The song was written in September 1983 at the same time as "Pretty Girls Make Graves" and "Still Ill". Johnny claims to have written the music in only 20 minutes.

It was professionally recorded for the first time on 14 September 1983 for the band's second appearance on John Peel's BBC programme (first broadcast on 21 September 1983), with producer Roger Pusey.

The song was recorded by the band in late September 1983 at Matrix Studios in London with producer John Porter, with the intention of releasing it as a single. The Smiths and the label were not happy with it, and the song was re-recorded shortly after at Strawberry Studios in Stockport (Manchester), again with producer John Porter. The latter version was released as a single as "This Charming Man (Manchester)" and the original recording was added to the 12" single under the title "This Charming Man (London)".

A version was recorded in April 1984 at Powerhouse Studios in London with unknown 'friend' Amanda Malone singing and the Smiths as back-up band. Rough Trade boss Geoff Travis acted as 'producer'. This would have served as an a-side on a collaboration single with the Smiths, but never ended up being released.

Manchester version aka original single version {2:41}

• original "This Charming Man" single, all formats, except Australia, New Zealand, France and Spain 12" and UK/Belgium remix 12"

• "The Smiths" debut album (not on all editions, click on latter link for details)

• bonus 7" with Holland "The Smiths" LP

• re-release of the "This Charming Man" single, all formats

• "Best...I" album

• "The Complete Picture" (video)

• "Singles" album

• "The Very Best Of The Smiths" [remastered 2001]

• "The Sound Of The Smiths" [remastered 2008]

London version {2:45}

• original 12" of "This Charming Man" in UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan and Spain only

• re-release of the "This Charming Man" single on USA 12", USA cd-single #1, UK cd-single #2 and Japan cd-single

New York remix {5:33}

• original remix 12" of "This Charming Man" in UK, Australia, Belgium, France, New Zealand and Spain only

• "The 12" mixes", an Australia-only EP

• re-release of the "This Charming Man" single on USA 12", USA cd-single #1, UK cd-single #2 and Japan cd-single

• deluxe edition of "The Sound Of The Smiths" [remastered 2008]

New York remix instrumental {4:17}

• original remix 12" of "This Charming Man" in UK, Australia, Belgium and New Zealand only

• re-release of the "This Charming Man" single on USA 12", USA cd-single #1, UK cd-single #2 and Japan cd-single

single remix {2:44}

• re-release of the "This Charming Man" single on USA 12", USA cd-single #1, UK cd-single #2 and Japan cd-single

John Peel radio session 21 September 1983 {2:42}

• "Hatful Of Hollow" album

• re-release of the "This Charming Man" single on USA 12", USA cd-single #1, UK cd-single #2 and Japan cd-single

The Tube 4 November 1983 [tv]

This short film of the band lipsynching to "This Charming Man" is available on "The Complete Picture", but the "Manchester" version of the song was dubbed over the footage which was originally produced with the "London" version (both audio tracks available on official releases, see above). The original footage and audio combo is not circulated on bootlegs at this point in time.

Riverside 7 November 1983 [tv]

• "Video Bongo" (various artists video compilation)

This short film is easily found on video bootlegs. The performance is lipsynched so the audio is the original single version of the song.

Top Of The Pops 24 November 1983 [tv]

This television appearance is easily found on video bootlegs. The performance is lipsynched so the audio is the original single version of the song.

Generation 80 (December?) 1983 [tv]

This performance in a television studio was recorded but never broadcast. It was meant to be shown on 19 December 1983, so it was probably filmed shortly before that date. No one was aware of the existence of this until March 2010 when a 1:40 excerpt was leaked on the internet. The performance is lipsynched so the audio is the original single version of the song.

Datarun 7 April 1984 [tv]

This brief performance of "This Charming Man" by Morrissey and Johnny with kids joining in for the chorus, as well as a bit of interview of Morrissey and Johnny by said kids and soundcheck footage of "Still Ill" and "Hand In Glove" from a 13 March concert at Manchester's Free Trade Hall, is easily found on video bootlegs. The audio for the acoustic "This Charming Man" and the two soundcheck excerpts is commonly circulated in good quality on various manufactured bootlegs as well as in digital format on the internet.

Jimmy Kimmel Live 5 February 2009 [tv; Morrissey after the Smiths]

This performance is part of a 5-song set recorded by Morrissey for this programme. Unfortunately, only "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" and the first few seconds of "Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed" were broadcast and are circulated on video and audio bootlegs. The three other songs, including this one, remain unseen (except by those who attended the taping).

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross 13 February 2009 [tv; Morrissey after the Smiths]

This 2-song performance (also including "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris"), as well as the brief exchange between Morrissey and host Jonathan Ross, is circulated on bootleg video. The audio can be found in digital format on the internet.

This song has been done in concert at least 98 times by the Smiths, possibly even up to 114 times if we take into account that information is missing for many early concerts. It was introduced in the band's set in mid-September 1983 and was played on a majority of the remaining dates that year which preceded their first proper tour (19 confirmed performances in 1983, but possibly as many as 29). It surely helped these numbers that the song was often done twice (once mid-set and once as an encore) in November and December of that year. It was done a further 59 times, perhaps even 65 times, on the 1984 tours promoting the debut album and "Hatful Of Hollow". Only two audiences that year did not get the song, but two other audiences got it twice (in one of the latter cases, the song was first done as an instrumental because of trouble on stage, then repeated with vocals). It was done once only on the UK leg at the start of the 1985 Meat Is Murder tour, but was played very regularly, 19 times in all, in mainland Europe, North American and Scotland later in the year. It was never on the setlist on the 1986 Queen Is Dead tour.

The song was done 104 more times by Morrissey after the Smiths, in a new and often criticized live arrangement. The bulk of these performances are from the Tour Of Refusal and the Swords tour. Not only did each and every audience on those two 2009 tours get treated to it, but in all cases but four the song was slotted as set opener. It was last heard on the 2011 tour when it was done here and there for a total of 10 airings.

live BBC Radio Theatre 2009 {2:27} [Morrissey after the Smiths]

• "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" cd-single #1

multi-tracks {2:42}

The multi-tracks for this song were extracted from the game Rockband and leaked on the internet in the ogg format. There are 7 tracks in total: kick, snare, drums other, bass, guitars, vocals and 'guitars percussion & strings'.

Quotes

"I remember writing it, it was in preparation for a John Peel single. I wrote it the same night as 'Pretty Girls Make Graves' and 'Still Ill'."
- Johnny Marr on "This Charming Man", Guitar Player, January 1990

"I'll try any trick. With the Smiths, I'd take this really loud Telecaster of mine, lay it on top of a Fender Twin Reverb with the vibrato on, and tune it to an open chord. Then I'd drop a knife with a metal handle on it, hitting random strings. I used it on 'This Charming Man', buried beneath about 15 tracks of guitar... 'This Charming Man' was the first record where I used those highlife-sounding runs in 3rds. I'm tuned up to F# and I finger it in G, so it comes out in A. There are about 15 tracks of guitar. People thought the main guitar part was a Rickenbacker, but it's really a '54 Tele. There are three tracks of acoustic, a backwards guitar with a really long reverb, and the effect of dropping knives on the guitar -- that comes in at the end of the chorus."
- Johnny Marr on "This Charming Man", Select, December 1993