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{{Other uses|The Queen Is Dead (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
Name = The Queen Is Dead |
{{Infobox album
Type = [[Album]] |
Artist = [[The Smiths]] |
| name = The Queen Is Dead
| type = studio
Cover = The-Queen-is-Dead-cover.png |
Released = [[June 16]], [[1986]] |
| artist = [[The Smiths]]
| cover = The-Queen-is-Dead-cover.png
Recorded = Late 1985, [[England]] |
Genre = [[Alternative rock]] |
| alt =
| released = {{start date|1986|6|16|df=yes}}
Length = 37:07 |
| recorded = Summer & Winter 1985
Producer = [[Morrissey]] and [[Johnny Marr|Marr]] |
| studio =
Label = [[Rough Trade]] |
* Jacob ([[Farnham]], Surrey)
Reviews =
* [[RAK Studios|RAK]] (London)
* [[All Music Guide]] {{rating-5|5}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:oaw67u50h0jd link]
* Drone (Manchester)
* [[Robert Christgau]] (B+) [http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=the+smiths link] |
| genre =
Last album = ''[[Meat Is Murder]]''<br />(1985) |
* [[Indie pop]]
This album = '''''The Queen Is Dead'''''<br />(1986) |
* [[jangle pop]]
Next album = ''[[The World Won't Listen]]''<br />(1987) |
* [[alternative rock]]
* [[indie rock]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The Smiths Albums Ranked in Order of Awesomeness |url=https://diffuser.fm/smiths-albums-ranked/ |last=Gallucci |first=Michael |date=13 March 2017 |website=Diffuser.fm |access-date=31 May 2020}}</ref>
* [[post-punk]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/07/the-50-best-post-punk-albums.html |last=Jackson |first=Josh |date=13 July 2016 |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=26 August 2016}}</ref>
| length = 36:48
| label = [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]]
| producer =
* [[Morrissey]]
* [[Johnny Marr]]
| prev_title = [[Meat Is Murder]]
| prev_year = 1985
| next_title = [[The World Won't Listen]]
| next_year = 1987
| misc = {{Singles
| name = The Queen Is Dead
| type = studio
| single1 = [[The Boy with the Thorn in His Side (song)|The Boy with the Thorn in His Side]]
| single1date = 23 September 1985
| single2 = [[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]
| single2date = 19 May 1986
| single3 = [[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]
| single3date = 12 October 1992
}}
}}
}}
'''''The Queen Is Dead''''' is the third studio album by the English rock band [[The Smiths]], released on 16 June 1986, by [[Rough Trade Records]]. The album was produced by the band's singer, [[Morrissey]], and their guitarist, [[Johnny Marr]], working predominantly with engineer [[Stephen Street]] who engineered The Smiths' previous album, ''[[Meat Is Murder]]'' (1985).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-full-story-behhind-the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead-from-the-band-6822 |title=The Full Story Behind The Smiths' 'The Queen Is Dead' |date=16 June 2016 |website=NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs {{!}} NME.COM |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> Marr wrote several songs while the Smiths toured Britain in early 1985, working out arrangements with bassist [[Andy Rourke]] and drummer [[Mike Joyce (musician)|Mike Joyce]] during [[soundcheck]]s.<ref name=":0">Kent, Nick. "Isolation". ''Mojo Classic: Morrissey and the Story of Manchester''. 2006</ref> The album title is taken from American writer [[Hubert Selby Jr.]]'s 1964 novel, ''[[Last Exit to Brooklyn]]''.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=Luerssen |first=John D. |title=The Smiths FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Important British Band of the 1980s |date=2015 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=978-1-4803-9449-0 |page=237}}</ref> The cover art features the French actor [[Alain Delon]] in the 1964 film ''[[The Unvanquished (film)|L'Insoumis]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://albumdesignclass.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead/ |title=The Smiths "The Queen is Dead" |date=2 November 2014}}</ref>


''The Queen Is Dead'' spent 22 weeks on the [[UK Albums Chart]], reaching the number two position.<ref name=":2" /> It reached number 70 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums]] chart and was certified [[Recording Industry Association of America certification#List of certifications|Gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) in late 1990. ''The Queen Is Dead'' received widespread critical acclaim and was included in multiple best album lists. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the album 113th on its 2020-updated list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2023-12-31 |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> In [[NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|its 2013 list]], ''[[NME]]'' named ''The Queen Is Dead'' the greatest album of all time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-smiths-29-1237525 |title=The Smiths' 'The Queen Is Dead' tops NME's list of 500 greatest albums of all time {{!}} NME |date=22 October 2013 |website=NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs {{!}} NME.COM |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref>
'''''The Queen Is Dead''''' is the third studio [[album]] of [[The Smiths]]. It was released on [[June 16]], [[1986]] by their [[United Kingdom|U.K.]] [[record company]], [[Rough Trade Records]], and reached No. 2 in the British charts. Their [[United States|U.S.]] record company released the album on [[June 23]], 1986. The album reached No. 71 on the [[Billboard 200]].


==Songwriting==
In 1997 ''The Queen Is Dead'' was named the 15th greatest album of all time in a 'Music of the Millennium' poll conducted by [[HMV]], [[Channel 4]], ''[[The Guardian]]'' and [[Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM]]. {{RS500|216}} In 2005 [[Channel 4]] viewers placed it at number 20, and in 2006 [[Q magazine|''Q'' magazine]] readers placed it at number 12. In 2000 ''Q'' placed it at number 27 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever; in 2004, a similar list by ''[[The Observer]] Music Magazine's'' critics placed it at number 37, behind the band's [[The Smiths (album)|eponymous]] debut which was 21st. It was ranked 5 in [[Spin (magazine)|''Spin'''s]] "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005" (2005). The German newspaper WAZ placed it at number 1. In June 2006, 20 years after its original release, ''[[NME]]'' dedicated almost a whole issue to the album. [[Much More Music]] placed it at 24 on [[Listed]]'s Top 40 Album of the Past 25 Years. In 2006 [[NME]] placed the [[album]] second in a list of greatest British albums, behind [[The Stone Roses (album)|The Stone Roses]]
Marr was heavily influenced by [[the Stooges]], [[the Velvet Underground]], and the [[Garage rock|Detroit garage rock scene]] while crafting the album.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-full-story-behhind-the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead-from-the-band-6822 |title=The Full Story Behind The Smith's 'The Queen Is Dead' |date=16 June 2016 |website=NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs {{!}} NME.COM |access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>


[[The Queen Is Dead (song)|The album's title track]] was based on a song Marr began writing as a teenager.<ref name="Aston" />{{rp|78}} "[[The Boy with the Thorn in His Side]]" was, according to Marr, "an effortless piece of music", and was written on tour in the spring of 1985. The song's lyrics refer allegorically to the band's experience of the music industry that failed to appreciate it.<ref name=Goddard>{{cite book |last=Goddard |first=Simon |title=Mozipedia: The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and The Smiths |year=2009 |publisher=Ebury Press |location=London}}</ref>{{rp|48}} In 2003, [[Morrissey]] named it his favourite Smiths song.<ref>{{cite news |title=Morrissey i-Q |last=Reardon |first=Ben |newspaper=i-D Magazine |location=London |date=July 2003}}</ref>
==About the album==
After releasing their September 1985 [[single (music)|single]], "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (which is included on ''The Queen Is Dead'' in an updated, slightly re-mixed version), The Smiths turned to recording their third album. Pressure was high on the band to produce an album that met the high expectations within the press and the fan base. [[Johnny Marr]] worked day and night in the studio recording and producing the music. The band wanted to release the album as soon as possible, but relations with their record company, Rough Trade, were not at their best at the time. In early 1986, all communications broke down and the album's release was indefinitely postponed.


