This Charming Man (single)

Cover art

Reissue cover art

THE SMITHS Single
Name	This Charming Man
Release	28 October 1983 3 August 1992 (UK CD1 reissue) 10 August 1992 (UK CD2 reissue)
Total Length	2:41
Recorded	October, 1983
Writer/composer	Morrissey / Johnny Marr
Producer	John Porter
Art work	Cover star: Jean Marais in "Orphée" (1950)
Vinyl Etching	SLAP ME ON THE PATIO (7" B-side) WILL NATURE MAKE A MAN OF ME YET (12" A-side)
Publisher	Rough Trade Records (UK) Sire Records (US) WEA
Format(s)	7" Vinyl, 12" Vinyl, CD, Cassette
Chart position	UK #25 UK #8 (1992 reissue)
Single chronology
Hand In Glove ← This Charming Man → What Difference Does It Make?
Single WEA reissue chronology
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me ← This Charming Man → How Soon Is Now? (WEA reissue)

Track list

7" Vinyl

UK - [Rough Trade RT 136]

1. This Charming Man – 2:41 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. Jeane – 3:02 (Morrissey/Marr)

12" Vinyl

UK - [Rough Trade RTT 136]

1. This Charming Man (Manchester) – 2:42 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. This Charming Man (London) – 2:45 (Morrissey/Marr)
3. Accept Yourself – 3:55 (Morrissey/Marr)
4. Wonderful Woman – 3:08 (Morrissey/Marr)

12" New York Mix Vinyl

UK - [Rough Trade RTT 136 NY]
Remixed by François Kevorkian

1. This Charming Man (New York Vocal) – 5:33 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. This Charming Man (New York Instrumental) – 4:19 (Morrissey/Marr)

CD Single 1

UK - [WEA YZ0001CD1]

1. This Charming Man (Manchester) – 2:41 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. This Charming Man (London) – 2:47 (Morrissey/Marr)
3. Wonderful Woman – 3:08 (Morrissey/Marr)
4. Accept Yourself – 3:55 (Morrissey/Marr)

CD Single 2

UK - [WEA YZ0001CD2]

1. This Charming Man (Manchester) – 2:42 (Morrissey/Marr)
2. This Charming Man (London) – 2:45 (Morrissey/Marr)
3. This Charming Man (New York Vocal) – 5:33 (Morrissey/Marr)
4. This Charming Man (New York Instrumental) – 4:19 (Morrissey/Marr)
5. This Charming Man (Peel Session) – 2:42 (Morrissey/Marr)
6. This Charming Man (Single Remix) – 2:44 (Morrissey/Marr)
7. This Charming Man (Original Single Version) – 2:41 (Morrissey/Marr)

Lyrics

Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate
Will Nature make a man of me yet?
When in this charming car
This charming man

Why pamper life's complexity
When the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat?

I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said:
 "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"

A jumped-up pantry boy
Who never knew his place
He said - "Return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things

I would go out tonight
But I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said:
 "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"

This charming man
This charming man

A jumped-up pantry boy
Who never knew his place
He said - "Return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things
He knows so much about these things

Sleeve Artwork

• 

  Cover art. (1983)

• 

  Reissue cover art. (1992)

• 

  Advertising Poster

Music Video

Credits

• Performed On Top Of The Pops, BBC, 24 November 1983

Live History

Play count (The Smiths concert): 95

The Smiths live history:

• London, England 1983-09-15 (The Smiths concert)
• Birmingham, England 1983-09-30 (The Smiths concert)
• London, England 1983-10-05 (The Smiths concert)
• Bangor, Wales 1983-10-14 (The Smiths concert)
• Sheffield, England 1983-10-17 (The Smiths concert)
• London, England 1983-10-21 (The Smiths concert)
• Liverpool, England 1983-10-22 (The Smiths concert)
• London, England 1983-10-28 (The Smiths concert)
• Leicester, England 1983-11-16 (The Smiths concert)
• London, England 1983-11-17 (The Smiths concert)

... further results

The Smiths live history - played in concert twice:

• Leicester, England 1983-11-16 (The Smiths concert)
• London, England 1983-11-17 (The Smiths concert)
• Ormskirk, England 1983-11-18 (The Smiths concert)
• Derby, England 1983-12-06 (The Smiths concert)
• London, England 1983-12-19 (The Smiths concert)
• Hamburg, Germany 1984-05-04 (The Smiths concert)

Play count (Morrissey concert): 115

Morrissey live history:

• London, England 2009-02-11 (Morrissey concert)
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 2009-03-06 (Morrissey concert)
• Durham, North Carolina 2009-03-11 (Morrissey concert)
• Richmond, Virginia 2009-03-13 (Morrissey concert)
• Washington, DC 2009-03-14 (Morrissey concert)
• Montclair, New Jersey 2009-03-16 (Morrissey concert)
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2009-03-17 (Morrissey concert)
• Buffalo, New York 2009-03-19 (Morrissey concert)
• New York, New York 2009-03-21 (Morrissey concert)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2009-03-22 (Morrissey concert)

... further results

Appears On

• This Charming Man (single)
• The Smiths (album)
• Hatful Of Hollow
• Best...I
• The Complete Picture
• Singles
• The Very Best Of The Smiths
• The Sound Of The Smiths
• The Smiths Singles Box
• Something Is Squeezing My Skull (single)
• Complete

