Nummer

This Charming Man

Nummer van The Smiths
Origineel op album The Smiths (1984)

Lead vocals: Man

Taal: Engels

Wikipedia (Nederlands)
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Laatst geladen: 07/03/2025 08:44:26

This charming man is een single van de Britse alternatieve rockgroep The Smiths. De single werd uitgebracht op 31 oktober 1983 en verscheen later op het studioalbum The Smiths uit 1984. This charming man bereikte de 25e plaats op de UK Singles Chart, waarmee de groep definitief doorbrak in eigen land. Bij de heruitgave in 1992 bereikte de single de 8e plaats op de Britse hitlijst.

Het lied werd in 2015 door Pitchfork verkozen tot 109e beste nummer van de jaren 80 en werd in 2014 door NME verkozen tot 64e beste nummer aller tijden.

Wikipedia (Engels)
Inhoud van Wikipedia met licentie Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0
Laatst geladen: 07/03/2025 08:44:26

"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. A different version, from the John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1, was included on the compilation album Hatful of Hollow in 1984.

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 double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2023.