The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band The Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records and released in the United States on 23 June 1986 through Sire Records. The album spent twenty-two weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at #2. Across the Atlantic, it reached #28 in Canada on the RPM 100 album chart and #70 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA in late 1990. It has sold consistently well ever since. The album cover, designed by Morrissey, features Alain Delon from the 1964 film L'Insoumis. The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band The Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records and released in the United States on 23 June 1986 through Sire Records. The album spent twenty-two weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at #2. Across the Atlantic, it reached #28 in Canada on the RPM 100 album chart and #70 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA in late 1990. It has sold consistently well ever since. The album cover, designed by Morrissey, features Alain Delon from the 1964 film L'Insoumis. false 2022-10-22 14:11:38 The Queen Is Dead 8.4 2011 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 37 Alternative Rock Indie Pop Indie Rock Rock Jangle Pop 111752 2114497 e7ad4be1-21f7-4eba-819c-8778967e3a8c 40f5d9e4-2de7-4f2d-ad41-e31a9a9fea27 d8dde278-482c-3cc8-a530-fea70476f3a5 /media/data/media5/Music/The Smiths/The Queen Is Dead (1986)/folder.jpg The Smiths AlbumArtist The Smiths Artist The Smiths The Smiths 1 The Queen Is Dead (Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty (medley)) 06:23 2 Frankly, Mr. Shankly 02:17 3 I Know It’s Over 05:47 4 Never Had No One Ever 03:36 5 Cemetry Gates 02:37 6 Bigmouth Strikes Again 03:12 7 The Boy with the Thorn in His Side 03:15 8 Vicar in a Tutu 02:22 9 There Is a Light That Never Goes Out 04:02 10 Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others 03:15 The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the songwriting partnership. The Smiths are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from 1980s British independent music. The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their first album, The Smiths, in 1984. Their focus on a guitar, bass and drum sound, fusing 1960s rock and post-punk, was a rejection of the synth-pop sound predominant at the time. Several Smiths singles reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, and all their studio albums reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart, including the number-one album Meat Is Murder (1985). From that time, they bolstered their sound with the use of keyboards while retaining the guitar as the lead instrument. They achieved mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), which both entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart. In 1986, the band briefly became a five-piece with the addition of guitarist Craig Gannon. Internal tensions led to the Smiths' breakup in 1987, followed by public lawsuits over royalties. The members each said that the band would never reunite and refused all offers to do so.