The band consisted of Steven Morrissey (vocals, lyrics), Johnny Marr (guitar, music), Mike Joyce (drums) and Andy Rourke (bass).

The Smiths lasted all of five years from 1982 to 1987, releasing during this period four studio albums (The Smiths, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come), three compilation albums (Hatful of Hollow, The World Won’t Listen and Louder Than Bombs), and a live album (Rank).