First of the Gang to Die

"First of the Gang to Die"
Single by Morrissey
from the album You Are the Quarry
Released	9 July 2004 (Ireland) 12 July 2004 (UK) May 13, 2004 (US)
Format	7", 12", CD, DVD
Genre	Indie rock
Length	3:38
Label	Attack/Sanctuary
Writer(s)	Morrissey, Alain Whyte
Producer	Jerry Finn
Morrissey singles chronology
"Irish Blood English Heart" (2004) "First of the Gang to Die" (2004) "Let Me Kiss You" (2004)

"First of the Gang to Die" is the title of a song 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 along with Alain Whyte, the two being responsible for lyrics and music respectively. The song is thought widely to be a commentary on street crime and the fate it brings to those who participate in it. The single reached the number six spot in the UK Singles Chart, giving Morrissey two top 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 top forty airplay chart. It entered the official 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.

In the United States, the single failed to quickly achieve widespread airplay success like "Irish Blood, English Heart". However, it debuted at number twelve on the Billboard Singles Sales chart on July 31, causing "Irish Blood, English Heart" to re-enter the chart for a week. By September, it had been added to the playlists of a few stations that supported the last single, including WNNX (Atlanta), CD101 (Columbus), KROQ, WHTG-FM (Monmouth / Ocean), KMBY, WROX-FM (Norfolk), XTRA, and KITS (San Francisco). However, despite at one point being nearly in the 50 most played alternative rock songs in the United States, "First of the Gang to Die" was never played in enough markets to break into the Top 40 portion of the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.

In October 2011, NME placed it at number 147 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

The single was covered by Malaysian singer-songwriter, indie pop artist Zee Avi on her 2009 self-titled debut album.

Track listings

7" vinyl and CD (UK)

1. "First of the Gang to Die"
2. "My Life Is a Succession of People Saying Goodbye"

DVD

1. "First of the Gang to Die" (live Manchester 22 May 2004) (video)
2. "First of the Gang to Die" (audio)
3. "Teenage Dad on His Estate" (audio)
4. "Mexico" (audio)

CD (USA) and 12" vinyl (UK)

1. "First of the Gang to Die"
2. "My Life Is a Succession of People Saying Goodbye"
3. "Teenage Dad on His Estate"
4. "Mexico"

Country	Record label	Format	Catalogue number
UK	Attack/Sanctuary	7" vinyl	ATKSI003
UK	Attack/Sanctuary	12" vinyl	ATKTW019
UK	Attack/Sanctuary	CD	ATKDX003
UK	Attack/Sanctuary	DVD	ATKTW020

Musicians

• Morrissey: vocals
• Alain Whyte: guitar
• Boz Boorer: guitar
• Gary Day: bass
• Deano Butterworth: drums
• Roger Manning: keyboard

Live

The song was performed live by Morrissey on his 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 tours. It also appears on the live DVD, Who Put the M in Manchester?. As of December 2011 it is the most frequently played Morrissey song.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Morrissey discography