Song · The Smiths
“Hand In Glove” by The Smiths
From the album The Smiths (1984)
“Hand In Glove” by The Smiths appears on 5 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 1983 and 2026. It was first released in 1984 on the album The Smiths. Its best result is #9 on the John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1983. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #58 alternative song of 1983 and #3,938 alternative song of all time.
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Before there was an album, there was "Hand in Glove": the Smiths' first single, which Rough Trade put out in May 1983, Morrissey's words set to Johnny Marr's music. Marr plays guitar and harmonica, Andy Rourke's bass and Mike Joyce's drums charge underneath, and Morrissey sings over the top as if the whole world were listening in.
It got to No. 3 on the UK indie chart without cracking the main singles chart. When the self-titled debut arrived in 1984 the song came in remixed form, while the original mix resurfaced on Hatful of Hollow that same year and on Louder Than Bombs in 1987. Also in 1984, Sandie Shaw cut her own version with Marr, Rourke and Joyce backing her, and took it to 27 on the UK singles chart.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 9 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1983 | 50 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1350 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 389 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 684 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2026 | 730 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Also listed as: Hand in Glove.
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