What Difference Does It Make? - Wikipedia

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1984 single by the Smiths

"What Difference Does It Make?"
Single by the Smiths
from the album The Smiths
B-side	"Back to the Old House" "These Things Take Time"
Released	16 January 1984
Recorded	October 1983
Studio	Pluto (Manchester, England)
Genre	Alternative rock post-punk
Length	3:51 (album version) 3:25 (single edit)
Label	Rough Trade
Composer	Johnny Marr
Lyricist	Morrissey
Producer	John Porter
The Smiths singles chronology
"This Charming Man" (1983) "What Difference Does It Make?" (1984) "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (1984)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

"What Difference Does It Make?" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. It was the band's third single and is featured on their debut studio album, The Smiths (1984). A different version, recorded for the John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1, is included in the compilation album Hatful of Hollow.

The song was one of the band's first significant chart hits, peaking at No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart.

Background

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The character Ray Smith in the Jack Kerouac novel The Dharma Bums repeatedly says "What difference does it make?" as well as "Pretty girls make graves", the title of another track featured on The Smiths.

"What Difference Does It Make?" was released without an accompanying music video. Speaking to Tony Fletcher on The Tube in 1984, Morrissey remarked that he felt that the video market was something that was going to "die very quickly", and that he wanted to "herald the death" of it.[2]

Cover artwork

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The single cover is a photograph of Terence Stamp, taken on the set of the film The Collector (1965). Originally Stamp denied permission for the still to be used, and some pressings featured Morrissey in a re-enacted scene. In the re-enactment, Morrissey is holding a glass of milk, as opposed to a chloroform pad in the original. However, Stamp soon changed his mind, and the original cover was reinstated.

Track listings

[edit] 7-inch RT146

No.	Title	Length
1.	"What Difference Does It Make?" (single edit)	3:25
2.	"Back to the Old House"	3:04

12-inch RTT146/CD RTT146CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"What Difference Does It Make?"	3:50
2.	"Back to the Old House"	3:04
3.	"These Things Take Time"	2:20

Personnel

[edit]

• Morrissey – vocals
• Johnny Marr – guitars
• Andy Rourke – bass guitar
• Mike Joyce – drums

Charts

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Chart	Peakposition
Ireland (IRMA)[3]	12
UK Singles (OCC)[4]	12
UK Indie	1

Certifications

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Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[5]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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1. ^ "What Difference Does it Make rating". AllMusic. Retrieved on 29 October 2012.
2. ^ The Tube interview with Tony Fletcher 27 January 1984. Channel 4. The Haçienda, Manchester
3. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – What Difference Does It Make?". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
4. ^ "The Smiths Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
5. ^ "British single certifications – Smiths – What Difference Does It Make". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 October 2022. Select singles in the Formats field. Type What Difference Does It Make Smiths in the "Search:" field.

v t e The Smiths
Morrissey Johnny Marr Andy Rourke Mike Joyce Craig Gannon
Studio albums	The Smiths Meat Is Murder The Queen Is Dead Strangeways, Here We Come
Live albums	Rank
Compilation albums	Hatful of Hollow The World Won't Listen Louder Than Bombs Stop Me Best I Best II Singles The Very Best of The Smiths The Sound of The Smiths The Smiths Singles Box Complete
Extended plays	The Peel Sessions
Singles	"Hand in Glove" "This Charming Man" "What Difference Does It Make?" "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" "William, It Was Really Nothing" "How Soon Is Now?" "Shakespeare's Sister" "Barbarism Begins at Home" "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" "Bigmouth Strikes Again" "Panic" "Ask" "Shoplifters of the World Unite" "Sheila Take a Bow" "Girlfriend in a Coma" "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" "Sweet and Tender Hooligan"
Other songs	"Still Ill" "Suffer Little Children" "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" "The Headmaster Ritual" "Asleep" "The Queen Is Dead" "Cemetry Gates" "I Know It's Over" "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours"
Related articles	Discography Songs Live performances The Smiths Is Dead Shoplifters of the World Janice Whaley

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work