The music must have been written in September 1984, as the song took form during rehearsal soundchecks on the mini-tour the band did that month. Morrissey added his lyrics during the recording sessions of the "Meat Is Murder" album.

The song was mainly recorded in October 1984 at Amazon Studios in Liverpool, with the Smiths (mostly Johnny) acting as producer and Stephen Street as recording engineer. Overdubs were added the following month at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey. The song's final mixing was done in December 1984 at Island Record's Fallout Shelter.

album version {4:57}

• "Meat Is Murder" album

• 12" single of "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"

• "Best...II" album

• "Singles" album

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

• "The Sound Of The Smiths" [remastered 2008]

single edit {3:49}

• 7" single of "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"

• "The World Won't Listen" album

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

This song has been done in concert 77 times by the Smiths, perhaps even 79 times if we take into account that information is missing for a few concerts from the era. It was a live staple on the 1985 Meat Is Murder tour when it was played each and every night without fail. It was done a further 3 times on the handful of 'loose' dates from early 1986. It was done 28 times on the 1986 Queen Is Dead tour, perhaps even 30. It was a regular on that tour's first UK leg and the subsequent North American leg, but was only played on the first and final dates of the second UK leg.

Morrissey introduced his post-Smiths version of the song on the 2013 tour when it was done 7 times out of the 15 shows he gave that year, before the remainder of that tour had to be cancelled.

live Hollywood High School 2 March 2013 {:} [Morrissey after the Smiths]

• "25Live", a live concert on video

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

Quotes

"My favourite song on that LP now is 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore'. I think Morrissey is incredible on that, the end is brilliant."
- Johnny Marr, Record Collector, November/December 1992

"For a long time 'That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore' was my favourite Smiths song, and it's still one of my favourites."
- Johnny Marr, Select, December 1993