10 Famous Rock Albums That Were Almost Called Something Else
4. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (Almost Called “Margaret On The Guillotine”)
One of the forerunners of the modern indie rock movement, The Smiths were never one to shy away from expressing themselves in their music. They had an album called Meat is Murder, for crying out loud; how much more unsubtle can you get?
Led by Morrissey's singing and Johnny Marr's expert composing, The Smiths ruled the roost for just five years before disbanding in 1987. One year before that, they released their third album, The Queen is Dead.
As controversial as that title was, things would have been way more heated had the band gotten what they originally wanted. When in the studio, the working title for the record was Margaret on the Guillotine, in reference to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Mrs. Thatcher had drawn the ire of many working class British people for her perceived lack of support for those on the breadline. Hating her was very much in line with The Smiths' salt of the earth beliefs.
There was no way that a title like this would have ever been greenlit, so a phrase from the Hubert Selby Jr. novel Last Exit to Brooklyn was chosen instead.