First of the Gang to Die

"First of the Gang to Die" is 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. 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 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.

"First of the Gang to Die"
Single by Morrissey
from the album You Are the Quarry
Released9 July 2004 (Ireland)
12 July 2004 (UK)
13 July 2004 (US)
GenreAlternative rock
Length3:38
LabelAttack/Sanctuary
Songwriter(s)Morrissey, Alain Whyte
Producer(s)Jerry Finn
Morrissey singles chronology
"Irish Blood, English Heart"
(2004)		 "First of the Gang to Die"
(2004)		 "Let Me Kiss You"
(2004)

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.

In the United States, the single failed to quickly achieve widespread airplay success like "Irish Blood, English Heart". By September, it had been added to the playlists of a few stations that supported the previous 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 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".[1]

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
UKAttack/Sanctuary7" vinylATKSI003
UKAttack/Sanctuary12" vinylATKTW019
UKAttack/SanctuaryCDATKDX003
UKAttack/SanctuaryDVDATKTW020

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

Charts

Cover version

A cover version of the song was recorded by the singer Zee Avi, featured on her 2009 self-titled debut album.

See also

References
  1. https://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/1
  2. "Offiziellecharts.de – Morrissey – First of the Gang to Die". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – First of the Gang to Die". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  4. "Dutchcharts.nl – Morrissey – First of the Gang to Die" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  5. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. "Swedishcharts.com – Morrissey – First of the Gang to Die". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  8. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  9. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2004" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
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