The music was properly written by Johnny in the summer of 1985 at the same time as the music for "Unloveable". However, Simon Goddard has noted in latter editions of his musical biography "Songs That Saved Your Life" that elements reminiscent of "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" can be traced back to an instrumental rehearsed at soundcheck in March 1985, particularly before the Hanley concert.

Morrissey wrote the lyrics when the band were at Jacobs Studios in Farnham (Surrey) in October/November 1985 recording what would become the album "The Queen Is Dead". Morrissey and Johnny produced the recording, with Stephen Street as recording engineer. Stephen Street has stated in an interview that the song had originally been recorded at the RAK Studios album sessions in London (which took place in September 1985), but there doesn't seem to be any evidence that this really happened. At best the song may have been rehearsed there.

album version {3:14}

• "The Queen Is Dead" album, except for CBS or Festival Records releases in Australia

• "Best...I" album

• "The Very Best Of The Smiths" [remastered 2001]

single edit {3:01}

• Germany-only "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" single, all formats

album version without fade-in {3:14}

• "The Queen Is Dead" album on CBS or Festival Records in Australia

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

This song has only been done in concert once by the Smiths, at their final engagement on 12 December 1986. It was adapted musically for this live performance and was given extra lyrics, making this one-off event even more special.

live London 12 December 1986 {5:03}

• 12" and cassette-single of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"

• "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" Australia and Holland 12" singles and Japan cd-single

• "Handsome Devils", a French giveaway cd-EP

• UK cd-single#1 and Europe cd-single reissue of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

Morrissey added the song to his set one month into the 2009 Tour Of Refusal. He sang it almost every night until early/mid-July then dropped it, for a total of 42 airings.

studio outtake {4:45}

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

Quotes

"The whole idea of womanhood is something that to me is largely unexplored. I'm realising things about women that I never realised before and 'Some Girls' is just taking it down to the basic absurdity of recognizing the contours to one's body. The fact that I've scuttled through 26 years of life without ever noticing that the contours of the body are different is an outrageous farce!"
- Morrissey, New Musical Express, 7 June 1986