A demo of the music for "[[Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others]]" was posted by Marr through Morrissey's letterbox in the summer of 1985. Morrissey then completed the song by adding lyrics. Marr has stated that he "preferred the music to the lyrics".<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |405}}
''The Queen Is Dead'', produced by [[Morrissey]] and Marr with [[Stephen Street]] engineering, finally emerged half a year late, in June 1986, and was previewed by the May single release of "[[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]", strictly speaking the only single taken from the album. Many encouraged the band to release "[[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]" as a single, but Johnny Marr is said to have wanted an explosive, searing single, along the lines of [[The Rolling Stones]]' "[[Jumpin' Jack Flash]]", to announce that The Smiths had returned from hiatus. It did not fare as well as expected, stalling at No. 26 on the British charts.


"Frankly, Mr. Shankly", "I Know It's Over" and "[[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]" were written by Morrissey and Marr in a "marathon" writing session in the late summer of 1985 at Marr's home in [[Bowdon, Greater Manchester]].<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |136}} The first of these is reputed to have been addressed to [[Geoff Travis]], head of the Smiths' record label [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]], however Morrissey denies this.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wikipedia - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - Wikipedia |url=https://www.morrisseycentral.com/messagesfrommorrissey/wikipedia|access-date=8 June 2021 |website=MORRISSEY CENTRAL}}</ref> Travis has since described it as "a funny lyric" about "Morrissey's desire to be somewhere else", acknowledging that a line in the song about "bloody awful poetry" was a reference to a poem he had written for Morrissey.<ref>{{cite news |title=Royal Succession |newspaper=Mojo |location=London |date=April 2011}}</ref>{{rp |86}}
The album is popularly regarded as The Smiths' best album. With its unique blend of musical styles (including [[jangle pop]], [[British Invasion]], [[rockabilly]] and [[punk rock]]), it quickly became a British sensation and established The Smiths as one of the biggest bands of its era. Both Morrissey and Marr disagree, however, citing its 1987 successor (and unexpectedly final Smiths [[Vinyl record|LP]]), ''[[Strangeways, Here We Come]]'', as their peak.


"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" features lyrics drawn from "Lonely Planet Boy" by the [[New York Dolls]]. According to Marr: "When we first played it, I thought it was the best song I'd ever heard".<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |442}} The song's guitar part drew on [[the Rolling Stones]]' cover of [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "[[Hitch Hike (song)|Hitch Hike]]", whose original version by Gaye himself had acted as an inspiration for the Velvet Underground's "[[There She Goes Again]]".<ref>[https://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=1&p=13148&title=the_roots_of_the_smiths&more=1&c=1 The Roots Of&nbsp;... The Smiths], ''[[NME]]'', 2 January 2013, Retrieved 12 January 2013</ref>
===The songs===
"[[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]" has been covered by such groups as [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]] and The Entertainment System. Additionally, the song was covered by The Ukrainians in their native tongue. "I Know It's Over" was covered in concert by [[Jeff Buckley]] and can be heard on his ''[[Mystery White Boy]]'' live album.


The music for "Never Had No One Ever", completed in August 1985, was based on a demo which Marr had recorded in December 1984, itself based on "I Need Somebody" by the Stooges.<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |281}} According to Marr: "The atmosphere of that track pretty much sums up the whole album and what it was like recording it."<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |282}} The lyric to the song reflects Morrissey's feeling unsafe and, being from an immigrant family, not at home on the streets of Manchester.<ref>{{cite news |last=Owen |first=Frank |title=Home Thoughts From Abroad |work=[[Melody Maker]] |date=27 September 1986}}</ref>
The song "[[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]", widely seen as the [[epitome]] of The Smiths, was a contender for lead single off the album, but was passed over in favour of "Bigmouth Strikes Again". (Later in 1986 it was released as a 7"-only single in France.) It received a belated release in 1992, when it became one of [[Warner Music Group|WEA]]'s singles in a programme to promote Smiths re-releases (see the entry on ''[[...Best II]]''). It made a final attempt to crack the charts in 2005, when Morrissey released a live version in support of his ''[[Live at Earls Court]]'' album; the song was an unforgettable set closer on his ''[[You Are the Quarry]]'' tour.


"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side", "[[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]" and "Frankly, Mr. Shankly" were debuted live during a tour of Scotland in September and October,<ref name=Rogan/>{{rp|120–2}} during which "The Queen Is Dead" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" were sound-checked.<ref name=Aston>{{cite news |last=Aston |first=Martin |title=Here Comes the Reign |newspaper=Mojo |location=London |date=April 2011}}</ref>{{rp |78}}
[[Schneider TM]] did a cover of the track entitled "The Light 3000" on his 2000 EP ''Binokular'' (a collaborative EP with KPT.michi.gan). The track was recently voted by Wire Magazine as one of the best cover versions ever recorded. [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ET5YS0]


The song "Vicar in a Tutu" was considered "throwaway" by Marr, who stated "It made a change from trying to change the fucking world."<ref name=":3" /> "[[Cemetry Gates]]" was a late addition to the album. Marr had not believed that the guitar part was interesting enough to be developed into a song, but Morrissey disagreed when he heard Marr play it.<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |70}} The "All those people .... I want to cry" section is largely taken from the film ''[[The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942 film)|The Man Who Came To Dinner]]'', which also inspired one of Morrissey's aliases, Sheridan Whitehead. The words the song's narrator has heard "said a hundred times (maybe less, maybe more)" are based on lines from Shakespeare's ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''. The song evokes Morrissey's memories of visiting [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester|Southern Cemetery]] in Manchester with artist [[Linder Sterling]].
{{Listen|filename=ThereIsALight.ogg|title="There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"|description=Sample from one of The Smiths' most highly regarded songs.|format=[[Ogg]]}}


==Recording==
"Cemetry Gates" was Morrissey's direct response to critics who had cried foul over his use of texts written by his some of his favorite authors, notably [[Shelagh Delaney]] and [[Elizabeth Smart (author)|Elizabeth Smart]]. [[Oscar Wilde]], who was also accused of plagiarism, figures as a patron saint of Morrissey's in the song's lyrics. Like Wilde, Morrissey regards the appropriation of texts as not at all problematic and, in fact, a common artistic practice. Wilde said "Talent borrows, genius steals", and Morrissey agreed: Wilde's epigram was etched in the vinyl run-out grooves of the first single off the album, "Bigmouth Strikes Again".
The album was produced by Morrissey and Marr, working predominantly with engineer [[Stephen Street]], who had engineered the band's 1985 album ''[[Meat Is Murder]]''. Street recalled: "Morrissey, Johnny and I had a really good working relationship – we were all roughly the same age and into the same kind of things, so everyone felt quite relaxed in the studio".<ref name="sound on sound">Buskin, Richard. "[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/articles/classictracks.htm Classic Tracks: The Smiths 'The Queen Is Dead']". SoundOnSound.com. January 2005. Retrieved on 13 April 2008.</ref>


At the time the group was having difficulty with its record label Rough Trade. However, according to Street, "this didn't get in the way of recording because the atmosphere in the studio was very, very constructive."<ref name="sound on sound" />
"The Queen Is Dead", which leads off the album, starts with a soundbite from Bryan Forbes' 1962 British film ''[[The L-Shaped Room]]''. Another instance of Morrissey's fascination with Sixties British cinema, the film, which featured performances by [[Cicely Courtneidge]] and [[Pat Phoenix]] (who had already appeared as a cover star on the 1985 single, "[[Shakespeare's Sister]]"), contains a poignant scene in which a group of homesick Britons living in France sing "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty". This complements the lyrics in giving a sense of Morrissey's mix of patriotism and exile from his homeland — a prophetic sense of exile, it turned out, as Morrissey later left England and has since lived in [[Dublin]], [[Los Angeles]] and now [[Rome]]. It was also notable for a memorably hallucinatory [[music video]] directed by [[Derek Jarman]].


