Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" is a 1987 song by The Smiths.

Smiths original

The Smiths' song, written by the usual combination of Morrissey and Johnny Marr, came out on the group's 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come.

The song was originally supposed to be released as a single and a music video was filmed, featuring scenes of the group-iconic Salford Lads Club and surrounding areas being bicycled through by the lads and friends. Because of a reference to "plan a mass murder" in one lyric it was banned from daytime airplay by the BBC because of the then recent Hungerford massacre, so the band decided not to release it in the UK, however it was released in various other regions including North America, Europe, Australasia and Japan.^[1]

"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" was subsequently included on the compilation album Stop Me and on The Very Best of The Smiths. The song is also included in the music game Rock Band 3.

The cover of the single is a picture of British actor and singer Murray Head.

Track listing

Stop Me - Mark Ronson version

In 2007, the song was re-composed as "Stop Me" with additional lyrics from the song "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes by British DJ, Mark Ronson using the voice of Daniel Merriweather as the lead. Merriweather admitted in an interview with The Guardian that he was not very familiar with "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One" before he recorded Mark Ronson's revised version. He explained: "Mark said, 'I want you to sing on this - it's my favourite Smiths song,' so I listened to it. I'd heard it once before, but I was never a Smiths fan. But I thought it was beautiful."^[2] The song was later released as a single on 2 April 2007 with the record label, Columbia Records with the shortened name "Stop Me", and featured on the compilation album Version. The music video, released at the same time as the song, features a man who finds a pair of trainers that control him and force him to run down a motorway. This version was released in the United States. The international version featured people crying animated tears, causing some small floods. Live versions such as Mark Ronson / Stu Zender featuring Merriweather - "Stop Me" (Conan O'Brien, NBC, 12 July 2007) have been televised, among others (BBC Radio 1, Jimmy Kimmel Live).

After release, the single reached number two in the UK Singles Chart, number one in the UK Download Chart and gained considerable praise and reference, as well as controversy from loyal Smiths fans despite its chart success being the highest ever UK chart position for a Smiths song.^[3] The music review site, ThisisfakeDIY, gave the single a 5-star rating, citing that its popularity stemmed from its abstraction from a typical Smiths song, resembling a "sweeping, orchestral pop song with horns to boot ... soulful, evocative vocals ... a stirring mix".^[3] This song was Number 80 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.^[4][5]

It received a mixed review from musicOMH reviewer, Jenny Cole who remarked that the notion of "discoing up a Smiths track" was a "travesty", and queried that "Morrissey would no doubt hate the idea of someone who has previously worked with Christina Aguilera and Robbie Williams" re-composing his songs.^[2] However, despite such reservations, the reviewer remarked that despite its composition -- "in a mad way it works ... Electronic, cheery and danceable, it's really not half bad" but that the addition of The Supremes to the song was "just mad".^[2]

The single also includes a cover version of the Queens of the Stone Age's "No One Knows" with vocals by Domino Kirke. A slightly shorter edited version (where the lyrics start at the first verse) was released to mainstream radio in October 2007.^[6]

A remix by Kissy Sell Out features on Ministry of Sound 2008 compilation The Annual. Trance DJ Paul Oakenfold also remixed the song exclusively for his 2007 compilation album Greatest Hits & Remixes, Vol. 1.

After the win and performance of Ronson at the 2008 edition of the Brit Awards, Stop Me climbed as high as number 31 in the iTunes Top 100 and re-entered the UK Top 75 Singles chart at number 51.

The song featured prominently in the opening scenes of the premiere of the second half of Nip/Tuck's fifth season.

Track listing

• CD maxi single

1. "Stop Me"
2. "Stop Me" (A Chicken Lips Malfunction)
3. "Stop Me" (Dirty South remix)
4. "No One Knows"

• CD single

1. "Stop Me"
2. "No One Knows"

• 10" vinyl

1. "Stop Me"
2. "No One Knows"

Other versions

Groove Armada

On 2 May 2007, Groove Armada covered this song in the Live Lounge on BBC Radio 1, with ex-Jamiroquai bassplayer Stuart Zender playing bass. On the Australian network jtv, Plan B performed a live acoustic version for the segment "Like a Version", admitting beforehand that he was unfamiliar with the song until the Mark Ronson cover was released.

Vision

On their 1996 album, One and the Same, New Jersey hardcore band Vision covered the song as "Stop Me".

References