Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before (single)

US 7" cover art

Germany cover art

Netherlands cover art

THE SMITHS Single
Name	Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
Release	November 1987
Total Length	3:32
Recorded	Spring 1987
Writer/composer	Morrissey / Johnny Marr
Producer	Stephen Street Assisted by Morrissey / Johnny Marr
Art work	Cover star: Murray Head film still from "The Family Way" (1966)
Vinyl Etching	No matrix message
Publisher	Sire Records (US) Line Records (Germany) Megadisc (Netherlands)
Format(s)	7" Vinyl, 12" Vinyl, CD
Chart position	Not applicable
Single chronology
I Started Something I Couldn't Finish ← Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before → Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

Information

In 2011, ["Gurglejerk" & "altscott3000"] made the "stem" files for this song available.
This featured the song in component parts (including the vocal) for the Rock Band 3 video game.
This song was covered by Mark Ronson in 2007 (reaching number 2).

This was not released in the UK as a single due to the Hungerford Massacre.

Track list

7" Vinyl

US - [Sire – 9 28136-7]

1. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before – 3:32 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. I Keep Mine Hidden – 1:57 (Morrissey/Marr)

7" Vinyl

Germany - [Line Records – LS 1.00025]

1. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before – 3:32 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. Girlfriend In A Coma – 2:02 (Morrissey/Marr)

12" Vinyl / CD

Germany - [Line Records – LMS 3.00013 / LICD 9.00440]

1. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before – 3:32 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. Work Is A Four-Letter Word – 2:47 (Black/Woolfenden)
3. Girlfriend In A Coma – 2:02 (Morrissey/Marr)
4. I Keep Mine Hidden – 1:57 (Morrissey/Marr)

12" Vinyl

Netherlands - [Megadisc – MD 125280]

1. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before – 3:32 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. Pretty Girls Make Graves (Early Cello / Troy Tate version) – 3:35 (Morrissey/Marr)
3. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (live) – 5:03 (Morrissey/Marr)

Lyrics

Stop me, stop me
stop me if you think that you've
heard this one before
stop me, stop me
stop me if you think that you've
heard this one before
nothing's changed
I still love you, oh I still love you
...only slightly less than I used to
I was delayed, I was way-laid
an emergency stop
I smelt the last ten seconds of life
I crashed down on the crossbar
and the pain was enough to make
a shy, bald buddhist reflect
and plan a mass-murder
who said I'd lied to her?
who said I'd lied because I never
Who said I'd lied because I never
I was detained, I was restrained
he broke my spleen
he broke my knees
(and then he really laid into me)
Friday night in Out-patients
who said I'd lied to her?
who said I'd lied - because I never
who said I'd lied - because I never
Oh, so I drank one
or was it four
and when I fell on the floor...
...I drank more
stop me, stop me
stop me if you think that you've
heard this one before
nothing's changed
I still love you
I still love you
but only slightly
less than I used to

Live History

Play count (The Smiths concert): 0

Play count (Morrissey concert): 89

Morrissey live history:

• Wolverhampton, England 1988-12-22 (Morrissey concert)
• Tulsa, Oklahoma 2006-03-13 (Morrissey concert)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 2006-03-14 (Morrissey concert)
• London, England 2006-05-28 (Morrissey concert)
• Karlstad, Sweden 2006-08-07 (Morrissey concert)
• Karlstad, Sweden 2006-08-08 (Morrissey concert)
• Oslo, Norway 2006-08-10 (Morrissey concert)
• Paredes de Coura, Portugal 2006-08-15 (Morrissey concert)
• Salzburg, Austria 2006-08-17 (Morrissey concert)
• Staffordshire, England 2006-08-19 (Morrissey concert)

... further results

Appears On

• Strangeways, Here We Come
• Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before (single)
• Best...I
• The Complete Picture
• The Very Best Of The Smiths
• The Sound Of The Smiths
• Complete

