The Headmaster Ritual (track)
by The Smiths
Year: 1985
From the album Meat Is Murder (track #1)
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The Headmaster Ritual appears on the following album(s) by The Smiths:
- Meat Is Murder (track #1) (this album) (1985)
- The Sound Of The Smiths (track #12) (compilation) (2008)
- ...Best II (track #2) (compilation) (1992)
- Complete (track #12) (compilation) (2011)
- Meat Is Murder / The Smiths (track #1) (compilation) (1986)
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The Headmaster Ritual ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this track. | Show all 357 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 09/01/2026 10:46 | Siromynian | 20,416 | 71/100 |
| ! | 06/22/2026 19:49 | araidernomore | 5,171 | 78/100 |
| ! | 05/19/2026 09:25 | libbyshuss | 963 | 78/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 89.2/100, a mean average of 88.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.6/100. The standard deviation for this track is 11.5.
The Headmaster Ritual favourites
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The Headmaster Ritual forum mentions
The Headmaster Ritual comments
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In my opinion, this is Marr's greatest guitar construction and the rhythm section on this track (the whole record, really) is outstanding. Then add Morrissey's evisceration of his cruel treatment at school, and you have one of the Smiths' greatest songs. (Edited)
A top ten Smiths song for me, the rhythm of the song is the driving force to the sound. Interesting lyrics of Morrissey's school life (Edited)
nachosbob 06/30/2015 01:52 | #144835
Such a good song lyrically and musically, I get the feels with this one.
GandalfORiley345 06/23/2014 21:11 | #115099
Incredible strong way to start, the bass sounds strong and excellent, completely 80s style, but, really sounds incredible
Stunning and beautiful. Indie done right.
