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Strangeways, Here We Come

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"Strangeways Here We Come" redirects here. For the film, see Strangeways Here We Come (film).

Strangeways, Here We Come
Studio album by
the Smiths
Released28 September 1987 (1987-09-28)
RecordedMarch–April 1987
StudioThe Wool Hall (Bath, Somerset, England)
Genre
Length36:37
LabelRough Trade
Producer
The Smiths chronology
Louder Than Bombs
(1987) 		Strangeways, Here We Come
(1987) 		Rank
(1988)
Singles from Strangeways, Here We Come
  1. "Girlfriend in a Coma"
    Released: 10 August 1987
  2. "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"
    Released: 2 November 1987
  3. "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"
    Released: 7 December 1987

Strangeways, Here We Come is the fourth and final studio album by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on 28 September 1987 by Rough Trade Records, several months after the group disbanded. All of the songs were composed by Johnny Marr, with lyrics written and sung by Morrissey. The record marked a stylistic shift for the band, incorporating a broader range of instrumentation and a more experimental sound than their previous releases. It received commercial success and has since been regarded by all four band members as their finest work.

Following the critical acclaim of their 1986 album The Queen Is Dead, the Smiths experienced increasing public attention and media presence. Despite internal tensions and the departure of temporary rhythm guitarist Craig Gannon, the group returned to the studio in early 1987 to fulfill their final contractual obligation to Rough Trade. During the recording sessions at the Wool Hall recording studio in Bath, Somerset, relations within the band remained relatively stable. However, Johnny Marr left the group shortly after the sessions were completed, effectively ending the band before the album's release.

The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, staying in the chart for 17 weeks. The album also became an international success, peaking at number 16 in the European Albums Chart; from sales covering the 18 major European countries, staying in that chart for nine weeks. It rose to number 55 on the US Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 1 October 1987 and also by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 19 September 1990.

Background

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Following the release of The Queen Is Dead in 16 June 1986, the Smiths reached new heights in terms of public impact, peer recognition, and media attention. A legal dispute with Rough Trade Records had delayed the album by almost seven months, and Marr was beginning to feel the stress of the band's exhausting touring and recording schedule.[1] The album is widely regarded as their strongest work, though neither Morrissey nor Johnny Marr considered it their "masterpiece". Marr later remarked that The Queen Is Dead was not his favourite album at the time of the band's breakup, and all four former members would eventually cite Strangeways, Here We Come as their best effort.[2]

Bassist Andy Rourke was briefly dismissed from the band in early 1986 due to heroin use but was soon reinstated. Guitarist Craig Gannon had joined temporarily as a rhythm guitarist, expanding the group to a five-piece.[3] In the months after The Queen Is Dead, the Smiths returned to the UK singles chart with two Top 20 hits, "Panic" and "Ask".[4] Their accompanying tour drew unprecedented levels of fan hysteria, particularly in North America and England.[5] During this period, "I Know It's Over" emerged as a centerpiece of their live performances, often featured as the final song before the encore, as heard in the live album Rank.[6]

Gannon left the group by the end of the year,[7] and the Smiths performed their final concert at a benefit event at Brixton Academy on 12 December 1986.[8] By 1987, The Smiths were growing increasingly weary of the "jingly-jangly" label that had followed them throughout their career.[9] By late autumn, the band announced their departure from Rough Trade and signed a new contract with EMI, positioning themselves for greater commercial visibility,[5] with the condition that they deliver one final record for Rough Trade—what would become Strangeways, Here We Come.[9] However, they disbanded in the summer of 1987 before recording any material for EMI.[10]

Recording and production

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The Wool Hall recording studio in 2021

The Smiths recorded what was to be their final studio album at the Wool Hall studios in Bath, Somerset, England in March 1987.[11][9] The sessions began with some friction; on the first night, Marr, after drinking, confronted producer Stephen Street with grievances about the band's perceived sonic expectations.[9] Marr approached the sessions with a deliberate intention to reduce the use of overdubs and to avoid filling all available sonic space. He described entering the studio with a "new confidence" and a desire to explore different textures and arrangements.[12]

Between the album's recording in March and its release in September 1987, Marr left the group, disbanding the band.[13] Despite underlying tensions, the recording sessions were notably cohesive. Although the band would dissolve before the album's release, internal relations during the sessions were relatively stable, with the principal source of stress stemming from their situation with Rough Trade.[9]

