This song was written and recorded at the beginning of the "Viva Hate" sessions which stretched from October to December 1987 at Wool Hall Studios in Bath, with producer Stephen Street. Musicians on the recording were Vini Reilly (guitar, piano), Stephen Street (bass) and Andrew Paresi (drums).

The song was recorded once again at BBC's Maida Vale Studios circa November 1987, for eventual broadcast on John Peel's programme. However tensions between the musicians and with some of the BBC personnel brought the session to a premature stop and whatever had been recorded was never broadcast. The musical line-up was the same as above.

single / album version {3:54}

• "Suedehead" single, all formats

• "Viva Hate" album, original edition

• "Hulmerist", a video compilation

• "Bona Drag" album

• Australia cd-single of "Certain People I Know"

• "The Family Line", a French giveaway cd-EP

• "Viva Hate" album, EMI Centenary edition

• "Suedehead - The Best Of" album

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

• "¡The Best Of!" album

• "Greatest Hits" album [remastered 2008]

• "The HMV/Parlophone Singles '88-'95" album

• "Very Best Of Morrissey" [remastered 2011; audio and video]

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

album reissue edit without intro {3:42}

• "Bona Drag" - redesigned edition [remastered 2010]

Sparks remix {6:36}

• "Future Retro" various artists compilation

Mael mix - aka edit of Sparks remix {3:35}

• "Suedehead" (Mael mix) single

John Peel radio session circa November 1987

Morrissey went into the Maida Vale studios to record a 4-song session for John Peel's programme, but it was never completed nor broadcast. Very little is known about the sessions, besides the fact that it included "Suedehead" and "Margaret On The Guillotine".

Saturday Night Live 14 November 1992 [tv]

This 2-song appearance (also including "Glamorous Glue") is circulated on bootleg video compilations of Morrissey television appearances. The audio is also commonly found in good quality on various manufactured bootlegs as well as in digital format on the internet.

Later With Jools Holland 10 December 1992 {3:55}

• "Ten Years Later With Jools Holland" a various artists DVD retrospective

Despite having been given an official release on the above DVD compilation, this performance is also widely circulated on bootleg video compilations of Morrissey television appearances alongside that night's other performance, "Certain People I Know". The audio is also commonly found in good quality on various manufactured bootlegs as well as in digital format on the internet.

This song has been done in concert a total of 192 times by Morrissey, perhaps even up to 196 times if we take into account the fact that information is missing for a few early concerts. It was on the setlist for Morrissey's live debut at Wolverhampton in 1988, backed by Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon. It was rarely off the setlist on the 1991 Kill Uncle tour (60, perhaps even 64 times out of 66 dates) and the 1992 Your Arsenal tour (54 performances out of 56 concerts). It returned for 4 more airings in Japan on the 1995 Southpaw Grammar tour. Each and every audience was treated to it on the "Viva Hate"-heavy 2002 tour with no name. It was heard on the 2 first shows of the Tour Of The Tormentors in March 2006, the first show of the Greatest Hits tour in April 2007, and once in Indianapolis a month later. It returned to the set on the European leg of the 2014 tour where is was played 22 times out of 32 dates.

live Dallas 17 June 1991 {4:09}

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

live London 4 October 1991 {3:55}

• "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" single, all formats

• "The HMV/Parlophone Singles '88-'95" album

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

• "Your Arsenal" album, redesigned edition bonus DVD

live Paris 22 December 1992 {4:07}

• "Beethoven Was Deaf" live album

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

Quotes

Here is an excerpt of a Morrissey interview by journalist Len Brown published in the NME in February 1988:
LB: "For starters, surely 'Suedehead' has something to do with Richard Allen's pre-punk seminal trash novel of the same name? Yet there's no mention of suedehead(s) in the lyrics?"
M: "No, I'd noticed that. Does the song have anything to do with the title? Well, I did happen to read the book when it came out and I was quite interested in the whole Richard Allen cult. But really I just like the word 'suedehead'."
LB: "So it's not even based on an episode from Suedehead?"
M: "No, not really."
LB: "And it's not about anyone in particular?"
M: "Yes, it is, but I'd rather not give any addresses and phone numbers at this stage."