Appears On Covers Compilation

• The World Still Won't Listen (A Tribute To The Smiths)
• Please, Please, Please: A Tribute To The Smiths

Cover Versions

• Mark Ronson
• The Killers
• The Rest
• Vision

Discogs Information

Credits

• Bass Guitar - Andy Rourke
• Coordinator [Art Co-ordination] - Jo Slee
• Drums - Mike Joyce
• Guitar - Johnny Marr
• Layout - Caryn Gough
• Sleeve - Morrissey
• Voice - Morrissey
• Written-By - Johnny Marr
• Written-By - Morrissey

Notes

Recorded at The Wool Hall in Bath during Spring 1987.

Cover Star - Murray Head. ©1966 Weintraub Entertainments.

From the Sire album [url=http://www.discogs.com/master/21143]"Strangeways, Here We Come"[/url] Available on LP, Cassette and Compact Disc (1/4/2-25649)

Morrissey/Marr Songs Ltd. PRS adm. by Warner-Tamerlane Pub. Corp. BMI Sire Records Company, Marketed by Warner Bros. Records, Inc. © 1987 Sire Records Company ℗ 1987 Sire Records Company Made in U.S.A.

Images

• Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before - Discogs master release: https://www.discogs.com/master/21136
• Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before (7" 45 RPM Single Styrene Allied Pressing) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/1579000-The-Smiths-Stop-Me-If-You-Think-Youve-Heard-This-One-Before

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Lic. by Rough Trade Records Ltd., London

Recorded at The Wool Hall, Bath during Spring 1987 Pressed and printed in Western Germany P.1987 C.1987

Center labels printed as "Side 1" for both sides of the 7-inch.

Images

• Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before / Girlfriend In A Coma (7" 45 RPM Single Grey) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/1010689-The-Smiths-Stop-Me-If-You-Think-Youve-Heard-This-One-Before-Girlfriend-In-A-Coma

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Back cover still uses the same back as the "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" 12" release layout, with "STOP ME IF YOU THINK YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE" listed first. But the spine says, "THE SMITHS - GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA - MAXI SINGLE - 12 INCH".

Images

• Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before (12" 45 RPM Maxi-Single) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/371064-The-Smiths-Stop-Me-If-You-Think-That-Youve-Heard-This-One-Before

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Alternate rear sleeve variation looks more like the back of the sleeve of other international editions. It is all grey with no image, only the track listing and the block of credits in yellow and the Megadisc logo, marketing credit and catalogue number in white in the bottom right corner

Images

• Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before (12" Alternate sleeve) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/7650486-The-Smiths-Stop-Me-If-You-Think-Youve-Heard-This-One-Before

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Cover Star: Murray Head © 1966 Weintraub Entertainments tracks 1 & 3: Recorded at The Wool Hall in Bath during Spring 1987 tracks 2 & 4: Recorded in London

Manufactured in Western Germany. P.1987 Line Music GmbH. ℗ 1987 / © 1987

(without barcode)

Images

• Stop Me () - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/679168-The-Smiths-Stop-Me

Wikipedia Information

"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. The song was first released on the group's 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come. Marr's music features a larger sound, courtesy of a 12-string Gibson ES-335, and one of his few guitar solos with the Smiths. Morrissey's lyrics allude to alcohol and deception. Although the song was originally planned to be released as a single in August 1987, the BBC objected to the song's lyrical reference to mass murder in the aftermath of the Hungerford Massacre. As a result, "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" was only released as a single in America, Australia, and some European markets, while "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" was chosen to replace the song as the band's new UK single. Despite its censorship by British radio, "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" has seen critical acclaim for Marr's guitar work and Morrissey's witty lyricism. It has since appeared on multiple compilation albums and has been ranked by music writers as one of the band's best songs.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Me_If_You_Think_You%27ve_Heard_This_One_Before

Related Forum Threads

• The Smiths A-Z: "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" - Morrissey-solo (Sep 26, 2022)