The Smiths

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

The Smiths · In 1982 Johnny Marr asked Morrissey to start a band together. They wrote the first songs in Marr's attic room. After signing to Rough Trade, the band recorded a first version in 1983 with producer Troy Tate in a hot basement in London. Those recordings were rejected. John Porter recorded everything again, in September 1983, between gigs. The record cost about 6,000 pounds and was released on 20 February 1984.

Marr's clear, jangling guitar stands alongside Morrissey's literary and melancholy lyrics about unrequited love, loneliness and social discontent. Reel Around the Fountain and Suffer Little Children caused a stir because of their lyrics. Many songs omit the traditional chorus and opt for long narrative verses. Critical reception in 1984 was mixed: praise for the compositions, criticism of the production. Later the debut was seen as a milestone and as one of the most influential British records of the 1980s. It reached number two in England.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Reel Around the Fountain5:57Apple Music ↗
2. 2You've Got Everything Now3:00Apple Music ↗
3. 3Miserable Lie4:28Apple Music ↗
4. 4Pretty Girls Make Graves3:43Apple Music ↗
5. 5The Hand That Rocks the Cradle4:38Apple Music ↗
6. 6This Charming Man2:43Apple Music ↗
7. 7Still Ill3:21Apple Music ↗
8. 8Hand In Glove3:22Apple Music ↗
9. 9What Difference Does It Make?3:50Apple Music ↗
10. 10I Don't Owe You Anything4:05Apple Music ↗
11. 11Suffer Little Children5:31Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

See also

• The Smiths