the smiths a-z

3:59 (The Smiths) 4:18 (Jensen/Hatful) 4:19 (Troy Tate studio) 4:29 (Troy Tate outtake) 4:29 (Crazy Face rehearsal) John D. Luerssen's The Smiths FAQ: "Written in April 1983, this upbeat four-minute number originally clocked in at over six minutes. It was first recorded in June of that year...

Re-recorded by Kirsty MacColl with Johnny Marr on guitar - initially included on the "She’s Having a Baby" film soundtrack & single (1998) and then included on her Steve Lillywhite-produced "Kite" album of 1989. 3:32 (The World Won't Listen version) 3:23 (Louder Than Bombs alternate version)...

(Film version is different - full film on YT if interested - but it's dire!). 2:45 (Single version) 2:09 (Single edit) Full Goddard's: Songs That Saved Your Life entry - as it captures all that needs to be said really: "After they split, Marr would denounce this track, along with ‘Golden...

3:07 (Single version - Porter) 3:04 (Jensen Session - Griffin) 3:20 (Troy Tate studio - Tate) 3:18 (Troy Tate outtake - Tate) Mozipedia: "The lyrics evolved over a six-month period, beginning under the title of ‘What Do You See In Him?’, a different narrative where Morrissey vents equal parts...

The initial sleeve was created using an advert for Analog & Digital Systems Inc. speakers ("A.D.S."), circa 1981-82. The then threatened legal action resulted in the Billie Whitelaw image being used as a replacement when the record was repressed in 1987. A.D.S. had alleged (Peepholism, p19)...

'Um ... this song was written by ... erm, erm..." This is a cover of a song by James from their "Jimone" single (November, 1983). Tim Booth on The Smiths & Morrissey: “The Smiths were amazing with us. They covered one of our songs [‘What’s The World’] and at the time, Morrissey said we were...

(Above featuring a difficult to identify backdrop, but eventually...: Rita Renoir). More influence via Elizabeth Smart's By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept: "I have learned to smoke because I need something to hold on to. I dare not be without a cigarette in my hand." "Perhaps I...

Slee describes the cover image as a film outtake and was sought out by Morrissey. There are no lobby cards with this image and the film definitely does not feature the scene depicted. Emlyn Williams: "Beyond Belief - The Moors Murderers: The Story of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley" (1968) has...

Not huge amounts of discussion or deep analysis about this track - written in '85 at the same time as Some Girls... Never played live by The Smiths or Morrissey, but soundchecked. It was initially a candidate for inclusion on The Queen Is Dead to then become a B-side. Suggested as possibly...

Lyric sheet & booklet with included 'x's: Although assumed to be written & recorded during the Strangeway's sessions (March/April, 1987), some of this song's proto-lyrics were already known via The Royal Court, Liverpool concert (February 8, 1986). Where Meat Is Murder ended with Morrissey...

3:40 (Album/Peel version) 3:17 (Studio demo) Produced by Roger Pusey. The song being OK'd by him was to signal the end of the BBC caring about any furore surrounding The Smiths / Ferrari & The Sun allegations. Ultimately leading to a BBC statement: "The Sun got it wrong again". Their support...

Probably the most recognisable of songs today: Orphée (1950) provides Jean Marais as the cover star: The Anthony Shaffer influence: The A Taste Of Honey (1961) influence: "Are you going dancing tonight? l can't. You never go anywhere, do you? l haven't got any clothes to wear, for...

On to a very early composition: One with several incarnations: 2:33 Producer: Dale Griffin (Jensen/BBC/Hatful) 2:20 Producer: John Porter (Single version) 2:44 Producer: Troy Tate (Troy Tate version) 3:05 No Producer (Crazy Face rehearsal) The potential lifts & inspirations for the lyrics...

Top tier time. Often considered the best of the best, today brings: Living happily on albums and B-sides apart from: Above, the French TIALTNGO 7" - a highly sought after collectible - if you are lucky to find one and can afford it, this is a must-own for collectors. Then 'reissued' in...

A topical one for today with it featuring as one of the closers for current gigs... Initially a B-side, but then released as a US-only 12" & CD single in May, 1995 as part of the promotion for Singles. Featuring coverstar boxer Cornelius Carr captured from the Boxers video by James O'Brien...

Performed once by The Smiths and never by Morrissey. The Ritz '82 performance has never surfaced. The subject matter has always been a raw topic and The Sun going after The Smiths via interviewing people like John Kilbride or Ann West (Morrissey "must be as sick as the killers") was probably...

The lyrics changing between the single & The World Won't Listen version hasn't ever been clearly explained. Morrissey: "In The Smiths' song, 'Stretch Out And Wait', there is a line 'God, how sex implores you'. To make choices, to change and to be different, to do something and make a stand, and...

Included for 'lols', yeuks or general information: The cover featuring Murray Head from the closing scenes of The Family Way is actually sourced from a 'lobby card' and doesn't feature in the film. Morrissey stated to Len Brown in 1988: "I desperately desperately wanted that to be...

Next up, a classic... The closest thing to a single release :) From Songs That Saved Your Life: "Written in tandem with ‘This Charming Man’ for their fourth BBC session, ‘Still Ill’ would be the most recent addition to the final running order of The Smiths. By the autumn of 1983, Marr’s...

With possible musical roots in early 1985, next up we have Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others. Released as a German-only single (Zensor/TELDEC). Cover star: Yootha Joyce as "Nan" in Catch Us If You Can (US: Having A Wild Weekend), 1965 by John Boorman. Although "produced by Morrissey and Marr"...