The Smiths

This article is about the band. For the album, see The Smiths (album). For other uses, see Smiths.

The Smiths
The Smiths in 1984. From left to right: Andy Rourke, Morrissey, Johnny Marr and Mike Joyce.
The Smiths in 1984. From left to right: Andy Rourke, Morrissey, Johnny Marr and Mike Joyce.
Background information
OriginManchester, England
Genres
Discography
Years active1982–1987
Labels
Past members
Websiteofficialsmiths.co.uk

The Smiths were an English alternative 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.

The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their debut album, The Smiths, in 1984. Their focus on a guitar, bass and drum sound, fusing 1960s rock and post-punk, was a rejection of the synth-pop sound predominant at the time. Several Smiths singles reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, and all their studio albums reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart, including the number-one album Meat Is Murder (1985).

In 1985, they added keyboards, while retaining the guitar as the lead instrument, achieving mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), which both entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart.[6] In 1986, the band briefly became a five-piece with the addition of guitarist Craig Gannon.

Internal tensions led to the Smiths' breakup in 1987, followed by public lawsuits over royalties. The members each said that the band would never reunite and refused all offers to do so. Rourke died in 2023.

  1. ^ Monroe, Jazz (19 May 2023). "The Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke Dies at 59". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Smiths | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  3. ^ Bannister, Matthew (2013). White Boys, White Noise: Masculinities and 1980s Indie Guitar Rock. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 71–72, 87, 124–125. ISBN 978-1-4094-9374-7.
  4. ^ Payne, Chris (20 February 2014). "'The Smiths' at 30: Classic Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ref-1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 26 July 1986. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
    "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 31 October 1987. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2019.