The first song from the album to be recorded, in July 1985, was "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side". The recording, made with engineer Stephen Street at a small studio in Manchester and initially intended as a demo, was considered by the band to be good enough for release as a single. It went on sale on 16 September 1985 and made number 23 in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name=Rogan>{{cite book |last=Rogan |first=Johnny |title=The Smiths: The Visual Documentary |year=1994 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London}}</ref>{{rp |120–1}}
According to Johnny Marr (as recounted by Smiths biographers Johnny Rogan and Simon Goddard), the vocal for the epic "I Know It's Over" was recorded in one take.


[[File:RAK Recording Studios 2463868 84e895ea.jpg|thumb|RAK Studios in 2011]]
Live versions of several of the album's tracks are available on the live album ''[[Rank (album)|Rank]]'', released in 1988 a year after the group split. Among them, "The Queen Is Dead" proved a blistering opener to their concerts, while "Bigmouth Strikes Again" typically closed to thunderous applause. The haunting, elegiac "I Know It's Over" often finished the main set. "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" was played live only once, on [[December 12]], [[1986]], at a Brixton Academy show (the band's last ever UK concert). The live recording was used as a B-side to the 1987 single "[[I Started Something I Couldn't Finish]]" and features an extra verse.


In August 1985, "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" were recorded at [[RAK Studios]] in London, along with the B-sides to "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"; "Asleep" and "[[Rubber Ring]]".<ref name=Rogan/>{{rp |121}}<ref name="sound on sound" /> [[Kirsty MacColl]] sang a backing vocal for "Bigmouth Strikes Again" but it was considered "really weird" by Marr, and was replaced with a sped-up vocal by Morrissey in the final mix, for which he is credited as [[Ann Coates]] on the sleeve of ''The Queen Is Dead''.<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |32–3}} "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" includes a false [[fade (audio engineering)|fade]] near the start, intended by Street to give the impression of a door closing and opening again.<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |405}} During the same session, a first version of "Never Had No One Ever" was recorded.<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |337}}
===Cover===

The album cover of ''The Queen Is Dead'', designed by Morrissey, features [[Alain Delon]] from the 1964 [[film]], ''L'insoumis''.
The bulk of the album was recorded in the winter of 1985 at Jacob Studios in [[Farnham]], under the working title "[[Margaret Thatcher|Margaret]] on the Guillotine".<ref name=Rogan/>{{rp |124}}

"Frankly, Mr. Shankly" was an attempt to recreate the "vibe" of [[Sandie Shaw]]'s "Puppet on a String", although "it didn't quite work out that way", according to Marr. [[Linda McCartney]] was asked to play piano on the track, but declined,<ref name="shortlist1">{{cite web |url=https://www.shortlist.com/home/25-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-queen-is-dead/64097 |title=25 things you didn't know about The Queen Is Dead |date=16 June 2016 |publisher=Shortlist.com |access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref> and a first take featuring a trumpeter was scrapped. The version originally intended for inclusion on ''The Queen Is Dead'' was ruined by a technical glitch on the tape, and so the song was re-recorded with [[John Porter (musician, born 1947)|John Porter]] at [[Wessex Studios]] in London.<ref name=Goddard/>{{rp |136}}

"The Queen Is Dead" was among the last songs to be recorded. Its distinctive [[tom-tom drum|tom-tom]] loop was created by Mike Joyce and Stephen Street using a [[sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]]. A line of guitar [[Audio feedback|feedback]] was played by Marr through a [[wah-wah pedal]] throughout the song.<ref name="sound on sound" />

==Composition==
The song "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" was a contender for lead single from the album, but was passed over in favour of "Bigmouth Strikes Again". (Later in 1986 it was released as a 7"-only single in France). The song received a belated release as a single in 1992 when [[Warner Music Group|WEA]] used it to promote Smiths re-releases and [[...Best II|best-of compilations]] released in the years following the band’s breakup. In 1990 the song was voted no. 1 on a list of the greatest songs of all time by the readers of ''[[Spin (magazine)|SPIN]]'' magazine in the USA.

"Cemetry Gates"<!--PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE SPELLING, AS THIS IS HOW IT APPEARS ON THE BOOKLET--> was Morrissey's direct response to critics who had cried foul over his use of texts written by some of his favourite authors, notably [[Shelagh Delaney]] and [[Elizabeth Smart (author)|Elizabeth Smart]]. [[Oscar Wilde]], who was also accused of plagiarism, figures as a patron saint of Morrissey's in the song's lyrics. A Wilde quote, "Talent borrows, genius steals", was etched in the vinyl run-out grooves of the single single off the album, "Bigmouth Strikes Again".<ref>{{cite web |last=Huttinger |first=Robert |title=Image of etching, (RTT192) |url=http://pinterest.com/pin/253116441526925011/ |publisher=Roberthuttinger}}</ref> These etchings appear almost exclusively on the UK releases (denoted by the RT and RTT prefixes on the catalogue number).

"The Queen Is Dead", which leads off the album and notably became an expressionistic music video directed by [[Derek Jarman]], starts with a sampled excerpt from [[Bryan Forbes]]' 1962 British film ''[[The L-Shaped Room]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brennan |first=Collin |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/11/ranking-every-song-by-the-smiths-from-worst-to-best/full-post/ |title=Ranking: Every Song by The Smiths from Worst to Best |publisher=Consequence of Sound |date=21 February 2019 |access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref> [[Mayo Thompson]] of [[Red Krayola]] was an associate producer for the film and through working for [[Rough Trade Records]] persuaded Jarman to direct a promotional video for the Smiths.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986) {{!}} BFI |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b75e071e5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504062728/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b75e071e5 |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 May 2016 |access-date=2023-05-01 |website=www2.bfi.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-06-01 |title=Mayo Thompson: Well Red |url=https://mapmagazine.co.uk/mayo-thompson-well-red |access-date=2023-05-01 |website=MAP Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref> Another instance of Morrissey's fascination with 1960s British cinema, the film featured performances by [[Pat Phoenix]] (who had already appeared as a cover star on the 1985 single "[[Shakespeare's Sister (song)|Shakespeare's Sister]]") and [[Cicely Courtneidge]] as an elderly lesbian veteran of the music halls. The soundbite is Courtneidge's character nostalgically singing the First World War song "[[Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty]]". The actress had also appeared in a gala performance for the [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II]], entitled ''God Save the Queen''; she died in 1980.

