This is one of the very first songs sent to Morrissey by Stephen Street following the split of the Smiths. It was recorded during the "Viva Hate" sessions which stretched from October to December 1987 at Wool Hall Studios in Bath. The music was played by a string sextet led by John Metcalfe. Morrissey's musicians on the "Viva Hate" album (Vini Reilly, Stephen Street and Andrew Paresi) are not expected to have played on this number.

album version {1:40}

• "Viva Hate" album, original edition

• "Viva Hate" album, EMI Centenary edition

• "Viva Hate" album, redesigned edition [remastered 2012]

This song has never been performed specifically for radio, television or the web.

The song has been performed live 45 times by Morrissey, all on the 1991 Kill Uncle tour. Considering that a few setlists from 1991 have been lost, it can be reasonably speculated that the song may have been done up to 48 times. It was a setlist regular from the moment it was introduced in June (about 6 weeks into the tour) until the end of the year.

live Dallas 17 June 1991 {1:55}

• "Live In Dallas", a live concert on video

live Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre 31 October 1991 {?:??}

• "Your Arsenal" album, redesigned edition bonus DVD

No demos or studio outtakes of this song have leaked to the general public at this point in time.

Quotes

In an interview published in 1992 (source needed), Morrissey said: "It was written with Johnny Marr in mind and it is the only song that I have written with him in mind, post Smiths. I saw him in the music industry being used and being pushed around and being manipulated and I felt I was in a situation and I thought, 'Look at me, look at you - it's the same, it's a mess and this is as far as we will go' which wasn't quite true in the end but at that moment it felt pretty despairing for both, I felt despairing for both of us but I was wrong."