The song was written during the recording sessions for the "Vauxhall & I" album which took place between June and August 1993 at Hook End Manor. It was recorded with producer Steve Lillywhite and musicians Boz Boorer (guitar), Alain Whyte (guitar), Jonny Bridgwood (bass) and Woodie Taylor (drums).

album version {3:20}

• "Vauxhall & I" album

• "Vauxhall & I" album, 20th anniversary edition [remastered 2014]

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

This song has been done in concert a total of 140 times by Morrissey. It was played each and every night on the 1995 Boxers tour. It was never on the setlist on the Southpaw Grammar tour later that year. It wasn't originally scheduled at the start of the 1997 Maladjusted tour, but ended up being played 19 times later into it, mostly between late October and late November 1997. It was then given a break of 10 years before returning on the 2007-2008 Greatest Hits tour. It was on the setlist almost every night between September 2007 and the end of the latter tour in July 2008. Long stretches with the song on the setlist alternated with long stretches without it on the 2009 Tour Of Refusal (39 performances for 68 dates). It was last heard on the Swords tour later that year when it was played 20 times out of 26 engagements.

live Blackpool 8 February 1995 {3:23}

• "Introducing Morrissey", a live concert on video

live London 26 February 1995 {3:51}

• UK cd-single #2 and EEC cd-single of "The Boy Racer"

• "Vauxhall & I" album, 20th anniversary 2-cd edition

live Salt Lake City 15 October 2007 {3:27}

• "That's How People Grow Up" UK 7" #2

live Warsaw 7 July 2009 {3:37}

• limited 2-cd edition of the "Swords" album

electric studio outtake {3:44}

Taken from a record company cd-r of a scrapped reissue of "Vauxhall & I", this leaked on the internet in 2007.