A few songs, including "The Queen Is Dead" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again", feature pitch-shifted backing vocals by Morrissey. Morrissey liked to experiment with effects on his voice, so Street ran his voice through a harmoniser for the backing tracks. Street recalled, "At that time, apart from the harmoniser, he didn't go for much backing vocal or harmony work – he's done that more on recent albums – but he did like to experiment". The backing vocals are attributed to "Ann Coates" on the record sleeve ([[Ancoats]] is a district in Manchester, just north-east of the city centre).<ref name="sound on sound" />

==Release==
[[File:SmithsPromoPhoto TQID 1985.jpg|thumb|right|Promotional photograph of the Smiths in 1985. The same photo is used in the album's inner gatefold.]]
''The Queen Is Dead'' was released in 16 June 1986, and was previewed by the release of "Bigmouth Strikes Again" as a single in 19 May. Many encouraged the band to release "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" as a single, but Johnny Marr is said to have wanted an explosive, searing single, along the lines of the Rolling Stones' "[[Jumpin' Jack Flash]]", to announce that the Smiths had returned from hiatus. It did not fare as well as expected, stalling at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the album became an international success upon release, staying in the [[European Albums Chart]] for twenty one weeks,<ref>{{cite magazine |date=22 November 1986 |title=European Hot 100 Albums Chart |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1986/M&M-1986-11-22.pdf |magazine=Music & Media |page=19|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> peaking at number 19 in that chart based on the sales from 18 major European countries.<ref name="europe2">{{cite magazine |date=26 July 1986 |title=European Hot 100 Albums Chart |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1986/M&M-1986-07-26.pdf |magazine=Music & Media |page=26|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> It also reached No. 70 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums]] chart, and was certified [[Recording Industry Association of America certification#List of certifications|Gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] in late 1990.

In June 2017, one year after the album's 30th anniversary, the Smiths released the full version of "The Queen Is Dead" on vinyl with other Smiths songs: "Oscillate Wildly," "Money Changes Everything," and "The Draize Train" serving as B-sides. The band also released a 7" single containing "The Queen is Dead" and "I Keep Mine Hidden."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/the-smiths-announce-the-queen-is-dead-single-reissues/ |title=The Smiths Announce "The Queen Is Dead" Single Reissues |last=Yoo |first=Noah |website=Pitchfork |date=16 June 2017 |language=en|access-date=2020-04-22}}</ref> Later that month, Morrissey accused [[HMV]] of trying to "freeze sales" on the new re-issues after the store limited the number of records sold to one per person.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/morrissey-accuses-hmv-of-attempting-to-freeze-sales-of-new-smiths-reissues/ |title=Morrissey Accuses HMV of Attempting to "Freeze Sales" of New Smiths Reissues |last=Minsker |first=Evan |website=Pitchfork |date=17 June 2017 |language=en|access-date=2020-04-22}}</ref> Later in 2017, the album was re-released on [[Warner Records|Warner Bros. Records]] including new studio takes of "There's a Light That Never Goes Out" and "[[Louder Than Bombs|Rubber Ring"]] as well as a previously unheard live album recorded in 1986.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/the-smiths-announce-deluxe-reissue-of-the-queen-is-dead/ |title=The Smiths Announce Deluxe Reissue of The Queen Is Dead |last=Blais-Billie |first=Braudie |website=Pitchfork |date=20 July 2017 |language=en|access-date=2020-04-22}}</ref> In a press release for the re-issue Morrissey said of the album "You progress only when you wonder if an abnormally scientific genius would approve – and this is the leap The Smiths took with ''The Queen Is Dead''."<ref name=":5" />

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| MC = 99/100<br />{{small|(deluxe edition)}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-queen-is-dead-deluxe-edition)/the-smiths |title=The Queen Is Dead [Deluxe Edition) by The Smiths Reviews and Tracks |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref>
| subtitle = Retrospective reviews
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-queen-is-dead-mw0000194895 |title=''The Queen Is Dead'' – The Smiths |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=25 September 2015 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2716 |title=The Smiths: ''The Queen Is Dead'' |journal=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |date=15 September 2004 |access-date=9 November 2015 |last=Power |first=Tony |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630193735/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2716 |archive-date=30 June 2006}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/07/07/the-smiths-and-solo/ |title=The Smiths And Solo |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=7 July 1991 |access-date=10 November 2015 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |year=2007 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=4th |isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=It's a royal knock-out |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=288 |date=November 2017 |last=Harris |first=John |author-link=John Harris (critic) |page=106}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev6score = 10/10<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead/ |title=The Smiths: ''The Queen Is Dead'' |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=22 October 2017 |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Reynolds}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Smiths: ''The Queen Is Dead'' |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |date=December 1993 |issue=87 |page=139}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name=rollingstoneri>{{cite magazine |url=http://rollingstone.com/artists/thesmiths/albums/album/234723/review/5940416/the_queen_is_dead |title=The Rolling Stone Hall of Fame: The Greatest Albums Ever Made; The Smiths, ''The Queen Is Dead''/Sire |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=17 April 2003 |issue=920 |last=Edwards |first=Gavin |page=109 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015120408/http://rollingstone.com/artists/thesmiths/albums/album/234723/review/5940416/the_queen_is_dead |archive-date=15 October 2007}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=The Smiths |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]] |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/753 753–54]}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Smiths: ''The Queen Is Dead'' |journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |date=1998 |last=Dalton |first=Stephen}}</ref>
| rev11 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev11score = B+<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv2-87.php |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=3 February 1987 |access-date=25 September 2015 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref>
}}

From contemporary reviews, Mark Coleman of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' remarked on Morrissey's sense of humour and singled out the singer's performance on "Cemetry Gates"<!--PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE SPELLING, AS THIS IS HOW IT APPEARS ON THE BOOKLET--> as a highlight, concluding that "like it or not, this guy's going to be around for a while."{{cn|date=August 2024}} Writing in pop magazine ''[[Smash Hits]]'', [[Tom Hibbert]] gave a favourable review, stating that "the guitars are great, some of the words are marvellous, others like scratchings on a Fifth Form desk", as well as describing Morrissey as "half genius half buffoon".<ref name="Singles Review">{{cite journal |title=Singles Review |journal=[[Smash Hits]] |date=18 June 1986 |page=56}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' wrote that despite his dislike of the Smiths' previous albums, he held an "instant attraction" to ''The Queen Is Dead'', where he found that "Morrissey wears his wit on his sleeve, dishing the queen like [[John Lydon|Johnny Rotten]] never did and kissing off a day-job boss who's no [[The Roches (album)|Mr. Sellack]]", which "makes it easier to go along on his moonier escapades".<ref name="Christgau"/> [[J. D. Considine]] found that the group "epitomize all that is admirable and annoying about British new music" finding the groups material "is terrifically tuneful" due to Marr's "incisive, visceral guitar work", but that Morrissey "had a tendency to wander away from conventional notions of pitch often mangling the band's melodies in the process".<ref name="Considine" /> Considine concluded that Morrissey was "mostly in control of his voice" praising "Cemetry Gates", "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and declaring that "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" as "the most affecting performance".<ref name="Considine">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Salinas Californian|The Californian]] |title=Joel's Bridge Doesn't Cross River |date=6 September 1986 |page=30 |last=Considine |first=J. D.|author-link=J. D. Considine |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57187135/the-californian/|access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref>