Recording at the Wool Hall provided a more relaxed atmosphere, with a fully stocked wine cellar often emptied after long sessions by the band and co-producer Stephen Street. While Morrissey typically retired early, Street recalled that overdubs would continue late into the night, often followed by partying.[11] The sessions were marked by a shift in musical approach and ongoing communication about the band's evolving sound.[14] Ed Power wrote in The Independent that "everyone else was more than willing to join [Marr] in this new love affair. Parties at Wool House became a nightly event. With Morrissey tucked up in bed with his favourite Sylvia Plath anthology, the musicians would cover their favourite Spinal Tap songs into the wee hours".[15]

Two final songs—"I Keep Mine Hidden" and "Work Is a Four-Letter Word"—were recorded in May 1987 as B-sides for the album's lead single, "Girlfriend in a Coma", and marked the Smiths' last recordings together.[16] Three further singles were released from Strangeways, Here We Come, with their B-sides drawn from earlier sessions or archival material.[17] Morrissey and Marr have stated that the album is the band's best, with Morrissey adding, "we say it quite often. At the same time. In our sleep. But in different beds".[18] Drummer Mike Joyce also named the album as the band's best.[19]

Musical style

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Music critics have categorised Strangeways, Here We Come as a pop rock recording.[20] The album features a more experimental and sonically varied approach compared to the band's previous albums.[9] During its production, Marr felt the band was ready to enter a new musical phase, and was determined to avoid a formula and move away from their previous "jingly jangly indie" sound. He started to look for different influences, finding an interest in the Beatles' self-titled 1968 album.[14] Marr further stated that he intended Strangeways, Here We Come as an homage to early records by the Walker Brothers.[21] The band's instrumentation branched out as well, including synthesised saxophone, string arrangements on keyboards, and drum machine additions.[22]

Strangeways, Here We Come is the only Smiths album to feature Morrissey playing a piano, featured on the song "Death of a Disco Dancer".[23] The aforementioned track's lyrics reflect a sense of fatalism and disillusionment, with Morrissey expressing skepticism about ideals such as peace and love. "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" was propelled by Marr's serrated, glam rock-inspired riffs, while on the rousing "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", he added to his sonic arsenal by dropping a metal-handled knife onto his Fender Telecaster for a distinctive percussive effect.[24] The album's more accessible tracks also display unconventional elements, such as the track "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" which includes a distinctive percussive effect created by dropping a knife on a guitar, adding tension to a narrative of regret and intoxication.[9] Marr referred to "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" as something that went "beyond rock and roll, beyond pop, it's also beyond everything else The Smiths ever recorded".[25] The atmosphere of the song is described by Marr as having a "perceptible darkness [...] a tremor of foreboding, of imminent danger, of bad times just around the corner", suggesting themes of melancholy and apprehension.[26] Douglas Wolk observed that Morrissey had begun to lean into "deliberate self-parody", describing "Death at One's Elbow" as "a camped-up burlesque of 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore'". He singled out the autoharp on "I Won't Share You" as "thrilling", even as it noted that the orchestral flourishes elsewhere sometimes felt excessive.[27]

Release and artwork

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Strangeways, Here We Come was released in 28 September 1987 via Rough Trade Records in LP, cassette and CD formats.[28] The album was supported by three singles: "Girlfriend in a Coma", released on 10 August 1987; "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", on 2 November; and "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", issued on 7 December.[29] "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" was originally intended for single release in November 1987. However, following the Hungerford massacre—where 16 people were killed—the BBC declined to play the track due to concerns over the lyric planning "a mass murder". As a result, the song was not released as a single in the United Kingdom but was issued in other territories, including the United States, Australia, and Germany.[30] Upon release, it achieved commercial success. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and remained there for 17 weeks.[31] Internationally, it reached number 16 on the European Albums Chart—compiled from sales across 18 major European markets[32]—and stayed on that chart for nine weeks.[33] In the United States, the album reached number 55 on the Billboard 200.[34] It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 1 October 1987,[35] and later received gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 19 September 1990.[36]

The album takes its title from Manchester's Strangeways Prison (now called HM Prison Manchester), whilst the line "Borstal, here we come" is taken from the novel Billy Liar. "Strangeways, of course, is that hideous Victorian monstrosity of a prison operating 88 to a cell", Morrissey has said.[11] Marr has said "I've learned to love the title ... it was a bit overstating things somewhat. A little bit obvious. But it's OK. I was always intrigued by the word strangeways. I remember as a kid, when I first heard that the prison was really called that, I wondered had it not occurred to anybody to change the name? It's still befuddling, really". Morrissey has also stated, "Really it's me throwing both arms to the skies and yelling 'Whatever next?'"[11]

