This song must have been written at some point in 1994. An instrumental was recorded in December 1994 at Miraval Studios in France, with Boz Boorer (guitar), Alain Whyte (guitar), Johnny Bridgwood (bass) and Woodie Taylor (drums), but no Morrissey.

It came together at rehearsals in January 1995 at Abbey Road studios in London, with Spencer Cobrin replacing Woodie Taylor at the drums. The song was recorded with producer Steve Lillywhite at Hook End Manor the following March-April alongside most of the rest of the "Southpaw Grammar" album.

album / single version {4:45}

• "Southpaw Grammar" album, original edition

• "Southpaw Grammar" album, redesigned edition [remastered 2009]

• "The Boy Racer" single, all formats

• "My Early Burglary Years" album

• "¡Oye Esteban!", a DVD video retrospective

promo edit {4:10}

• USA promo cd of "The Boy Racer"

Later With Jools Holland 11 November 1995 [tv] {4:20}

• "Later With Jools Holland: Cool Britannia" a various artists DVD retrospective

Despite having been given an official release, this is also circulated on bootleg video compilations alongside that night's other performance, "Sunny" and a Morrissey interview by host Jools Holland. The audio has not yet been compiled on a manufactured bootleg but is still found in digital format on the internet.

This song has been performed live 125 times by Morrissey. The singer has rarely played a song so consistently, as it was done without a break on the first 120 concerts following its live introduction: every night on the 13-date Southpaw Grammar Tour from late 1995 and the 54-date Maladjusted Tour of 1997, then on the first 53 dates of the 1999-2000 Oye Esteban tour. It was then given a rest for six weeks, to return for 4 more dates near the end of the latter tour. Following that it was done only once, as the setlist opener of the very first date of 2011.

There are no officially released live recordings of the song at this point in time.

instrumental Miraval demo {5:10}

Leaked on the internet

vocal Miraval demo {3:54}

Supposedly taken from a record company cd-r of a scrapped reissue of "Southpaw Grammar", this has not yet leaked on bootlegs.

acoustic Miraval studio outtake {3:39}

Taken from a record company cd-r of a scrapped reissue of "Southpaw Grammar", this has not yet leaked on bootlegs.