''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' listed ''The Queen Is Dead'' as the sixth-best album of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/10/ |title=Top 100 Albums of the 1980s |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=20 November 2002 |access-date=5 June 2008 |archive-date=23 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523203821/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/10/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2000 it was voted number 10 in [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]''.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book |title=[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]] |author=Colin Larkin |author-link=Colin Larkin |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |date=2000 |edition=3rd |isbn=0-7535-0493-6 |page=38}}</ref> In 2003, ''The Queen Is Dead'' was ranked number 216 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599140/216_the_queen_is_dead |title=''The Queen Is Dead'' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=1 November 2003 |access-date=5 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204052109/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599140/216_the_queen_is_dead |archive-date=4 February 2007}}</ref> and 218 in a 2012 revised list.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead-2-165108/ |year=2012 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time |publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]| access-date= 16 September 2019}}</ref> In 2006, it was named the second-greatest British album of all time by the ''[[NME]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/news/arctic-monkeys/22062 |title=NME's best British album of all time revealed |journal=NME |date=26 January 2006 |access-date=5 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060206022644/http://www.nme.com/news/arctic-monkeys/22062 |archive-date=6 February 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2006, [[Q (magazine)|''Q'']] magazine placed the album at number three in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".<ref>{{cite journal |title=40 Best Albums of the '80s |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |date=August 2006 |issue=241}}</ref> UK-based magazine ''[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]'' added ''The Queen Is Dead'' to its "Classic Album Hall of Fame" in its June 2011 issue, saying it "is an album to lose yourself in; it has depth, focus and some great tunes. It's easy to see why the album is held in such high esteem by Smiths fanatics and why, a decade later, it became a key influence for all things Britpop."<ref name=":2">{{cite journal |url=http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/classic-albums-the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead |title=Classic Albums: The Smiths – ''The Queen Is Dead'' |journal=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]] |date=8 June 2011 |access-date=8 June 2011}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' listed the album at number 16 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s" and said: "There may never again be an indie-rock album as good as ''The Queen Is Dead''".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_9 |title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s |work=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=5 March 2012 |access-date=5 March 2012}}</ref> In 2013, ''The Queen Is Dead'' was ranked the greatest record of all time on the ''NME''{{'}}s Greatest Albums of All Time list.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/news/the-smiths/73363#6806pZ8tsjxxtdk2.99 |title=The Smiths' 'The Queen Is Dead' tops NME's list of 500 greatest albums of all time |journal=NME |date=23 October 2013 |access-date=23 October 2013}}</ref> At ''Rolling Stone'', Gavin Edwards retrospectively viewed the album as "one of the funniest rock albums ever", noting that Morrissey had "learned to express his self-loathing through mockery" while Johnny Marr "matched his verbal excess with witty, supple music", and concluded, "If the queen's reaction to Morrissey was 'We are not amused,' then she was the only one."<ref name=rollingstoneri />


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
{{Track listing
All songs written and produced by Morrissey/Marr except "Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty" written by Mills/Godfrey-Scott.
| all_lyrics = [[Morrissey]]
===LP===
| all_music = [[Johnny Marr]]
====Side A====
| headline = Side one
#"The Queen Is Dead" ''(medley)'' – 6:24
| title1 = [[The Queen Is Dead (song)|The Queen Is Dead]]
:"''Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty''"
| note1 = includes "[[Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty]]" (medley)
#"Frankly, Mr. Shankly" – 2:17
| length1 = 6:24
#"I Know It's Over" – 5:48
| title2 = Frankly, Mr. Shankly
#"Never Had No One Ever" – 3:36
| length2 = 2:17
#"Cemetry Gates" – 2:39
| title3 = [[I Know It's Over]]
| length3 = 5:47
| title4 = Never Had No One Ever
| length4 = 3:36
| title5 = [[Cemetry Gates]]
| length5 = 2:38
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title6 = [[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]
| length6 = 3:11
| title7 = [[The Boy with the Thorn in His Side]]
| length7 = 3:15
| title8 = Vicar in a Tutu
| length8 = 2:22
| title9 = [[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]
| length9 = 4:02
| title10 = [[Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others]]
| length10 = 3:16
| total_length = 36:48
}}


'''2017 collector's edition'''
====Side B====
#"[[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]" – 3:12
#"[[The Boy with the Thorn in His Side (song)|The Boy with the Thorn in His Side]]" – 3:15
#"Vicar in a Tutu" – 2:21
#"[[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]" – 4:02
#"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" – 3:14


Disc one features the 2017 master of the album. Disc four DVD features the 2017 master in 96&nbsp;kHz / 24-bit PCM stereo.
===Compact disc===
{{Track listing
:Same as [[Vinyl record|LP]].
| headline = Disc two: Additional recordings
| title1 = The Queen Is Dead
| note1 = full version
| length1 = 7:14

| title2 = Frankly, Mr. Shankly
| note2 = demo
| length2 = 2:18

| title3 = I Know It's Over
| note3 = demo
| length3 = 5:49

| title4 = Never Had No One Ever
| note4 = demo
| length4 = 4:41

| title5 = Cemetry Gates
| note5 = demo
| length5 = 3:01

| title6 = Bigmouth Strikes Again
| note6 = demo
| length6 = 3:07

| title7 = Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
| note7 = demo
| length7 = 3:57

| title8 = The Boy with the Thorn in His Side
| note8 = demo mix
| length8 = 3:19

| title9 = There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
| note9 = take 1
| length9 = 4:25

| title10 = Rubber Ring
| note10 = single B-side
| length10 = 3:54

| title11 = Asleep
| note11 = single B-side
| length11 = 4:02

| title12 = Money Changes Everything
| note12 = single B-side
| length12 = 4:42

| title13 = Unloveable
| note13 = single B-side
| length13 = 3:55

| total_length = 54:24
}}

{{Track listing
| headline = Disc three: Live in Boston
| title1 = How Soon Is Now?
| length1 = 5:25

| title2 = Hand in Glove
| length2 = 2:58

| title3 = I Want the One I Can't Have
| length3 = 3:24

| title4 = Never Had No One Ever
| length4 = 3:26

| title5 = Stretch Out and Wait
| length5 = 3:12

| title6 = The Boy with the Thorn in His Side
| length6 = 3:34

| title7 = Cemetry Gates
| length7 = 3:01

| title8 = Rubber Ring / What She Said / Rubber Ring
| length8 = 4:17

| title9 = Is It Really So Strange?
| length9 = 3:22

| title10 = There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
| length10 = 4:09

| title11 = That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
| length11 = 4:51

| title12 = The Queen Is Dead
| length12 = 5:05

| title13 = I Know It's Over
| length13 = 7:36

| total_length = 54:14
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Disc four – DVD: ''The Queen Is Dead – A Film by [[Derek Jarman]]''
| title11 = The Queen Is Dead
| length11 = 6:28

| title12 = There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
| length12 = 4:03

| title13 = [[Panic (The Smiths song)|Panic]]
| length13 = 2:18

| total_length = 12:49
}}


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
{{col-begin}}
===The band===
{{col-3}}
* [[Morrissey]] – [[singing|vocals]]
'''The Smiths'''
* [[Johnny Marr]] – [[guitar]]s, [[harmonium]], [[synthesizer|synthesized]] [[string instrument]]s and [[flute]] arrangements
* [[Morrissey]] – lead vocals, backing vocals ("Bigmouth Strikes Again"; credited as Ann Coates)
* [[Andy Rourke]] – [[bass guitar]]
* [[Johnny Marr]] – guitars, orchestration (credited as The Hated Salford Ensemble), [[string synthesizer|string synthesiser]], [[pump organ|harmonium]], [[marimba]] ("The Boy with the Thorn in His Side")<ref>Fletcher, T, 2012. A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths. 1st ed. U.K: Random House.P. 453.</ref>
* [[Mike Joyce]] – [[drums]]
* [[Andy Rourke]] – bass guitar
* [[Mike Joyce (musician)|Mike Joyce]] – drums
{{col-3}}
'''Production'''
* Morrissey – [[Record producer|production]]
* Johnny Marr – production
* [[Stephen Street]] – [[Audio engineering|engineering]] (except "Frankly, Mr. Shankly")
* [[John Porter (musician, born 1947)|John Porter]] – engineering ("Frankly, Mr. Shankly")
{{col-3}}
'''Design'''
* Steve Wright – group photography
* Morrissey – sleeve
* Caryn Gough – layout
{{col-end}}