Appears On Covers Compilation

• The String Quartet: Tribute To The Smiths
• Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before: A Tribute To The Smiths
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star: Lullaby Versions of The Smiths & Morrissey
• Rockabye Baby! (Lullaby Renditions Of The Smiths)

Cover Versions

• 10,000 Maniacs
• Alicia Keys
• Blossoms
• David Glass
• Rick Astley
• Stars
• Steven Charles Boone
• The Killers
• The Vitamin String Quartet
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star
• Two Minutes To Late Night

Discogs Information

Credits

• Bass Guitar - Andy Rourke
• Drums - Mike Joyce
• Executive-Producer - Geoff Travis
• Guitar, Piano - Johnny Marr
• Lacquer Cut By - Tim Young
• Music By - Johnny Marr
• Other [Cover Star] - Jean Marais
• Sleeve - The Smiths
• Voice - Morrissey
• Words By - Steven Morrissey
• Written-By - Johnny Marr
• Written-By - Steven Morrissey

Notes

Labels: 1983 Glad Hips Music

Back cover: Cover Star: Jean Marais

Images

• This Charming Man - Discogs master release: https://www.discogs.com/master/6882
• This Charming Man (7" Single 45 RPM Push-Out Centre) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/452928-The-Smiths-This-Charming-Man

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Remixed at Right Track Studios New York. 1983 Glad Hips Music. Distributed by The Cartel. Durations do not appear on release.

Typo on Kevorkian name on both labels ('Kervorkian' instead of 'Kevorkian')

This is very similar to This Charming Man (New York), however note the lack of "MVS" in the matrix information of this release. In addition, the Rough Trade logo on the labels is also different.

Images

• This Charming Man (New York) (12" 45 RPM) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/12784118-The-Smiths-This-Charming-Man-New-York

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

[Sticker, all upper-case] The Smiths ‘This Charming Man’ CD1 - Limited Edition This double CD box contains part 1 of a 2 CD set YZ0001 CD1

[Inlay] This limited edition CD features the original single version of "This Charming Man" together with "Jeane" (the original 7" B side) and "Accept Yourself" & "Wonderful Woman" (the original 12" B sides) The [url=/release/381543]second CD[/url] (available separately) features every version of "This Charming Man".

[Case backside] Photograph © 1990 Visionlights ℗ 1983 Warner Music UK Ltd. © 1992 Warner Music UK Ltd. The copyright in this sound recording and artwork is owned by Warner Music Ltd. A Time Warner Company.

Notes: All producer/recording credits on the inlay refer (misleadingly) to [url=/release/381543]CD 2[/url] of the CD-set; on the CD itself they are correct.

CD comes in a Double-CD case. Instead of the 2nd CD the media tray holds a CD-shaped cardboard reading: "The Smiths The Second THIS CHARMING MAN CD-Single fits in this space. Containing every version of the song ever released (and one previously unreleased version) it is available FOR ONE WEEK ONLY. To Order your copy ask for YZ0001CD2"

Images

• This Charming Man (Single Limited Edition Numbered CD1) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/381533-The-Smiths-This-Charming-Man

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Tracks 3 and 4 remixed at Right Track Studios, New York. Track 5 taken from the BBC Radio One John Peel Show […] broadcast date 21.9.83 released by arragement with BBC Enterprises Ltd.

Photograph © 1990 Visionlights ℗ 1983 Warner Music UK Ltd. 5. ℗ 1990 BBC © 1992 Warner Music UK Ltd.

This special CD is available for one week only, and contains every version of "This Charming Man". [url=/release/381533]Another CD single[/url] is also available in limited quantities featuring all the original single A & B sides.

Images

• This Charming Man (Single CD2) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/381543-The-Smiths-This-Charming-Man

Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Re-release of the 1983 hit

℗ 1983 Warner Music UK Ltd. © 1992 Warner Music UK Ltd.

Images

• This Charming Man (Single) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/942904-The-Smiths-This-Charming-Man

Wikipedia Information

"This Charming Man" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Released as the group's second single in October 1983 on the independent record label Rough Trade, it is defined by Marr's jangle pop guitar riff and Morrissey's characteristically morose lyrics, which revolve around the recurrent Smiths themes of sexual ambiguity and lust.Feeling detached from the early 1980s mainstream gay culture, Morrissey wrote "This Charming Man" to evoke an older, more coded and self-aware underground scene. The singer said of the song's lyrics: "I really like the idea of the male voice being quite vulnerable, of it being taken and slightly manipulated, rather than there being always this heavy machismo thing that just bores everybody."Although only moderately successful on first release—the single peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart—"This Charming Man" has been widely praised in both the music and mainstream press. Re-issued in 1992, it reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart (making it the Smiths' biggest UK hit by chart position). In 2004, BBC Radio 2 listeners voted it number 97 on the station's "Sold on Song Top 100" poll. Mojo magazine journalists placed the track at number 1 on their 2008 "50 Greatest UK Indie Records of All Time" feature. It was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry in 2019.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Charming_Man

Related Forum Threads

• The Smiths A-Z: "This Charming Man" - Morrissey-solo (Oct 27, 2022)