Meat Is Murder
Updated: 12/20/2025, 2:51:30 PM Wikipedia source
Meat Is Murder is the second studio album by the English rock band the Smiths, released on 11 February 1985 by Rough Trade Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut album in early 1984, the Smiths maintained a prolific output with non-album singles and the compilation Hatful of Hollow, while also drawing media attention for their outspoken political views and provocative lyrics. The band began working with engineer Stephen Street during this period, a collaboration that continued into Meat Is Murder. Recording for the album took place between mid-1984 and December of that year, with sessions held in London at the Fallout Shelter and Jam Studios, and in Surrey at Ridge Farm Studio. Guitarist Johnny Marr developed many of the demos in his Earl's Court flat, often incorporating BBC sound effects records provided by Morrissey, a technique that became a recurring part of their creative process. Musically, the album expanded the band's sound, incorporating elements of indie rock and post-punk. It marked a shift toward more overtly political themes, with songs addressing vegetarianism, corporal punishment, and social alienation. It became the band's only studio album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart, and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. The album was an international success, spending eleven weeks on the European Top 100 Albums chart and peaking at number 29. In the United States, it reached number 110 on the Billboard 200.
Infobox
Released
11 February 1985 (1985-02-11)
Recorded
1984
Studio
Johnny Marr's flat (Earl's Court) Jam Studios (London) Ridge Farm (Surrey) Fallout Shelter (Chiswick)
Genre
Indie rock post-punk
Length
39:46
Label
Rough Trade
Producer
The Smiths
Tables
Professional ratings · Reception and legacy
Source
Source
Review scores
Source
Review scores
Rating
AllMusic
AllMusic
Review scores
AllMusic
Review scores
Blender
Blender
Review scores
Blender
Review scores
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Review scores
Chicago Tribune
Review scores
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Review scores
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Review scores
Pitchfork
Pitchfork
Review scores
Pitchfork
Review scores
8.1/10
Q
Q
Review scores
Q
Review scores
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Review scores
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Review scores
Select
Select
Review scores
Select
Review scores
4/5
Sounds
Sounds
Review scores
Sounds
Review scores
Uncut
Uncut
Review scores
Uncut
Review scores
The Village Voice
The Village Voice
Review scores
The Village Voice
Review scores
C+
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Blender | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 |
| Q | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Select | 4/5 |
| Sounds | |
| Uncut | |
| The Village Voice | C+ |
Chart performance for Meat Is Murder · Charts
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
Chart (1985)
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)
Peakposition
58
Canadian Albums (RPM)
Canadian Albums (RPM)
Chart (1985)
Canadian Albums (RPM)
Peakposition
40
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
Chart (1985)
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
Peakposition
39
European Top 100 Albums
European Top 100 Albums
Chart (1985)
European Top 100 Albums
Peakposition
29
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
Chart (1985)
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
Peakposition
45
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
Chart (1985)
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
Peakposition
13
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
Chart (1985)
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
Peakposition
27
UK Albums (OCC)
UK Albums (OCC)
Chart (1985)
UK Albums (OCC)
Peakposition
1
UK Independent Albums
UK Independent Albums
Chart (1985)
UK Independent Albums
Peakposition
1
US Billboard 200
US Billboard 200
Chart (1985)
US Billboard 200
Peakposition
110
US Cash Box
US Cash Box
Chart (1985)
US Cash Box
Peakposition
79
| Chart (1985) | Peakposition |
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) | 58 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) | 40 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 39 |
| European Top 100 Albums | 29 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 45 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 13 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 27 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 1 |
| UK Independent Albums | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 110 |
| US Cash Box | 79 |
· Charts
Greek Albums (IFPI)
Greek Albums (IFPI)
Chart (2024)
Greek Albums (IFPI)
Peakposition
20
| Chart (2024) | Peakposition |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) | 20 |
Certifications and sales for Meat Is Murder · Certifications and sales
United Kingdom (BPI)
United Kingdom (BPI)
Region
United Kingdom (BPI)
Certification
Gold
Certified units/sales
100,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Region
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
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- "Interview With Stephen Street"https://web.archive.org/web/20120314061930/http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=intrview/opar/intrview_StephenStreet.html
- Morrissey In Conversation: The Essential Interviews
- Vegetarian Timeshttps://books.google.com/books?id=gwcAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32
- Goddard 2013, p. 151.
- Goddard 2009, p. 262.
- Salonhttps://www.salon.com/2012/12/08/the_smiths_better_than_the_beatles/
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- McKinney 2015, p. 211.
- Rebellion Festivals Programme
- McKinney 2015, p. 247.
- Goddard 2009, p. 336.
- Goddard 2009, pp. 172–173.
- Goddard 2009, p. 23.
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2013/aug/12/smiths-artwork-posters-exhibition-pictures
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- The Smiths FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Important British Band of the 1980s
- Music & Mediahttps://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1985/M&M-1985-05-06.pdf
- Music & Mediahttps://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1985/M&M-1985-03-04.pdf
- Billboardhttps://www.billboard.com/artist/the-smiths/chart-history/
- Meat Is Murderhttp://www.allmusic.com/album/meat-is-murder-mw0000651785
- Meat Is Murderhttps://web.archive.org/web/20060630194018/http://blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2727
- Chicago Tribunehttps://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/07/07/the-smiths-and-solo/
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
- The Smiths Completehttp://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16027-the-smiths-complete/
- Meat Is Murder
- The New Rolling Stone Album Guidehttps://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/753
- Select
- Sounds
- Meat Is Murder
- The Village Voicehttp://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv6-85.php
- Meat Is Murderhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/h4p2/
- Rolling Stonehttps://web.archive.org/web/20120604054555/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-smiths-meat-is-murder-19691231
- Rolling Stonehttps://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-smiths-meat-is-murder-31533/
- 1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Diehttps://books.google.com/books?id=PIyEkArSW0EC
- "PETA Gets The Smiths Back Together ... for a Video Game Archived 29 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine", Washington DC:http://associationsnow.com/2016/08/peta-gets-the-smiths-back-together-video-game/
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/aug/11/morrissey-animal-rights-game-peta-this-beautiful-creature-must-die-meat-is-murder
- Rolling Stonehttps://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-smiths-meat-is-murder-becomes-dark-peta-arcade-game-w433700
- Meat Is Murder
- Goddard 2013, p. 356.
- Goddard 2013, p. 137.
- Columbia Daily Spectator
- Goddard 2013, p. 142.
- Australian Chart Book 1970–1992
- RPMhttps://web.archive.org/web/20110519221633/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0514&volume=42&issue=7&issue_dt=April%2027%201985&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=v2a76h62to0aart05gg0u3agj2
- "Dutchcharts.nl – The Smiths – Meat Is Murder" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 April 2022.https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Smiths&titel=Meat+Is+Murder&cat=a
- "Offiziellecharts.de – The Smiths – Meat Is Murder" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 April 2022.https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-33138
- "Charts.nz – The Smiths – Meat Is Murder". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 April 2022.https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Smiths&titel=Meat+Is+Murder&cat=a
- "Swedishcharts.com – The Smiths – Meat Is Murder". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 April 2022.https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Smiths&titel=Meat+Is+Murder&cat=a
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 April 2022.https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/19850217/7502/
- Indie Hits 1980–1989'
- World Radio Historyhttps://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box-Magazine.htm
- "Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 46/2024"https://web.archive.org/web/20241120071339/https://www.ifpi.gr/charts_el.html
- "British album certifications – The Smiths – Meat Is Murder"https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/4209-175-2