The Smiths
Released on February 20th, 1984, as the respective artist’s debut album, The Smiths’ self-titled album was considered one of the most influential British albums of the 1980s. Rising to popularity quickly in the United Kingdom, The Smiths’ self-titled album reached number two on the UK albums chart and spent 33 weeks on that chart.
Record sales of the album during The Smiths’ music career aren’t publicly available, but it did reach gold certification, which signifies at least 100,000 sales. Their self-titled album ranks 5th out of their 6 albums based on record sales during their career. The Smiths had held around 200 concerts from 1982 until their breakup in 1987, with 57 concerts being a part of the tour for their debut album. Most of their shows were held in the United Kingdom, but their concerts spanned across the United States and other parts of Europe as well.
Placed into the three genre subcategories of Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, and Post-Punk, The Smiths’ self-titled album has received positive reviews from music critics and fans since its debut. With a critic score of 89 and a user score of 83 on Album of the Year,
The Smiths’ self-titled album was marked as a “must-hear album”. Based on albums released that same year, the album was placed 22 out of 178 albums. Of all time, there is no data. In 1989, The Smiths’ self-titled album was also ranked 22nd on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s, with the album later being featured in the magazine’s 2003 edition of the top 500 albums of all time, ranking 481 out of 500.
Initially running at 42:55, with later releases of the album including the track ‘This Charming Man’, extending the album by 2:42, The Smiths’ self-titled album didn’t have any reissues or remasters until 2011, nearly 25 years after The Smiths had disbanded. Its final runtime is 45:36 (If including ‘This Charming Man’).
Although not being The Smiths’ most popular, their self-titled album holds multiple of their most popular songs. The album’s most popular song, ‘This Charming Man’, is their 5th most popular song overall, averaging around 4.3 million listens per day just on Spotify alone. The album’s second most popular song, ‘Pretty Girls Make Graves’, averages far less, with the song only averaging around 78,000 per day. 
Overall, The Smiths’ self-titled album is a critically acclaimed gem in the music scene, with many reviews suggesting that the album impacts the listener because of its melancholic and bittersweet lyrics. Over the years, The Smiths’ popularity has gone from only being popular in certain countries, such as the U.K., to being popular all over the world. The Smiths’ self-titled album is not only poetic and meaningful, but also raw, pure, and angsty.
That’s all for Album of the Week #2!
The Smiths track listing (Including ‘This Charming Man’)
- ‘Reel Around the Fountain ‘ – 5:58
- ‘You’ve Got Everything Now ‘ – 3:59
- ‘Miserable Lie ‘ – 4:29
- ‘Pretty Girls Make Graves ‘* – 3:44
- ‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle ‘ – 4:38
- ‘This Charming Man ‘* – 2:41
- ‘Still Ill ‘* – 3:23
- ‘Hand in Glove ‘ – 3:25
- ‘What Difference Does It Make? ‘ – 3:51
- ‘I Don’t Owe You Anything ‘ – 4:05
- ‘Suffer Little Children‘ – 5:28
Total Run Time: 45:36
* – Top three in album (according to popularity)
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