport during breaks in the band's UK tour during September 1983.

The album was well received by critics and listeners, and reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, staying on the chart for 33 weeks. It established the Smiths as a prominent band in the 1980s music scene in the United Kingdom. The album also became an international success, peaking at number 45 in the European Albums Chart, remaining in the chart for 21 weeks. After its exit of the European chart, it then re-entered in the Hot 100 Albums from September for another run of three weeks.

Background

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In May 1982, Johnny Marr visited Steven Morrissey at his home in Stretford to invite him to form a band. The two had first met in 1978 at a Patti Smith concert in Manchester[1] and bonded over a shared interest in literature and music.[2] After agreeing to collaborate, they began writing songs together in Marr's attic room, starting with early drafts like "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and "Suffer Little Children".[2]

The group recorded their first demo in August 1982 and gave their live debut at Manchester's Ritz that October.[3] In early 1983, The Smiths recorded a second demo at Drone Studios in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.[2] Though EMI passed on the tape, the group persisted, rehearsing in a space provided by their manager Joe Moss and debuting new material in local gigs.[2]

Recording and production

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After signing with independent record label Rough Trade, the Smiths spent more than a month recording a first version of the album in July and August 1983.[4] To record their debut single "Hand in Glove", In late February 1983, the group booked a one-day self-produced recording session at Strawberry Studios in Stockport to record the single at a cost of £250.[5] Due to the suggestion of Rough Trade head Geoff Travis in March 1983, the band selected Troy Tate (former guitarist of the Teardrop Explodes) as producer for sessions at Elephant Studios in Wapping, London.[6] During the following month the group recorded fourteen songs.[7] However, these recordings were totally discarded.[4]

Guitarist Johnny Marr would later write in his autobiography that he "liked Troy [...] Troy's vision was to capture the way the band sounded live". Marr later stated that Tate aimed to capture the band's live sound and viewed the album as an authentic reflection of their performances in clubs. He described Tate as working diligently to draw out passionate performances and being particularly supportive during the sessions. However, the sessions would also prove to be arduous due to an ongoing heatwave in London. The Smiths were recording in a hot basement studio at Elephant, and according to Marr, not only was the heat uncomfortable but it made it difficult to keep their instruments in tune.[8]

While recording a BBC session for Dave Jensen in August 1983, the Smiths met producer John Porter, who was working in one of the studios. Travis, harbouring reservations about the group's session with Troy Tate, gave Porter a cassette of the sessions beforehand in the hopes that he could remix them. Porter told Travis that the sessions were "out of tune and out of time". Feeling the Tate sessions were unsalvageable, Porter offered to re-record the album himself. Despite praising the work with Tate, only a week prior, to the press by stating "we've done everything exactly right and it'll show", the Smiths singer Morrissey accepted, as did Travis, while Marr hesitantly agreed.[7] Marr would later claim in his autobiography that when the band heard the finished work done under Tate, Morrissey didn't like the album and the others weren't entirely happy with the results either. He wrote that "I could hear myself that the mixes sounded underproduced and were not the finished article that we needed as our introduction to the world".[9] Since then, the Smiths began work with Porter in September 1983.[10]

Strawberry Studios building in 2013

The album's creation proved by Simon Goddard to be the most difficult of the band's career, shaped by "an arduous process of trial, error, frustration, haste and, ultimately, disappointment".[4] Due to tour commitments, the group had to make the record in a piecemeal fashion. Marr later recalled that "working with John immediately got us results [...] he and I formed a musical and personal relationship that was inspiring [...] he nurtured not just me but all the band".[10]

Recording started at London's Matrix Studios, with the majority of the work undertaken during a week's stay at Pluto, just outside Manchester. A final overdub session was performed at Eden in London that November.[10] After listening to a finished mix of the album the following month, Morrissey told Porter and Travis that the album "wasn't good enough". However, the singer said that due to the album's cost of £6,000, "[they said] it has to be released, there's no going back".[11]

Musical style

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Music critics have categorised The Smiths as an alternative rock,[12] indie rock[13] and post-punk[14] recording. Music journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine on AllMusic would describe their songs as "vital and alive, developing a new, unique voice within pop music".[15] Douglas Wolk described the album's aesthetic as "murk, sexual frankness, and situational ambiguity".[16] Bands such as the Velvet Underground and the Stooges were particularly influential.[17] The opening track "Reel Around the Fountain" is a six-minute composition that emerged from Morrissey's reflections on an early formative sexual encounter, seemingly with an older partner. Anchored by his restrained lower-register vocals, the song sets a melancholy tone for the album.[18] "You've Got Everything Now" introduces a faster pace to the album, combining a lively arrangement with Morrissey's pointed address to a rival figure. Its lyrics express regret over the direction of his own life, though he still asserts a sense of moral or emotional superiority.[18]