==Charts==
===Additional musicians===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
The sleeve notes list "[[Ann Coates]]" as [[backing vocalist]] and "[[The Hated Salford Ensemble]]" as being responsible for [[orchestration]]; in reality, it's a speeded-up vocal part by Morrissey and the synthesized strings and flute arrangements by Johnny Marr, respectively. Ancoats is a district of Manchester.
|+1986 weekly chart performance for ''The Queen Is Dead''
! scope="col"| Chart (1986)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book |last=Kent |first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 |page=279}}</ref>
| 30
|-
! scope="row"|[[Canadian Albums Chart|Canadian Albums]] (''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'')<ref>[http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.0721&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=labsqi581gups3n7svgvbhmrj1 Music and Archives Canada.]</ref>
| 28
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|11|artist=The Smiths|album=The Queen Is Dead|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[European Top 100 Albums]]<ref name="europe">{{cite magazine |date=26 July 1986 |title=European Hot 100 Albums Chart |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1986/M&M-1986-07-26.pdf |magazine=Music & Media |page=26|access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref>
| 19
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|45|id=6678|artist=The Smiths|album=The Queen Is Dead|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023|refname=offiziellecharts.de}}
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|17|artist=The Smiths|album=The Queen Is Dead|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|39|artist=The Smiths|album=The Queen Is Dead|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[UK Albums Chart]]<ref name="UK">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/19860622/7502/ |title=Official Albums Chart Top 100 |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=30 August 2017}}</ref>
| 2
|-
! scope="row"| US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums]]<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Smiths Chart History: Billboard 200 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-smiths/chart-history/tlp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=24 May 2019}}</ref>
| 70
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2017 weekly chart performance for ''The Queen Is Dead''
! scope="col"| Chart (2017)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| German Albums<ref name="offiziellecharts.de"/>
| 33
|-
! scope="row"| Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html |title=IFPI Charts |publisher=Ifpi.gr |date=22 November 2012 |access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref>
| 11
|}


{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
===Technical staff===
|+2024 weekly chart performance for ''The Queen Is Dead''
* Morrissey and Marr – [[record producer|producers]]
! scope="col"| Chart (2024)
* [[Stephen Street]] – [[audio engineer|engineer]] (except A2)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
* [[John Porter (musician)|John Porter]] – engineer (A2)
|-
! scope="row"| Croatian International Albums ([[Top of the Shops|HDU]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.top-lista.hr/www/lista-prodaje-strano-15-tjedan-2024/|title=Lista prodaje 15. tjedan 2024.|date=April 1, 2024|publisher=[[Top of the Shops|HDU]] |language=hr|access-date=April 17, 2024|archive-date=April 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417123216/https://www.top-lista.hr/www/lista-prodaje-strano-15-tjedan-2024/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| 2
|}

==Certifications==
{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''The Queen Is Dead''}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Brazil|artist=The Smiths|title=Queen Is Dead|award=Gold|certyear=1994|relyear=1986|access-date=4 May 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Italy|artist=The Smiths|title=Queen Is Dead|award=Gold|certyear=2022|relyear=1986|access-date=27 June 2022|note=sales since 2009}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Spain|artist=The Smiths|title=Queen Is Dead|award=Gold|certyear=2005|relyear=1986|id=the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead|access-date=October 13, 2024}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=The Smiths|title=Queen Is Dead|award=Platinum|certyear=2013|relyear=1986|id=7235-175-2|access-date=4 May 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=The Smiths|title=Queen Is Dead|award=Gold|certyear=1990|relyear=1986|access-date=4 May 2019}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
*{{cite book |last=Weisbard |first=Eric |author2=Craig Marks |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |publisher=Vintage Books |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Discogs release|494927|The Queen is Dead|type=album}}
*[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/articles/classictracks.htm Stephen Street on recording the title track]

{{The Smiths}}
{{The Smiths}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}


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[[Category:The Smiths albums|Queen Is Dead]]
[[Category:1986 albums|Queen Is Dead]]


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[[de:The Queen Is Dead]]
[[Category:The Smiths albums]]
[[Category:1986 albums]]
[[fr:The Queen Is Dead]]
[[no:The Queen is Dead]]
[[Category:Rough Trade Records albums]]
[[pt:The Queen Is Dead]]
[[Category:Sire Records albums]]
[[sv:The Queen is Dead]]

Latest revision as of 23:28, 3 December 2024

For other uses, see The Queen Is Dead (disambiguation).

The Queen Is Dead
Studio album by
The Smiths
Released16 June 1986 (1986-06-16)
RecordedSummer & Winter 1985
Studio
  • Jacob (Farnham, Surrey)
  • RAK (London)
  • Drone (Manchester)
Genre
Length36:48
LabelRough Trade
Producer
The Smiths chronology
Meat Is Murder
(1985) 		The Queen Is Dead
(1986) 		The World Won't Listen
(1987)
Singles from The Queen Is Dead
  1. "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"
    Released: 23 September 1985
  2. "Bigmouth Strikes Again"
    Released: 19 May 1986
  3. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"
    Released: 12 October 1992

The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English rock band The Smiths, released on 16 June 1986, by Rough Trade Records. The album was produced by the band's singer, Morrissey, and their guitarist, Johnny Marr, working predominantly with engineer Stephen Street who engineered The Smiths' previous album, Meat Is Murder (1985).[3] Marr wrote several songs while the Smiths toured Britain in early 1985, working out arrangements with bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce during soundchecks.[4] The album title is taken from American writer Hubert Selby Jr.'s 1964 novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn.[5] The cover art features the French actor Alain Delon in the 1964 film L'Insoumis.[6]

The Queen Is Dead spent 22 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, reaching the number two position.[7] It reached number 70 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in late 1990. The Queen Is Dead received widespread critical acclaim and was included in multiple best album lists. Rolling Stone ranked the album 113th on its 2020-updated list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[8] In its 2013 list, NME named The Queen Is Dead the greatest album of all time.[9]

Songwriting

[edit]

Marr was heavily influenced by the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and the Detroit garage rock scene while crafting the album.[10]

The album's title track was based on a song Marr began writing as a teenager.[11]: 78  "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" was, according to Marr, "an effortless piece of music", and was written on tour in the spring of 1985. The song's lyrics refer allegorically to the band's experience of the music industry that failed to appreciate it.[12]: 48  In 2003, Morrissey named it his favourite Smiths song.[13]

A demo of the music for "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" was posted by Marr through Morrissey's letterbox in the summer of 1985. Morrissey then completed the song by adding lyrics. Marr has stated that he "preferred the music to the lyrics".[12]: 405 

"Frankly, Mr. Shankly", "I Know It's Over" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" were written by Morrissey and Marr in a "marathon" writing session in the late summer of 1985 at Marr's home in Bowdon, Greater Manchester.[12]: 136  The first of these is reputed to have been addressed to Geoff Travis, head of the Smiths' record label Rough Trade, however Morrissey denies this.[14] Travis has since described it as "a funny lyric" about "Morrissey's desire to be somewhere else", acknowledging that a line in the song about "bloody awful poetry" was a reference to a poem he had written for Morrissey.[15]: 86 

"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" features lyrics drawn from "Lonely Planet Boy" by the New York Dolls. According to Marr: "When we first played it, I thought it was the best song I'd ever heard".[12]: 442  The song's guitar part drew on the Rolling Stones' cover of Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike", whose original version by Gaye himself had acted as an inspiration for the Velvet Underground's "There She Goes Again".[16]

