A primitive instrumental demo of this song was recorded in December 1984 at Island Record's Fallout Shelter while the band were in the studio mixing the material that would soon after be released as the "Meat Is Murder" album.

It took form during its first recording session which took place in September 1985 at RAK Studios in London. The initial mixes from RAK featured high-pitched yelps by Morrissey and mumbled lyrics on its coda. The vocal part was recorded again at the band's subsequent recording session for the upcoming "The Queen Is Dead" album, in October-November 1985 at Jacobs Studios in Farnham (Surrey). The band experimented at this stage with the inclusion of a jazzy trumpet that really didn't fit the song, so it was abandoned for the definitive version. Morrissey and Johnny produced the recording, with Stephen Street as recording engineer.

album version {3:36}

• "The Queen Is Dead" album

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

This song has been done in concert 30 times by the Smiths, perhaps up to 32 times if we take into account that information is missing for a few concerts of the era. It was on the setlist almost every night on the 1986 Queen Is Dead tour until Kilburn, after which it was permanently dropped.

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

studio outtake {4:51}

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

take 1 / instrumental {5:48}

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