"Miserable Lie" begins with a restrained, post-punk-inspired introduction, before abruptly shifting in tempo by the rhythm section's intensified drive. This structural change opens space for one of Morrissey's most unrestrained vocal performances on the album, as he ascends into erratic falsetto.[18] "Pretty Girls Make Graves" follows with a more conventional the Smiths arrangement, centered around Andy Rourke's bass line and Johnny Marr's guitar. Lyrically, Morrissey recounts an experience with a woman whose confidence and sexuality leave him feeling insecure, ultimately leading to rejection.[18] "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" exemplifies the album's tendency to forego traditional choruses in favor of extended lyrical storytelling. Marr's shimmering guitar accompanies Morrissey's calm vocal delivery, though the lyrics hint at darker, possibly violent themes.[18] "Still Ill" is driven by a steady mid-tempo rhythm,[18] referencing a nostalgia for the past.[19] The lyrics explore themes of identity, autonomy, and societal expectations, with Morrissey referencing questions of bodily and mental control and echoing concerns about attitudes toward sexuality in the United Kingdom, particularly in the wake of legal changes.[18]

"Hand in Glove", originally released as the Smiths' debut single in May 1983, is marked by its dark, atmospheric instrumentation and emotionally intense vocal delivery. Johnny Marr's shimmering guitar lines and Andy Rourke's subtle bass work combine to create a haunting new wave landscape. Morrissey's lyrics, steeped in romantic desperation and fatalism, convey both longing and the inevitability of loss.[18] "What Difference Does It Make?" introduces side B with a more conventional rock structure, featuring a driving rhythm and prominent guitar hooks. Its energetic arrangement contrasts with the rest of the album's more melancholic tone, and Morrissey's impassioned delivery, particularly in the soaring outro, adds a distinctive theatrical edge.[18]

"I Don't Owe You Anything" slows the pace with a languid arrangement and subdued emotional tone. The lyrics center around rejection and emotional detachment, as Morrissey reflects on unreciprocated affection and the inevitability of being replaced.[18] "Suffer Little Children" addresses the Moors murders, in which five children were sexually assaulted and murdered near Morrissey's home in Manchester in 1965.[18] The song's subject matter drew controversy upon the album's release, leading some retailers to remove it from their shelves. In the aftermath, Morrissey established a correspondence with Ann West, the mother of victim Lesley Ann Downey, who came to believe that the song was written with sincere and respectful intentions.[20]

Artwork and release

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The original image used in The Smiths album cover

The cover's sleeve for The Smiths was designed by Morrissey. It features American actor Joe D'Allesandro in a cropped still from Morrissey's 1968 film Flesh.[21][22] The photograph of Morrissey was taken at the "Jobs For A Change" outdoor concert organized by the GLC at Jubilee Gardens, London, on 10 June 1984.[23]

The album was released on 20 February 1984, and debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart.[11] At the time of its release, Morrissey stated that The Smiths was "a signpost in the history of popular music" and that he expected "the highest critical praise". For the most part, the album was well received, reaching high chart positions but prevented from reaching number one by Sparkle in the Rain by Simple Minds.[24]

The single "What Difference Does It Make?" was shortened and released in January 1984, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.[25] "This Charming Man" was included as the sixth track on all original US releases of the album on Sire Records (LP, CD and cassette) and on the UK cassette on Rough Trade. Following the 1989 bankruptcy of Rough Trade,[26] WEA Records purchased the Smiths' back catalogue.[27] In 1992 WEA re-issued the band's catalogue, and all subsequent pressings of The Smiths have incorporated "This Charming Man".[28]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Billboard[18]
Blender[29]
Chicago Tribune[30]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[31]
Q[32]
Rolling Stone[33]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[34]
Uncut[35]
The Village VoiceB−[36]

The Smiths has received acclaim from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a score of five stars on AllMusic, writing that the album was "the bracing beginning of a new era" in an era dominated by synth-pop and post-punk. He noted that the Smiths' sound wasn't radically different from traditional British guitar pop, but was "an astonishing subversion of the form", with Johnny Marr's "inventive songwriting" and Morrissey's "distinctively ironic, witty, and literate" lyrics.[15] Daryl Easlea, writing for BBC Music, described The Smiths as "an incredible statement of intent" and noted that it "defined northern British pop in a manner not unlike the Beatles had two decades earlier". Easlea added that the music was "completely out of step with the times, yet has come to define them", and credited the album with mapping out "a new stage of indie music".[37]

Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice, gave the album a B− and noted that Morrissey's "slightly skewed relationship to time and pitch codes his faint melodies at least as much as Johnny Marr's much-heralded real guitar". He argued that Morrissey became "an instant cult hero" due to his "slightly unskewed relationship to transitory sex", comparing his appeal to "the James Taylor effect" where "hypersensitivity [is] seen as a spiritual achievement rather than an affliction".[36] Libby Cudmore from Consequence wrote that "not even Morrissey's latter-day sins can taint the pure love listeners feel for this record".[20]

Accolades

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The music critic Garry Mulholland included it in his list of the 261 greatest albums since 1976 in Fear of Music: "The Smiths made safe their early legend with a debut album about child abuse. The production was flat and dour, yet it succeeded in conjuring yet another Manchester-in-song, distinctly different from that of Ian Curtis and Mark E. Smith. But everything about The Smiths ran contrary to mid-80s pop, from Joe D'Allesandro on the cover to the restrained jangling of the songs, but mainly through Moz's [Morrissey's nickname] dramatised disgust at sex, which here exists to ruin true love at best, and to ruin an entire young life at worst".[38]

Slant Magazine listed the album at 51 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s" saying "There's no reason why a mordant, sexually frustrated disciple of Oscar Wilde who loved punk but crooned like a malfunctioning Sinatra should've teamed up with a fabulously inventive guitarist whose influences were so diffuse that it could be hard to hear them at all and formed one of the greatest songwriting duos of the '80s".[39] PopMatters included the album on their list of "12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s" saying: "Morrissey's career are fully accounted for on The Smiths, where they are rendered all the more piercing by Johnny Marr's delicate guitar-picking and John Porter's stark production".[12]

In 1989, the album was ranked number 22 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.[40] In 2003, the album was 481st on that magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[41] The magazine ranked it 473rd on an updated list in 2012, calling it "a showcase for Morrissey's morose wit and Johnny Marr's guitar chime".[42] The album was ranked number 51 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time.[43] It placed at number 21 in The Guardian's list of the top 100 British albums.[44]

Legacy

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According to The Independent, the band's frustration with their debut album played a key role in the decision to release Hatful of Hollow later in 1984. The compilation brought together early BBC sessions, which were recorded quickly and, in contrast to the album, better captured the immediacy and raw energy of their sound.[45] The Grammy Awards would write about the album's 40th year anniversary, stating: "Despite its subject, the cover of The Smiths doesn't scream starpower; it looks ripped out of a moldering magazine. Which completely jibes with the music—glimmering yet murky, seemingly anti-produced in places. That vibe was the point from the beginning—hence their band name".[46]

The business newspaper City A.M. described The Smiths as "a strange, imperfect album", citing its slightly anaemic production and uneven pacing. However, it also praised the record's highlights, noting that the three tracks that open the second side—"Still Ill", "Hand in Glove", and "What Difference Does It Make?"—"define the band", even if the group would go on to surpass those early peaks in the years that followed.[47] Slant Magazine questioned the track sequencing of The Smiths, particularly why the energetic and memorable single "What Difference Does It Make?" was placed so late in the album despite its release just a month earlier. The publication also argued that "This Charming Man" should have been part of the album from the outset, calling it one of the best singles of 1983.[48]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Morrissey; all music is composed by Johnny Marr.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Reel Around the Fountain"5:58
2."You've Got Everything Now"3:59
3."Miserable Lie"4:29
4."Pretty Girls Make Graves"3:44
5."The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (quotation from "Sonny Boy" by Ray Henderson, Lew Brown and Al Jolson)4:38
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Still Ill"3:23
7."Hand in Glove"3:25
8."What Difference Does It Make?"3:51
9."I Don't Owe You Anything"4:05
10."Suffer Little Children"5:28
US LP/cassette and UK cassette
No.TitleLength
6."This Charming Man"2:41

Personnel

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Charts

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The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and remaining there for 33 weeks. It played a key role in establishing the Smiths within the British music scene of the 1980s. Internationally, it also performed well, peaking at number 45 on the European Top 100 Albums[49] and staying on the chart for 21 weeks.[50] Following its initial run, the album re-entered the US Billboard 200 chart in September for an additional three weeks.[51]

Chart performance for The Smiths
Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[52] 77
European Top 100 Albums[49] 45
UK Albums[53] 2
US Billboard 200[54] 150