The sleeve for Strangeways, Here We Come, which was designed by Morrissey, features a murky shot of actor Richard Davalos, best known for appearing in the 1955 film East of Eden. In the photo, Davalos is looking at his costar in that film, James Dean, who is cropped from the image. Dean was a hero of Morrissey's, about whom the singer wrote a book called James Dean Is Not Dead.[37] Five years later, when designing the sleeves for the U.S. release of WEA's Best... I compilation, Morrissey again chose Davalos as a cover star, and Davalos is looking at Dean, who is once again cropped.[38] As revealed in Jo Slee's collection of the Smiths and Morrissey sleeve artwork, Peepholism, Davalos was not the original choice for cover star.[39] Morrissey wanted to use a still of Harvey Keitel in Martin Scorsese's 1967 film Who's That Knocking at My Door, but Keitel declined to allow him to use the image. In 1991, Keitel relented, and the image was used on T-shirts and stage backdrops for Morrissey's 1991 Kill Uncle Tour.[40]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[41]
Blender[42]
Chicago Tribune[43]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[44]
Los Angeles Times[45]
Pitchfork8.3/10[27]
Q[46]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[47]
Select4/5[48]
Uncut[49]
The Village VoiceB[50]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a score of four stars out of five and said it was "a subtly shaded and skilled album, one boasting a fuller production than before ... while it doesn't match The Queen Is Dead or The Smiths, it is far from embarrassing and offers a summation of the group's considerable strengths".[41] Douglas Wolk, writing for Pitchfork gave it an 8.3 out of 10, and reflected on Strangeways, Here We Come as the Smiths' album about "desperately trying not to repeat themselves", noting that it was tempting to hear it as a premonition of their breakup, even more so than the band's previous albums.[27] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a grade of B and noted that, after warming up to "the supple smarts of their sound", he approached the album expecting "even tastier goodies", only to be struck by its grim tone. He observed that "in three of these songs somebody's dead or dying, in three more somebody contemplates murder", and the rest are marked by "a selfish pet of the sort that led to the aforementioned threats".[50]

The album ranked number 3 among "Albums of the Year" for 1987 in the annual NME critics' poll, and "Girlfriend in a Coma" ranked number 11 among songs.[51] In 2000 it was voted number 601 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[52] Rolling Stone said the record "stands as one of their best and most varied".[53] Slant Magazine listed the album at number 69 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s", writing that "Whether or not Strangeways, Here We Come ended the Smiths' brief career with their best album has been the subject of considerable debate for nearly a quarter century, but it definitively stands as the band's most lush, richest work".[54]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Morrissey; all music is composed by Johnny Marr.[55]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours"3:00
2."I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"3:47
3."Death of a Disco Dancer"5:26
4."Girlfriend in a Coma"2:03
5."Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"3:32
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"5:03
7."Unhappy Birthday"2:46
8."Paint a Vulgar Picture"5:35
9."Death at One's Elbow"2:01
10."I Won't Share You"2:48
Total length:36:37

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[55]

The Smiths

  • Morrissey – vocals, piano ("Death of a Disco Dancer"), handclaps ("Paint a Vulgar Picture")
  • Johnny Marr – guitar, piano, keyboards, harmonica, marimba ("A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours"), harmonium ("Unhappy Birthday"),[56] autoharp ("I Won't Share You"), synthesised string and saxophone arrangements, additional vocals ("Death at One's Elbow"), handclaps ("Paint a Vulgar Picture")
  • Andy Rourke – bass guitar, keyboards ("A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours"), handclaps ("Paint a Vulgar Picture")
  • Mike Joyce – drums, percussion, handclaps ("Paint a Vulgar Picture")

Additional musicians

  • Stephen Street – additional drum machine programming ("I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", "Paint a Vulgar Picture", "Death at One's Elbow"), sound effects ("Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", "Death at One's Elbow")

Technical

  • Johnny Marr – co-producer
  • Morrissey – co-producer
  • Stephen Street – co-producer, string arrangement ("Girlfriend in a Coma")
  • Steve Williams – assistant engineer
  • Tim Young – mastering
  • Steve Wright – photography

Charts

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Chart performance for Strangeways, Here We Come
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[57] 28
Canadian Albums (RPM)[58] 28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[59] 20
European Top 100 Albums[32] 16
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[60] 33
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[61] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[62] 13
UK Albums[63] 2
UK Independent Albums[64] 1
US Billboard 200[34] 55
US Cash Box[65] 29

