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 and one video album 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.^[1]

The Smiths discography
Logo of the Smiths
Studio albums	4
EPs	3
Live albums	1
Compilation albums	11
Singles	24
Video albums	1

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.^[2] 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.^[3]

Despite the Smiths' chart success, Marr left the group in August 1987 because of a strained relationship with Morrissey.^[4] 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.^[3]

Albums

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions										Certifications (sales thresholds)
		UK [5]	UK Indie [6]	AUS [7]	CAN	GER [8]	NL [9]	NZ [10]	SWE [11]	US [12]	US Cash Box [13]
The Smiths	Released: 20 February 1984 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD	2	1	77	65 [14]	—	28	9	44	150	129	UK: Gold[15]
Meat Is Murder	Released: 11 February 1985 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD	1	1	58	40 [16]	45	39	13	27	110	73	UK: Gold[15]
The Queen Is Dead	Released: 16 June 1986 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD	2	1	30	29 [17]	33	11	17	39	70	59	UK: Platinum[15] US: Gold[18]
Strangeways, Here We Come	Released: 28 September 1987 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD	2	1	28	27 [19]	33	20	14	13	55	29	UK: Gold[15] US: Gold[18]

Live albums

List of live albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions										Certifications (sales thresholds)
		UK [5]	UK Indie [6]	AUS [7]	CAN [20]	GER [8]	NL [9]	NZ [10]	SWE [11]	US [12]	US Cash Box [13]
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[15]

Compilation albums

List of compilation albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions										Certifications (sales thresholds)
		UK [3]	AUS [7]	CAN	GER [8]	IRE [21]	NL [9]	NZ [10]	NOR [22]	SWE [11]	US [12]
Hatful of Hollow	Released: 12 November 1984 Label: Rough Trade Formats: LP, cassette, CD	7	—	91 [23]	—	—	—	21	—	28	—	UK: Platinum[15]
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[15]
Louder Than Bombs	Released: 30 March 1987 Labels: Rough Trade, Sire Formats: LP, cassette, CD	38	—	30 [24]	—	—	—	—	—	—	62	UK: Gold[15] US: Gold[18]
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 [25]	—	56	74	15	35	45	139	UK: Gold[15]
Best II	Released: 2 November 1992 Label: WEA Formats: LP, cassette, CD	29	190	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	UK: Gold[15]
Singles	Released: 20 February 1995 Label: WEA Format: CD	5	134	—	—	26	—	—	—	—	—	UK: Platinum[15]
The Very Best of The Smiths	Released: 4 June 2001 Label: WEA Format: CD	30	—	—	—	34	—	—	—	—	—	UK: Platinum[15]
The Sound of The Smiths	Released: 10 November 2008 Label: WEA Format: CD	21 [26]	114	—	—	28	—	—	—	—	98	UK: 3× Platinum[15]
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
		UK Indie [6]
GIV 1[27][28]	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						Certifications (sales thresholds)	Album
		UK [29]	UK Indie [6]	AUS [7]	IRE [30]	NZ [31]	US Dance [32]
"Hand in Glove"	1983	—	3	—	—	—	—		Non-album single later included on Hatful of Hollow
"This Charming Man"		25	1	52	—	15	—	UK: 2× Platinum[15]	Non-album single later included on Best I
"What Difference Does It Make?"	1984	12	1	—	12	—	—	UK: Silver[15]	The Smiths
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"		10	1	—	11	—	—	UK: Platinum[15]	Hatful of Hollow
"William, It Was Really Nothing"		17	1	—	8	—	—
"How Soon Is Now?"	1985	24	1	—	5	39	36	UK: Platinum[15]
"Shakespeare's Sister"		26	1	—	11	—	—		Non-album single later included on The World Won't Listen
"Barbarism Begins at Home"		—	—	—	—	—	—		Meat Is Murder
"The Headmaster Ritual"		—	—	—	—	—	—
"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"		49	1	—	20	—	—
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"		23	1	—	15	46	49	UK: Silver[15]	The Queen Is Dead
"Bigmouth Strikes Again"	1986	26	1	—	—	40	—	UK: Gold[15]
"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"		—	—	—	—	—	—
"Panic"		11	1	—	7	—	—	UK: Silver[15]	The World Won't Listen
"Ask"		14	1	—	9	—	—	UK: Silver[15]
"Shoplifters of the World Unite"	1987	12	1	—	7	—	—
"Sheila Take a Bow"		10	1	—	3	—	—		Louder Than Bombs
"Girlfriend in a Coma"		13	1	—	12	29	—		Strangeways, Here We Come
"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"		23	2	—	13	—	—
"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"		30	2	—	17	—	—
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"		—	—	91	—	31	—
"This Charming Man" (re-issue)	1992	8	—	108	9	—	—	UK: 2× Platinum[15]	Best I
"How Soon Is Now?" (re-issue)		16	—	190	—	—	—	UK: Platinum[15]
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"		25	—	176	22	—	—	UK: 2× Platinum[15]	Best II
"Ask" (re-issue)	1995	62	—	—	—	—	—	UK: Silver[15]	Singles
"Sweet and Tender Hooligan"		—	—	—	—	—	—		Louder Than Bombs
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (demo mix)	2017	—	—	—	—	—	—	UK: Silver[15]	The Queen Is Dead (2017 collector's edition)
"The Queen Is Dead"		85	—	—	—	—	—

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[15]	Hatful of Hollow / Louder Than Bombs
"This Night Has Opened My Eyes"	2024	UK: Silver[15]
"Back to the Old House"	2024	UK: Silver[15]
"I Know It's Over"	2025	UK: Silver[15]	The Queen Is Dead

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[33]	Label: WEA Format: VHS / LaserDisc / DVD / VCD	UK: Platinum

Music videos

List of music videos

Year	Title	Director(s)	Notes	Ref.
"This Charming Man"	1983
"What Difference Does It Make?"	1984
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"
"How Soon Is Now?"	1985	Paula Grief and Richard Levine		[34]
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"		Ken O'Neill		[35]
"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.	[36]
"Panic"			A promo video for the "Panic" single was made using a mixture of concert footage and footage from Jarman's film.	[36]
"Ask"				[36]
"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.	[35]
"Sheila Take a Bow"				[37]
"Girlfriend in a Coma"		Tim Broad		[38]
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"			Video produced for a single whose release was cancelled.	[39]
"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"			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.	[40]
"This Charming Man"	1992	Unknown	Uses footage originally shot for the Tyne Tees Television show The Tube in 1983.	[35]
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"		Tim Broad	Recycles footage from the "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" promo video.	[41]