The music for "Never Had No One Ever", completed in August 1985, was based on a demo which Marr had recorded in December 1984, itself based on "I Need Somebody" by the Stooges.[12]: 281  According to Marr: "The atmosphere of that track pretty much sums up the whole album and what it was like recording it."[12]: 282  The lyric to the song reflects Morrissey's feeling unsafe and, being from an immigrant family, not at home on the streets of Manchester.[17]

"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side", "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and "Frankly, Mr. Shankly" were debuted live during a tour of Scotland in September and October,[18]: 120–2  during which "The Queen Is Dead" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" were sound-checked.[11]: 78 

The song "Vicar in a Tutu" was considered "throwaway" by Marr, who stated "It made a change from trying to change the fucking world."[10] "Cemetry Gates" was a late addition to the album. Marr had not believed that the guitar part was interesting enough to be developed into a song, but Morrissey disagreed when he heard Marr play it.[12]: 70  The "All those people .... I want to cry" section is largely taken from the film The Man Who Came To Dinner, which also inspired one of Morrissey's aliases, Sheridan Whitehead. The words the song's narrator has heard "said a hundred times (maybe less, maybe more)" are based on lines from Shakespeare's Richard III. The song evokes Morrissey's memories of visiting Southern Cemetery in Manchester with artist Linder Sterling.

Recording

[edit]

The album was produced by Morrissey and Marr, working predominantly with engineer Stephen Street, who had engineered the band's 1985 album Meat Is Murder. Street recalled: "Morrissey, Johnny and I had a really good working relationship – we were all roughly the same age and into the same kind of things, so everyone felt quite relaxed in the studio".[19]

At the time the group was having difficulty with its record label Rough Trade. However, according to Street, "this didn't get in the way of recording because the atmosphere in the studio was very, very constructive."[19]

The first song from the album to be recorded, in July 1985, was "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side". The recording, made with engineer Stephen Street at a small studio in Manchester and initially intended as a demo, was considered by the band to be good enough for release as a single. It went on sale on 16 September 1985 and made number 23 in the UK Singles Chart.[18]: 120–1 

RAK Studios in 2011

In August 1985, "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" were recorded at RAK Studios in London, along with the B-sides to "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"; "Asleep" and "Rubber Ring".[18]: 121 [19] Kirsty MacColl sang a backing vocal for "Bigmouth Strikes Again" but it was considered "really weird" by Marr, and was replaced with a sped-up vocal by Morrissey in the final mix, for which he is credited as Ann Coates on the sleeve of The Queen Is Dead.[12]: 32–3  "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" includes a false fade near the start, intended by Street to give the impression of a door closing and opening again.[12]: 405  During the same session, a first version of "Never Had No One Ever" was recorded.[12]: 337 

The bulk of the album was recorded in the winter of 1985 at Jacob Studios in Farnham, under the working title "Margaret on the Guillotine".[18]: 124 

"Frankly, Mr. Shankly" was an attempt to recreate the "vibe" of Sandie Shaw's "Puppet on a String", although "it didn't quite work out that way", according to Marr. Linda McCartney was asked to play piano on the track, but declined,[20] and a first take featuring a trumpeter was scrapped. The version originally intended for inclusion on The Queen Is Dead was ruined by a technical glitch on the tape, and so the song was re-recorded with John Porter at Wessex Studios in London.[12]: 136 

"The Queen Is Dead" was among the last songs to be recorded. Its distinctive tom-tom loop was created by Mike Joyce and Stephen Street using a sampler. A line of guitar feedback was played by Marr through a wah-wah pedal throughout the song.[19]

Composition

[edit]

The song "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" was a contender for lead single from the album, but was passed over in favour of "Bigmouth Strikes Again". (Later in 1986 it was released as a 7"-only single in France). The song received a belated release as a single in 1992 when WEA used it to promote Smiths re-releases and best-of compilations released in the years following the band’s breakup. In 1990 the song was voted no. 1 on a list of the greatest songs of all time by the readers of SPIN magazine in the USA.

"Cemetry Gates" was Morrissey's direct response to critics who had cried foul over his use of texts written by some of his favourite authors, notably Shelagh Delaney and Elizabeth Smart. Oscar Wilde, who was also accused of plagiarism, figures as a patron saint of Morrissey's in the song's lyrics. A Wilde quote, "Talent borrows, genius steals", was etched in the vinyl run-out grooves of the single single off the album, "Bigmouth Strikes Again".[21] These etchings appear almost exclusively on the UK releases (denoted by the RT and RTT prefixes on the catalogue number).

"The Queen Is Dead", which leads off the album and notably became an expressionistic music video directed by Derek Jarman, starts with a sampled excerpt from Bryan Forbes' 1962 British film The L-Shaped Room.[22] Mayo Thompson of Red Krayola was an associate producer for the film and through working for Rough Trade Records persuaded Jarman to direct a promotional video for the Smiths.[23][24] Another instance of Morrissey's fascination with 1960s British cinema, the film featured performances by Pat Phoenix (who had already appeared as a cover star on the 1985 single "Shakespeare's Sister") and Cicely Courtneidge as an elderly lesbian veteran of the music halls. The soundbite is Courtneidge's character nostalgically singing the First World War song "Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty". The actress had also appeared in a gala performance for the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, entitled God Save the Queen; she died in 1980.

A few songs, including "The Queen Is Dead" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again", feature pitch-shifted backing vocals by Morrissey. Morrissey liked to experiment with effects on his voice, so Street ran his voice through a harmoniser for the backing tracks. Street recalled, "At that time, apart from the harmoniser, he didn't go for much backing vocal or harmony work – he's done that more on recent albums – but he did like to experiment". The backing vocals are attributed to "Ann Coates" on the record sleeve (Ancoats is a district in Manchester, just north-east of the city centre).[19]

Release

[edit]
Promotional photograph of the Smiths in 1985. The same photo is used in the album's inner gatefold.

The Queen Is Dead was released in 16 June 1986, and was previewed by the release of "Bigmouth Strikes Again" as a single in 19 May. Many encouraged the band to release "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" as a single, but Johnny Marr is said to have wanted an explosive, searing single, along the lines of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", to announce that the Smiths had returned from hiatus. It did not fare as well as expected, stalling at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the album became an international success upon release, staying in the European Albums Chart for twenty one weeks,[25] peaking at number 19 in that chart based on the sales from 18 major European countries.[26] It also reached No. 70 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA in late 1990.