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Strangeways, Here We Come
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[36] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Kelly, Danny (14 February 1987). "Exile on Mainstream". NME.
  2. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 335.
  3. ^ Harris, John (April 2001). "Trouble at Mill". Mojo.
  4. ^ "The Smiths Uk Charts". Theofficialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b Goddard 2009, p. 338.
  6. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 182.
  7. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 140.
  8. ^ "This is what the Smiths played at their last ever live show". Radio X. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Hewitt, Ben (15 August 2017). "Quit Your Jingle-Jangle: The Smiths' Strangeways Here We Come Revisited". The Quietus. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  10. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 115.
  11. ^ a b c d Goddard 2009, p. 421.
  12. ^ Partridge, Kenneth (28 September 2017). "The Smiths' Strangeways, Here We Come Turns 30: Contrasting Morrissey and Johnny Marr's Memories of Their Final Album". Billboard. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  13. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 423.
  14. ^ a b Goddard 2009, p. 422.
  15. ^ Power, Ed (16 March 2020). "Why Morrissey's downfall echoes the messy demise of The Smiths". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  16. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 180.
  17. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 474.
  18. ^ Brown, Len (2008). Meetings with Morrissey. Music Sales Group. p. 171. ISBN 9781847729873. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  19. ^ Clarke, Patrick (3 September 2020). "The Smiths' Mike Joyce is raffling off a one-of-a-kind 'The Queen Is Dead' platinum record". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  20. ^ McClurg, Jocelyn (1 October 1987). "Strangeways is a final testiment for the Smiths". Hartford Courant. p. 109. Retrieved 18 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Murray, Noel (6 December 2012). "Gateways to Geekery: Scott Walker". The AV Club. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  22. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 311.
  23. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 96.
  24. ^ "Strangeways, Here We Come: Behind The Album That Broke The Smiths". Dig!. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  25. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 215.
  26. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 438.
  27. ^ a b c Wolk, Douglas (18 November 2011). "The Smiths: The Smiths Complete". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  28. ^ McKinney 2015, p. 376.
  29. ^ McKinney 2015, pp. 382–383.
  30. ^ Luerssen, John D. (1 August 2015). The Smiths FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Important British Band of the 1980s. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 253. ISBN 978-1-4950-4596-7.
  31. ^ David Roberts British Hit Singles and Albums, Guinness World Records Limited
  32. ^ a b "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 31 October 1987. p. 26. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  33. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 12 December 1987. p. 18. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  34. ^ a b "The Smiths - chart history". billboard.com. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  35. ^ a b "British album certifications – The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  36. ^ a b "American album certifications – The Smiths – Strangeways Here We Come". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  37. ^ Barker, Emily (3 August 2015). "The Smiths - The Stories Behind All 27 Of Their Provocative Album And Single Sleeves". NME.
  38. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 90.
  39. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 220.
  40. ^ Goddard 2009, p. 207.
  41. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Strangeways, Here We Come – The Smiths". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  42. ^ Power, Tony (15 September 2004). "The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come". Blender. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  43. ^ Kot, Greg (7 July 1991). "The Smiths And Solo". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  44. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  45. ^ Willman, Chris (27 September 1987). "Morrissey—Still The Lonely Wordsmith". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  46. ^ "The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come". Q (87): 139. December 1993.
  47. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Smiths". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 753–54. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  48. ^ Harrison, Andrew (May 1993). "The Smiths". Select (35): 104.
  49. ^ Dalton, Stephen (1998). "The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come". Uncut.
  50. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (23 February 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  51. ^ "Albums and Track of the year for 1987". NME. Archived from the original on 14 November 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  52. ^ Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 201. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  53. ^ David Browne (3 December 1987). "Strangeways, Here We Come". Rolling Stone.
  54. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s - Feature - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. 5 March 2012.
  55. ^ a b The Smiths (28 September 1987). Strangeways, Here We Come (LP liner notes). Rough Trade Records. ROUGH 106.
  56. ^ Fletcher, Tony (2012). A Light that Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths. William Heinemann. p. 588. ISBN 978-0-434-02066-9.
  57. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 279. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  58. ^ "RPM100 Albums". RPM. 47 (8). 28 November 1987. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  59. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  60. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  61. ^ "Charts.nz – The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Are". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  62. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Are". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  63. ^ Strong, Martin (2004). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1401. ISBN 978-1-84195-551-3.
  64. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989'. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
  65. ^ "Cash Box Magazine: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.

Bibliography

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