Certifications

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Certifications for The Smiths
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Goddard, Simon (1 February 2013). Songs That Saved Your Life. Titan Books. p. 16. ISBN 9781781162590. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Goddard, Simon (2006). The Smiths: Songs That Saved Your Life. Reynolds and Hearn. pp. 16–32. ISBN 1-905287-14-3.
  3. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 165.
  4. ^ a b c Goddard 2009, p. 448.
  5. ^ Goddard 2003, pp. 28–29.
  6. ^ Goddard 2003, p. 34.
  7. ^ a b Goddard 2003, p. 35.
  8. ^ Marr 2016, p. 174.
  9. ^ Marr 2016, p. 175.
  10. ^ a b c Goddard 2003, p. 46.
  11. ^ a b Goddard 2003, p. 87.
  12. ^ a b "Hope Despite the Times: 12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s". PopMatters. 27 August 2014. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever". Stereogum. 14 November 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  14. ^ Jackson, Josh (13 July 2016). "The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums". Paste. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  15. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Smiths – The Smiths". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  16. ^ Wolk, Douglas (18 November 2011). "The Smiths: The Smiths Complete". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  17. ^ "The Roots Of... The Smiths". NME. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Payne, Chris (20 February 2014). "'The Smiths' at 30: Classic Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  19. ^ McKinney, D. (April 2015). Morrissey FAQ: All That's Left to Know About This Charming Man. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 330. ISBN 978-1-4950-2893-9.
  20. ^ a b Cudmore, Libby (22 February 2019). "The Smiths' Debut Remains an Album to Fall in Love with All Over Again". Consequence. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  21. ^ "The artwork of the Smiths – in pictures". The Guardian. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  22. ^ Barker, Emily (3 August 2015). "The Smiths - The Stories Behind All 27 Of Their Provocative Album And Single Sleeves". NME. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  23. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 391.
  24. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 450.
  25. ^ Goddard 2003, p. 81.
  26. ^ Sinclair, David (8 September 2006). "Rough with the smooth". The Independent. p. 14.
  27. ^ Gennoe, Dan (2006). "Second Coming" (PDF). British Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2014.
  28. ^ Rogan, Johnny (November–December 1992). "Johnny Marr's View". Record Collector. ISSN 0261-250X.
  29. ^ Power, Tony (October 2004). "The Smiths: The Smiths". Blender. No. 30. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  30. ^ Kot, Greg (7 July 1991). "The Smiths And Solo". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  31. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  32. ^ a b Cavanagh, David (December 1993). "Irreproachable". Q. No. 87. p. 139.
  33. ^ Loder, Kurt (21 June 1984). "The Smiths". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  34. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Smiths". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 753–754. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  35. ^ Dalton, Stephen (August 1998). "The Smiths Discography". Uncut. No. 15. p. 67.
  36. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (29 May 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  37. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2007). "BBC - Music - Review of The Smiths - The Smiths". BBC Music. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  38. ^ Garry Mulholland, Fear of Music, p.164 ISBN 0-7528-6831-4
  39. ^ Cole, Matthew (5 March 2012). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  40. ^ "100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rolling Stone. 16 November 1989. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  41. ^ Levy, Joe (2005). Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Wenner. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-932958-61-4.
  42. ^ Wenner, Jann S., ed. (2012). Rolling Stone – Special Collectors Issue – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. USA: Wenner Media Specials. ISBN 978-7-09-893419-6
  43. ^ "100 Best Debut Albums Ever". Rolling Stone. 13 October 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  44. ^ "Observer Music Monthly's top 100 British albums". The Guardian. 20 June 2004. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  45. ^ Beaumont, Mark (17 February 2024). "Murderous lyrics, bare torsos, and disappointment: the story behind The Smiths debut". The Independent. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  46. ^ "'The Smiths' At 40: How The Self-Titled Debut Fired An Opening Shot For Indie Rock | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  47. ^ Dinneen, Steve (5 April 2024). "The Smiths debut album at 40 – those songs still stand alone". City AM. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  48. ^ Parkinson-Jones, Lewie (20 February 2024). "Backloaded: The Smiths's Self-Titled Debut Album Turns 40". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  49. ^ a b "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 19 March 1984. p. 17. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  50. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 August 1984. p. 12. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  51. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 September 1984. p. 14. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  52. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 279. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  53. ^ Roberts, David. British Hit Singles and Albums. Guinness World Records Limited.
  54. ^ "The Smiths". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  55. ^ "British album certifications – The Smiths – The Smiths". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 May 2019.

Works cited

Further reading

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