In June 2017, one year after the album's 30th anniversary, the Smiths released the full version of "The Queen Is Dead" on vinyl with other Smiths songs: "Oscillate Wildly," "Money Changes Everything," and "The Draize Train" serving as B-sides. The band also released a 7" single containing "The Queen is Dead" and "I Keep Mine Hidden."[27] Later that month, Morrissey accused HMV of trying to "freeze sales" on the new re-issues after the store limited the number of records sold to one per person.[28] Later in 2017, the album was re-released on Warner Bros. Records including new studio takes of "There's a Light That Never Goes Out" and "Rubber Ring" as well as a previously unheard live album recorded in 1986.[29] In a press release for the re-issue Morrissey said of the album "You progress only when you wonder if an abnormally scientific genius would approve – and this is the leap The Smiths took with The Queen Is Dead."[29]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic99/100
(deluxe edition)[30]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[31]
Blender[32]
Chicago Tribune[33]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[34]
Mojo[35]
Pitchfork10/10[36]
Q[37]
Rolling Stone[38]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[39]
Uncut[40]
The Village VoiceB+[41]

From contemporary reviews, Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone remarked on Morrissey's sense of humour and singled out the singer's performance on "Cemetry Gates" as a highlight, concluding that "like it or not, this guy's going to be around for a while."[citation needed] Writing in pop magazine Smash Hits, Tom Hibbert gave a favourable review, stating that "the guitars are great, some of the words are marvellous, others like scratchings on a Fifth Form desk", as well as describing Morrissey as "half genius half buffoon".[42] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote that despite his dislike of the Smiths' previous albums, he held an "instant attraction" to The Queen Is Dead, where he found that "Morrissey wears his wit on his sleeve, dishing the queen like Johnny Rotten never did and kissing off a day-job boss who's no Mr. Sellack", which "makes it easier to go along on his moonier escapades".[41] J. D. Considine found that the group "epitomize all that is admirable and annoying about British new music" finding the groups material "is terrifically tuneful" due to Marr's "incisive, visceral guitar work", but that Morrissey "had a tendency to wander away from conventional notions of pitch often mangling the band's melodies in the process".[43] Considine concluded that Morrissey was "mostly in control of his voice" praising "Cemetry Gates", "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and declaring that "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" as "the most affecting performance".[43]

Pitchfork listed The Queen Is Dead as the sixth-best album of the 1980s.[44] In 2000 it was voted number 10 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[45] In 2003, The Queen Is Dead was ranked number 216 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[46] and 218 in a 2012 revised list.[47] In 2006, it was named the second-greatest British album of all time by the NME.[48] In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at number three in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".[49] UK-based magazine Clash added The Queen Is Dead to its "Classic Album Hall of Fame" in its June 2011 issue, saying it "is an album to lose yourself in; it has depth, focus and some great tunes. It's easy to see why the album is held in such high esteem by Smiths fanatics and why, a decade later, it became a key influence for all things Britpop."[7] In 2012, Slant Magazine listed the album at number 16 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s" and said: "There may never again be an indie-rock album as good as The Queen Is Dead".[50] In 2013, The Queen Is Dead was ranked the greatest record of all time on the NME's Greatest Albums of All Time list.[51] At Rolling Stone, Gavin Edwards retrospectively viewed the album as "one of the funniest rock albums ever", noting that Morrissey had "learned to express his self-loathing through mockery" while Johnny Marr "matched his verbal excess with witty, supple music", and concluded, "If the queen's reaction to Morrissey was 'We are not amused,' then she was the only one."[38]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Morrissey; all music is composed by Johnny Marr

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Queen Is Dead" (includes "Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty" (medley))6:24
2."Frankly, Mr. Shankly"2:17
3."I Know It's Over"5:47
4."Never Had No One Ever"3:36
5."Cemetry Gates"2:38
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Bigmouth Strikes Again"3:11
7."The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"3:15
8."Vicar in a Tutu"2:22
9."There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"4:02
10."Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"3:16
Total length:36:48

2017 collector's edition

Disc one features the 2017 master of the album. Disc four DVD features the 2017 master in 96 kHz / 24-bit PCM stereo.

Disc two: Additional recordings
No.TitleLength
1."The Queen Is Dead" (full version)7:14
2."Frankly, Mr. Shankly" (demo)2:18
3."I Know It's Over" (demo)5:49
4."Never Had No One Ever" (demo)4:41
5."Cemetry Gates" (demo)3:01
6."Bigmouth Strikes Again" (demo)3:07
7."Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" (demo)3:57
8."The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" (demo mix)3:19
9."There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" (take 1)4:25
10."Rubber Ring" (single B-side)3:54
11."Asleep" (single B-side)4:02
12."Money Changes Everything" (single B-side)4:42
13."Unloveable" (single B-side)3:55
Total length:54:24
Disc three: Live in Boston
No.TitleLength
1."How Soon Is Now?"5:25
2."Hand in Glove"2:58
3."I Want the One I Can't Have"3:24
4."Never Had No One Ever"3:26
5."Stretch Out and Wait"3:12
6."The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"3:34
7."Cemetry Gates"3:01
8."Rubber Ring / What She Said / Rubber Ring"4:17
9."Is It Really So Strange?"3:22
10."There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"4:09
11."That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"4:51
12."The Queen Is Dead"5:05
13."I Know It's Over"7:36
Total length:54:14
Disc four – DVD: The Queen Is Dead – A Film by Derek Jarman
No.TitleLength
11."The Queen Is Dead"6:28
12."There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"4:03
13."Panic"2:18
Total length:12:49

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
1986 weekly chart performance for The Queen Is Dead
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[53] 30
Canadian Albums (RPM)[54] 28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[55] 11
European Top 100 Albums[56] 19
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[57] 45
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[58] 17
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[59] 39
UK Albums Chart[60] 2
US Billboard Top Pop Albums[61] 70
2017 weekly chart performance for The Queen Is Dead
Chart (2017) Peak
position
German Albums[57] 33
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)[62] 11
2024 weekly chart performance for The Queen Is Dead
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[63] 2

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for The Queen Is Dead
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[64] Gold 100,000*
Italy (FIMI)[65]
sales since 2009 		Gold 25,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[66] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[67] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[68] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gallucci, Michael (13 March 2017). "The Smiths Albums Ranked in Order of Awesomeness". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  2. ^ Jackson, Josh (13 July 2016). "The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums". Paste. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
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  4. ^ Kent, Nick. "Isolation". Mojo Classic: Morrissey and the Story of Manchester. 2006
  5. ^ Luerssen, John D. (2015). The Smiths FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Important British Band of the 1980s. Backbeat Books. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-4803-9449-0.
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  11. ^ a b Aston, Martin (April 2011). "Here Comes the Reign". Mojo. London.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Goddard, Simon (2009). Mozipedia: The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and The Smiths. London: Ebury Press.
  13. ^ Reardon, Ben (July 2003). "Morrissey i-Q". i-D Magazine. London.
  14. ^ "Wikipedia - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - Wikipedia". MORRISSEY CENTRAL. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
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  16. ^ The Roots Of ... The Smiths, NME, 2 January 2013, Retrieved 12 January 2013
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  28. ^ Minsker, Evan (17 June 2017). "Morrissey Accuses HMV of Attempting to "Freeze Sales" of New Smiths Reissues". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
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  32. ^ Power, Tony (15 September 2004). "The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead". Blender. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  33. ^ Kot, Greg (7 July 1991). "The Smiths And Solo". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  34. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  35. ^ Harris, John (November 2017). "It's a royal knock-out". Mojo (288): 106.
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  41. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (3 February 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
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  49. ^ "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Q (241). August 2006.
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  52. ^ Fletcher, T, 2012. A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths. 1st ed. U.K: Random House.P. 453.
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  54. ^ Music and Archives Canada.
  55. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  56. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 26 July 1986. p. 26. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  57. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  58. ^ "Charts.nz – The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  59. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  60. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  61. ^ "The Smiths Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  62. ^ "IFPI Charts". Ifpi.gr. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  63. ^ "Lista prodaje 15. tjedan 2024" (in Croatian). HDU. 1 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  64. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – The Smiths – Queen Is Dead" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  65. ^ "Italian album certifications – The Smiths – Queen Is Dead" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 27 June 2022. Select "2022" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Queen Is Dead" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  66. ^ "Spanish album certifications – The Smiths – Queen Is Dead". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  67. ^ "British album certifications – The Smiths – Queen Is Dead". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  68. ^ "American album certifications – The Smiths – Queen Is Dead". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 May 2019.

Bibliography

  • Weisbard, Eric; Craig Marks (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
[edit]

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