The musical backdrop of "What She Said" was created around September 1984, as elements of it can be heard in soundchecks, and in more advanced form on rehearsal tapes from the era. Morrissey added his lyrics to it shortly after, at the latest during the recording sessions for the "Meat Is Murder" album.

The song was mainly recorded in October 1984 at Amazon Studios in Liverpool, with the Smiths (mostly Johnny) acting as producer and Stephen Street as recording engineer. Overdubs were added the following month at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey. The song's final mixing was done in December 1984 at Island Record's Fallout Shelter.

album / single version {2:40}

• "Meat Is Murder" album

• "Shakespeare's Sister" single, all formats

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

This song has never been performed specifically for radio or television.

This song has been done in concert 90 times by the Smiths, perhaps even up to 94 times if we take into account the fact that information is missing for some setlists during its stage life. It was introduced to live audiences in November 1984 ahead of its release, played at least 6, perhaps 8 times before the end of that year. It was played each and every night on the 1985 Meat Is Murder tour and 4 more times in early 1986 in the handful of live dates the band did between tours. It was on the setlist a majority of nights on the 1986 Queen Is Dead tour, played at least 34, perhaps 36 times in all. In all performances on the latter tour with the exception of the very first one, the song had the intro and outro to "Rubber Ring" tagged at the beginning and the end.

live Oxford Apollo 18 March 1985 {2:35}

• "Poll Winners" free EP with NME from May 1985

live Kilburn 23 October 1986, in a medley with "Rubber Ring" {3:43}

• "Rank" (live album)

After the Smiths days Morrissey sang "What She Said" 4 times in the summer of 2008 whilst on the Greatest Hits tour, with an outro of "Rubber Ring" in the same arrangement as on the Queen Is Dead tour (but without the intro).

No demos or studio outtakes of this song have leaked to the general public at this point in time.