# The Smiths discography

The English alternative rock band the Smiths released four studio albums, one live album, 11 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.
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. 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.
Despite the Smiths' chart success, Marr left the group in August 1987 because of a strained relationship with Morrissey. 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.

## Albums
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
| Title | Album details | UK | UK Indie | AUS | CAN | GER | NL | NZ | SWE | US | US Cash Box | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
| The Smiths | Released: 20 February 1984 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 2 | 1 | 77 | 65 | — | 28 | 9 | 44 | 150 | 129 | UK: Gold |
| Meat Is Murder | Released: 11 February 1985 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 1 | 1 | 58 | 40 | 45 | 39 | 13 | 27 | 110 | 73 | UK: Gold |
| The Queen Is Dead | Released: 16 June 1986 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 2 | 1 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 11 | 17 | 39 | 70 | 59 | UK: Platinum US: Gold |
| Strangeways, Here We Come | Released: 28 September 1987 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 2 | 1 | 28 | 27 | 33 | 20 | 14 | 13 | 55 | 29 | UK: Gold US: Gold |

### Live albums

List of live albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
| Title | Album details | UK | UK Indie | AUS | CAN | GER | NL | NZ | SWE | US | US Cash Box | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
| Rank | Released: 5 September 1988 Label: Rough Trade, Sire Formats: LP, cassette, CD, DAT | 2 | 1 | 33 | 82 | 47 | 42 | 25 | 32 | 77 | 54 | UK: Gold |

### Compilation albums

List of compilation albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
| Title | Album details | UK | AUS | CAN | GER | IRE | NL | NZ | NOR | SWE | US | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
| Hatful of Hollow | Released: 12 November 1984 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 7 | — | 91 | — | — | — | 21 | — | 28 | — | UK: Platinum |
| The World Won't Listen | Released: 23 February 1987 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 2 | 25 | — | 41 | — | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | — | UK: Gold |
| Louder Than Bombs | Released: 30 March 1987 Labels: Rough Trade, Sire Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 38 | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 62 | UK: Gold US: Gold |
| Stop Me | Released: 21 January 1988 (Japan only) Label: RCA Victor Formats: CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Best I | Released: 17 August 1992 Label: WEA Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 1 | 64 | 36 | — | 56 | 74 | 15 | 35 | 45 | 139 | UK: Gold |
| Best II | Released: 2 November 1992 Label: WEA Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 29 | 190 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | UK: Gold |
| Singles | Released: 20 February 1995 Label: WEA Format: CD | 5 | 134 | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | UK: Platinum |
| The Very Best of The Smiths | Released: 4 June 2001 Label: WEA Format: CD | 30 | — | — | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | UK: Platinum |
| The Sound of The Smiths | Released: 10 November 2008 Label: WEA Format: CD | 21 | 114 | — | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | 98 | UK: 3× Platinum |
| 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 | 63 | — | — | — | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |||||||||||||

## Extended plays

List of EPs, with selected chart positions :
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | EP details | UK Indie |
| GIV 1 | Released: 1985 Label: New Musical Express Formats: 7-inch vinyl | — |
| The 12" Mixes | Released: 1988 Label: Rough Trade Formats: cassette, CD | — |
| The Peel Sessions | Released: 1988 Label: Strange Fruit Formats: 12-inch vinyl, CD | 9 |

## Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | Album |
| Title | Year | UK | UK Indie | AUS | IRE | NZ | US Dance | Certifications (sales thresholds) | Album |
| "Hand in Glove" | 1983 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | | Non-album single later included on Hatful of Hollow |
| "This Charming Man" | 1983 | 25 | 1 | 52 | — | 15 | — | UK: 2× Platinum | Non-album single later included on Best I |
| "What Difference Does It Make?" | 1984 | 12 | 1 | — | 12 | — | — | UK: Silver | The Smiths |
| "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" | 1984 | 10 | 1 | — | 11 | — | — | UK: Platinum | Hatful of Hollow |
| "William, It Was Really Nothing" | 1984 | 17 | 1 | — | 8 | — | — | | Hatful of Hollow |
| "How Soon Is Now?" | 1985 | 24 | 1 | — | 5 | 39 | 36 | UK: Platinum | Hatful of Hollow |
| "Shakespeare's Sister" | 1985 | 26 | 1 | — | 11 | — | — | | Non-album single later included on The World Won't Listen |
| "Barbarism Begins at Home" | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Meat Is Murder |
| "The Headmaster Ritual" | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Meat Is Murder |
| "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" | 1985 | 49 | 1 | — | 20 | — | — | | Meat Is Murder |
| "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" | 1985 | 23 | 1 | — | 15 | 46 | 49 | UK: Silver | The Queen Is Dead |
| "Bigmouth Strikes Again" | 1986 | 26 | 1 | — | — | 40 | — | UK: Gold | The Queen Is Dead |
| "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | | The Queen Is Dead |
| "Panic" | 1986 | 11 | 1 | — | 7 | — | — | UK: Silver | The World Won't Listen |
| "Ask" | 1986 | 14 | 1 | — | 9 | — | — | | The World Won't Listen |
| "Shoplifters of the World Unite" | 1987 | 12 | 1 | — | 7 | — | — | | The World Won't Listen |
| "Sheila Take a Bow" | 1987 | 10 | 1 | — | 3 | — | — | | Louder Than Bombs |
| "Girlfriend in a Coma" | 1987 | 13 | 1 | — | 12 | 29 | — | | Strangeways, Here We Come |
| "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" | 1987 | 23 | 2 | — | 13 | — | — | | Strangeways, Here We Come |
| "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" | 1987 | 30 | 2 | — | 17 | — | — | | Strangeways, Here We Come |
| "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" | 1987 | — | — | 91 | — | 31 | — | | Strangeways, Here We Come |
| "This Charming Man" (re-issue) | 1992 | 8 | — | 108 | 9 | — | — | UK: 2× Platinum | Best I |
| "How Soon Is Now?" (re-issue) | 1992 | 16 | — | 190 | — | — | — | UK: Platinum | Best I |
| "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" | 1992 | 25 | — | 176 | 22 | — | — | UK: 2× Platinum | Best II |
| "Ask" (re-issue) | 1995 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | | Singles |
| "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" | 1995 | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Louder Than Bombs |
| "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (demo) | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | | The Queen Is Dead (2017 collector's edition) |
| "The Queen Is Dead" | 2017 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | | The Queen Is Dead (2017 collector's edition) |

## Other certified releases

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

## Other album appearances

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

## Video albums

List of video albums, with selected details and certifications :
| Title | Album details | Certification |
| The Complete Picture | Label: WEA Format: VHS / LaserDisc / DVD / VCD | UK: Platinum |

## Music videos

List of music videos :
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Notes |
| "This Charming Man" | 1983 | | |
| "What Difference Does It Make?" | 1984 | | |
| "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" | 1984 | | |
| "How Soon Is Now?" | 1985 | Paula Grief and Richard Levine | |
| "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" | 1985 | Ken O'Neill | |
| "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. |
| "Panic" | 1986 | Derek Jarman | A promo video for the "Panic" single was made using a mixture of concert footage and footage from Jarman's film. |
| "Ask" | 1986 | Derek Jarman | |
| "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. |
| "Sheila Take a Bow" | 1987 | Tamra Davis | |
| "Girlfriend in a Coma" | 1987 | Tim Broad | |
| "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" | 1987 | Tim Broad | Video produced for a single whose release was cancelled. |
| "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" | 1987 | Tim Broad | 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. |
| "This Charming Man" | 1992 | Unknown | Uses footage originally shot for the Tyne Tees Television show The Tube in 1983. |
| "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" | 1992 | Tim Broad | Recycles footage from the "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" promo video. |