First Of The Gang To Die (single)

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Cover art
MORRISSEY Single
Name First Of The Gang To Die
Release 12 July 2004 (UK)
13 May 2004 (US)
Total Length 3:38
Recorded Autumn 2003
Writer/composer Morrissey/Whyte
Producer Jerry Finn
Art work Greg Gorman
Publisher Attack Records
Sanctuary Records
Format(s) 7" Vinyl, 12" Vinyl, CD, DVD
Chart position UK #6
Single chronology
Irish Blood, English Heart
←
First Of The Gang To Die
→
Let Me Kiss You

Information

Recording

Release

Track list

7" Vinyl

    – 0:00 (Morrissey/) – 0:00 (Morrissey/)


Lyrics

(Los Angeles, you are too hot)

You have never been in love Until you've seen the stars Reflect in the reservoirs

And you have never been in love Until you've seen the dawn rise Behind the Home For The Blind

We are the Pretty Petty Thieves And you're standing on our streets Where Hector was the first of the gang With a gun in his hand And the first to do time The first of the gang to die Oh my Hector was the first of the gang With a gun in his hand And the first to do time The first of the gang to die Oh my

You have never been in love Until you've seen sunlight thrown Over smashed human bone

We are the Pretty Petty Thieves And you're standing on our streets Where Hector was the first of the gang With a gun in his hand And the first to do time The first of the gang to die Such a silly boy Hector was the first of the gang With a gun in his hand And a bullet in his gullet The first lost lad to go under the sod

And he stole from the rich and the poor And the not-very-rich And the very poor And he stole all hearts away

He stole all hearts away He stole all hearts away He stole all hearts away Away

He stole all hearts away He stole all hearts away Away

He stole all hearts away He stole all hearts away Away

Personnel


Sleeve Artwork

Music Video

Credits

Live History

Play count (Morrissey concert): 574

Morrissey live history:

... further results

Appears On

Cover Versions

Mentioned In

Discogs Information

Credits

  • Bass - Gary Day
  • Drums - Dean Butterworth
  • Engineer - Joe McGrath
  • Engineer [Assistant] - Brad Spence
  • Engineer [Assistant] - Seth Waldmann
  • Guitar - Boz Boorer
  • Guitar, Backing Vocals - Alain Whyte
  • Keyboards - Mikey V. Farrell
  • Keyboards - Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
  • Photography By - Greg Gorman
  • Producer, Mixed By - Jerry Finn
  • Written-By - Alain Whyte
  • Written-By - Boz Boorer
  • Written-By - Gary Day
  • Written-By - Morrissey

Notes

Recorded in Los Angeles.

‘First Of The Gang To Die’ taken from the album ‘You Are The Quarry’ ATKCD001.

Made in the EU.

Images

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Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

℗ 2004 © 2004 Made in the EU.

DVD also includes a photo gallery

Images

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Wikipedia Information

MorrisseyFirstGang.jpg

"First of the Gang to Die" is a song co-written by Morrissey from his 2004 album You Are the Quarry. It was released in July 2004 as the second single from the album. It was written by Morrissey and Alain Whyte, the two being responsible for lyrics and music respectively. Following the success of "Irish Blood, English Heart", from the same album, the single reached the number six spot in the UK Singles Chart, giving Morrissey two top ten hits in a row for the first time since "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" and "Interesting Drug" both reached the top ten in 1989. The single was A-Listed by BBC Radio 2 and received much more exposure than "Irish Blood, English Heart", propelling it onto the UK top 40 airplay chart. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number six, making it the third-highest-charting song and most successful follow-up single of Morrissey's career. The single stayed in the chart for seven weeks, longer than any other Morrissey single. Outside the United Kingdom, the song reached number 20 in Sweden and number 26 in Ireland, while becoming a minor hit in Germany and the Netherlands. The song, which tells the story of a gang member named Hector, is seen as a tribute to Morrissey's significant Hispanic fanbase. Whyte commented, "All these Hispanic kids were coming to see us, with quiffs and leather jackets, shouting for Morrissey. The Latinos embraced him because they relate to all that isolation in his lyrics. They feel like outsiders in their own country. Plus, they have a very romantic sensibility and love the whole rocker image." In October 2011, NME placed it at number 147 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".


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