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 2025-11-08 02:06:00 The Queen Is Dead 2011 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 37 Indie Pop Indie Rock Jangle Pop 111752 2114497 68c1b202-c656-47d2-9af3-b2eb0d9382ad 40f5d9e4-2de7-4f2d-ad41-e31a9a9fea27 d8dde278-482c-3cc8-a530-fea70476f3a5 /media/data/media5/Music/The Smiths/The Queen Is Dead/folder.jpg The Smiths The Smiths 1 1 The Queen Is Dead 06:23 1 2 Frankly, Mr. Shankly 02:17 1 3 I Know It's Over 05:47 1 4 Never Had No One Ever 03:36 1 5 Cemetry Gates 02:37 1 6 Bigmouth Strikes Again 03:12 1 7 The Boy With the Thorn in His Side 03:15 1 8 Vicar in a Tutu 02:22 1 9 There Is a Light That Never Goes Out 04:02 1 10 Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others 03:15 The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. Their line-up comprised singer Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s. The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records and released their first album, The Smiths, in 1984. The Smiths based their songs on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Marr. The band’s focus on a guitar, bass, and drum sound and a fusion of 1960s rock and post-punk was a rejection of the synth-pop sound that was 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). They achieved mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), both of which entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart.Internal tensions led to their breakup in 1987, followed by public lawsuits over royalties. Their live album Rank (1988) reached the top 10 in Europe. Since the band's dissolution, the members have refused offers to reunite and have all separately stated that the band is finished and will never reunite.