See all 26 pictures

Play The The Radio

The The

1,341,493 plays (128,447 listeners)
In your library (0 plays)

193 shouts

Add to my Library Share

London, England (1979 – present)

The The is an alternative/new wave band formed in 1979 in London, England. Matt Johnson (vocals, multiple instruments) is the only constant band member. Releases are fairly few and far between but over the years The The has managed to sell several million albums internationally.

Johnson formed the first version of the band in 1979, with synth player Keith Laws. The group, after opening for Scritti Politti, issued its first single “Controversial Subject” on the 4AD label in 1980. One year later, it contributed a track to the Some Bizzare Records compilation album, Some Bizarre Album. In 1981 Johnson released Burning Blue Soul, which, despite the fact that it is technically a Matt Johnson solo album (and was released under his name) is often considered to be the first The The album. The album featured Johnson and various musicians from the British post-punk underground, including various members of Wire.

By 1982, The The had become Johnson’s solo project, with a revolving lineup of musicians. That year, the album The Pornography of Despair was recorded, but not released. In 1983, the band released its first real album Soul Mining, which featured the single “This Is the Day,” recorded with Orange Juice’s Zeke Manyika, pianist Jools Holland and cult legend Thomas Leer. The band’s next album, Infected, was a commentary on the state of modern urban life in Great Britain. The album was released in 1986, with Johnson joined by musicians like Neneh Cherry, Art of Noise’s Anne Dudley, Marillion’s Steve Hogarth, and Swans’ Roli Mosimann, among others. It was accompanied by an album-length video and spawned The The’s first UK hit single, “Heartland”.

Tagged as:

alternative, post-punk, new wave, 80s, indie
See more…

Similar Artists

Top Albums

Soul Mining
The The
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $6.99
- 7digital $7.99
- iTunes $6.93
- Buy Album
- Amazon $39.86
- eBay Search
Dusk
The The
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.99
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes $9.90
- Buy Album
- Amazon $44.99
- eBay Search
Mind Bomb
The The
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $7.99
- 7digital $7.99
- iTunes $7.92
- Buy Album
- Amazon $1.18
- eBay Search
Infected
The The
Buy
- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.99
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes $7.92
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search

Top Tracks

1	This Is the Day full track	542
2	Uncertain Smile full track	276
3	Dogs Of Lust full track	215
4	Slow Emotion Replay full track	213
5	Love Is Stronger Than Death full track	186
6	The Beat(en) Generation full track	172
7	Infected full track	144
8	Heartland full track	130
9	The Sinking Feeling full track	126
10	Soul Mining full track	119
11	This Is the Night full track	112
12	Giant full track	108
13	Bluer Than Midnight full track	103
14	Sodium Light Baby full track	99
15	Helpline Operator full track	98

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

bamanascar wrote:
7 days ago

greatest band ever! the live version of Jealous of Youth with Johnny Marr is the best song ever!

View Profile | Leave bamanascar a shout
AkaneNamida wrote:
14 days ago

Most difficult band to search for on last.fm.

View Profile | Leave AkaneNamida a shout
dcronin wrote:
November 2009

Hello, does anyone have the guitar tab/chords for Weather Belle or any other non-mainstream The The songs? Thanks much!

View Profile | Leave dcronin a shout
deanverhey wrote:
November 2009

Amazing name for a band.

View Profile | Leave deanverhey a shout
epi_gee wrote:
November 2009

!

View Profile | Leave epi_gee a shout
AfroPlan wrote:
November 2009

okay guys what's the story behind the name?

View Profile | Leave AfroPlan a shout
BillSwansea wrote:
November 2009

I love that all albums by The The progress so well, you can play them all back to back and it's like looking at someones life from angsty early years to wherever the hell Matt Johnson is now

View Profile | Leave BillSwansea a shout
banapaulo wrote:
November 2009

I can't stop listening to The The. There's so much listenable music between Soul Mining and Dusk. And Armageddon Days Are Here (Again) is INCREDIBLE. Great Johnny Marr riff, biting lyrics, catchy chorus, eerily prescient song-writing.

View Profile | Leave banapaulo a shout
elfynn wrote:
October 2009

it makes me smile when I tell people I listen to 'the the' they always say pardon? Reminds me of having a fat tongue after eating ice cream.

View Profile | Leave elfynn a shout
theendofyoutoo wrote:
October 2009

i don't think he was trying to be funny

View Profile | Leave theendofyoutoo a shout
sir_peeko wrote:
October 2009

Dreadful name for a band. No, its not funny...... Although the music itself is quite good.....

View Profile | Leave sir_peeko a shout
shaunogley wrote:
October 2009

uncertain smile one of my all time faves......

View Profile | Leave shaunogley a shout
Musicflyer wrote:
October 2009

What a few 12". Best of the 80´s best.

View Profile | Leave Musicflyer a shout
Sakum wrote:
September 2009

Roflmao, this band has a hilarious name! =). I hope they are good.

View Profile | Leave Sakum a shout
JessieAbby wrote:
August 2009

Yes.

View Profile | Leave JessieAbby a shout
StalksByNight wrote:
July 2009

I hate telling people the name of what I'm listening to, but that's not going to stop me from blaring it conspicuously.

View Profile | Leave StalksByNight a shout
THee-BeAtNiK wrote:
July 2009

"Three orange Kisses from Kazan" is a must listen for all fans! (1982)

View Profile | Leave THee-BeAtNiK a shout
iamsimonwheeler wrote:
July 2009

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=250463852921 Infected by The The, check it out!

View Profile | Leave iamsimonwheeler a shout
SergeantLedge wrote:
June 2009

the the the the the the the the the the

View Profile | Leave SergeantLedge a shout
tamijo-lfm wrote:
June 2009

Bombs my mind

View Profile | Leave tamijo-lfm a shout

See all 193 shouts

Add comment

SHOREDITCH & BRICK LANE UNDER THREAT!
10 Apr 2008 | from blog.myspace.com/thethe
Add comment
SHOREDITCH & BRICK LANE UNDER THREAT!
10 Apr 2008 | from blog.myspace.com/thethe
Add comment
WWW.THETHE.COM UPDATE!!
7 May 2007 | from blog.myspace.com/thethe
Add comment

Listeners

luandflagg
Listening now
to December Sunlight (Cried…
foolmanchoo
Listening now
to Perfect
jesseber
Listening now
to The The- This Is The Day
StalksByNight
Top Listener
nano_error
Top Listener
alberthies
Top Listener

Recent Activity

dudethatscrazie, bbaslj, chewmabaws and 16 other people added The The to their libraries. yesterday evening
bengt_bangt tagged The The with ‘post-punk’. Tuesday afternoon
bainer9, clarkos01 and juululu added The The to their libraries. Tuesday afternoon
Chug-A-Lug wrote about The The in 80 by 80. Monday evening
dawnanissa, jdwhit, vicenteomer and 31 other people added The The to their libraries. Monday evening
rramiel tagged The The with ‘do’. 7 days ago
rramiel, simonmack, locogizmo and 8 other people added The The to their libraries. 7 days ago
devyfan wrote about The The in a deleted journal. 8 days ago
quezalomen, AtomMorris, rock0890 and 3 other people added The The to their libraries. 8 days ago
metsguy234 linked The The to a deleted event. 9 days ago