UK 7" [Rough Trade RT131]
UK 7" [Rhino UK RT131; 2008 reissue]

Additional information:
The 2008 reissue of the 7" single by Rhino UK was also included in the "Smiths Singles box" which compiled the band's first 10 UK singles (plus two bonuses). On each of the five weeks leading to the release of the latter box, two singles from it were put up for sale individually. Collectors could therefore buy two single reissues every week, or wait at the end of the programme to get all of them in the box, alongside the two bonus 7"s.

Artwork information:
Some sources, including Jo Slee's "Peepholism", credit the photo as being of an anonymous model taken by Jim French (other sources say Leo Ford). The photo is in fact of George O'Mara and was taken by Lou Thomas of Target Studio in San Francisco circa 1972. It was lifted from Margaret Walter's 1978 book "The Nude Male" (where it was incorrectly credited as taken by Jim French). What appears to be a mole is actually a stain as it didn't appear on the original photograph.
This is the only UK single to feature the song title on the cover.
The artwork was reused in 1984 for the German "Still Ill" 12" single.

Etchings on vinyl:
UK 7": KISS MY SHADES / KISS MY SHADES TOO
"Kiss my shades" are words taken from the title song. The a-side etching was provided by Morrissey while the b-side one was provided by Johnny Marr.

Additional release date information:
UK 2008 reissue: 10 November 2008

Chart peak information:
UK: 124
(charted after "This Charming Man")

Promotion:
Stock copies with a plugger sticker on the back of the sleeve were distributed for promotion of the Smiths' first single. As for many more Smiths singles to come, the plugger is Scott Piering's 'Appearing' media services. The two songs from the single were also included on a Rough Trade promo cassette sent to certain media. The cassette also featured music by bands Zerra 1 and Influence.

Quotes:
Johnny Marry in Mojo/Q's 2004 "Morrissey And The Smiths The Inside Story": "That song came about when I was round my parents' house one Sunday evening. I started playing this riff on a crappy guitar I kept there. Angie – who's now my wife – was with me and she kept saying, 'that's really good!' I was panicking because I had nothing to record it on, so we decided to drive to Morrissey's, because he had a tape recorder. I sat in the back of the car playing the riff over and over so I wouldn't forget it. (...) I was just hoping Morrissey would be in. (...) He let me in and I played the riff and he said 'That's very good'. About five days later we were rehearsing and Morrissey wanted to play the song. When we heard the vocals to that we were all like, wow... From then on it was always going to be the first single."

Morrissey, about his favourite song: "For me it has to be 'Hand In Glove', the first single. Mainly because of the circumstances in which it was recorded. The remix on the first album I'm not quite too sure about but the actual single was such a joyous occasion for everybody that it still means more to me - and other members of the Smiths - than anything else we've done."

Morrissey, also about "Hand In Glove": "It should have been a massive hit, it was so urgent. To me, it was a complete cry in every direction. It really was a landmark."

Morrissey, about "Handsome Devil": "It's an adult understanding of quite intimate matters." Also: "We must stress that 'Handsome Devil' is aimed entirely towards adults and has nothing to do with children, and certainly nothing to do with child molesting."