This song was very likely written shortly before or during the recording sessions for the "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" album, which took place at Forum Music Village in Rome between September and November 2005, with producer Tony Visconti. Musicians on this recording were Boz Boorer (guitar), Alain Whyte (guitar), Jesse Tobias (guitar), Gary Day (bass), Matt Chamberlain (drums) and Michael Farrell (keyboards). Alain Whyte as well as a 7-piece children's choir also supplied backing vocals.

album / single version {3:00}

• "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" album

• "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" single, all formats

• "Greatest Hits" album [remastered 2008]

4Music Presents 6 April 2006 [tv]

This 4-song performance (also including "You Have Killed Me", "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy" and "Still Ill") as well as the Morrissey interview, are circulated on bootleg video compilations of Morrissey television appearances. The audio can be found in digital format on the internet.

Bingolotto 9 April 2006 [tv]

This 2-song performance (also including "You Have Killed Me") is circulated on bootleg video compilations of Morrissey television appearances. The audio can be found in digital format on the internet.

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross 19 May 2006 [tv]

This performance is circulated on bootleg video compilations of Morrissey television appearances. The audio can be found in digital format on the internet.

Album Chart Show 27 May 2006 [tv]

This song as well as the other three Morrissey did on this programme at the time (but on different nights - "You Have Killed Me", "I Will See You In Far-Off Places" and "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy") are circulated on bootleg video compilations of Morrissey television appearances. The audio can be found in digital format on the internet.

Later With Jools Holland 2 June 2006 [tv]

This performance as well as the other two Morrissey did on this programme at the time ("You Have Killed Me" and "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy") are circulated on bootleg video compilations of Morrissey television appearances. The audio can be found in digital format on the internet.

L'album de la semaine 6 September 2006 [tv]

This song as well as the other six Morrissey did on this programme at the time (but on different days of the same week) are circulated on bootleg video. The audio can be found in digital format on the internet.

This song has been done in concert a total of 134 times by Morrissey. Every audience bar two Mexican ones were treated to it on the Tour Of The Tormentors MMVI. It remained a setlist fixture at the start of the 2007-2008 tour until the end of May 2007 after which it was only done a few times until early October. It was absent of the two tours from 2009, but was played 14 times out of the 56 dates of 2012, twice out of the 15 concerts given on the ill-fated 2013 tour and 5 times out of 17 concerts on the also ill-fated 2014 tour.

live Gateshead 30 April 2006 {3:01}

• official download at the time of release of the "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" single

live London Alexandra Palace 1 May 2006 {3:00}

• official download at the time of release of the "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" single

live Sheffield 3 May 2006 {3:06}

• official download at the time of release of the "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" single

live Grimsby 4 May 2006 {3:06}

• official download at the time of release of the "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" single

live Manchester Apollo 6 May 2006 {3:02}

• official download at the time of release of the "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" single

live Manchester Opera House 7 May 2006 {2:58}

• official download at the time of release of the "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" single

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