First of the Gang to Die
Encyclopedia
"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
), WWCD, 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.
. As of December 2011 it is the most frequently played Morrissey song.
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
from his 2004 album You Are the Quarry
You Are the Quarry
-CD:-DVD:# "Irish Blood, English Heart" # "First of the Gang to Die" # "First of the Gang to Die" # "I Have Forgiven Jesus"...
. 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
The Last of the Famous International Playboys
"The Last of the Famous International Playboys" was the third single released by Morrissey. It reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was not featured on one of Morrissey's main studio albums, but can be found on the compilation album Bona Drag along with the B-side "Lucky Lisp"...
" and "Interesting Drug
Interesting Drug
"Interesting Drug" was the fourth solo single released by Morrissey. The song was not featured on one of Morrissey's main studio albums, but can be found on the compilation album Bona Drag along with the B-side "Such a Little Thing Makes Such a Big Difference"...
" both reached the top ten in 1989.
The single was A-Listed by BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
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
WNNX (99X)
W255CJ FM 98.9 is a radio station in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, airing a modern rock radio format branded as 99X, which originally began on full-power station WNNX FM 99.7 in 1992. Its city of license was previously Tallapoosa , which is now far beyond its current broadcast range, nearly in Alabama...
(Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
), WWCD, KROQ, WHTG-FM
WHTG-FM
WBBO is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Hit Radio format. Licensed to Ocean Acres, New Jersey, it serves Ocean & Burlington counties in New Jersey as well as the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia. It first began broadcasting in 1993 under the call sign WQNJ, but more recently operated...
(Monmouth
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
/ Ocean
Ocean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
), KMBY, WROX-FM
WROX-FM
WROX-FM is a Modern Rock formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Exmore, Virginia, serving the Norfolk/Virginia Beach metro area and the Eastern Shore of Virginia.-Format Tweak:...
(Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
), XTRA, and KITS
KITS
KITS is a San Francisco, California, USA-based radio station broadcasting at 105.3 MHz. The station is owned by CBS Radio and programs a modern rock format. The station also broadcasts on HD channel L2, locally on Comcast cable channel 986, and is streaming online.-Hot Hits:The station's...
(San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
). 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
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed it at number 147 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
The single was covered by Malaysian singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
artist Zee Avi
Zee Avi
Zee Avi is a Malaysian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player. She was born in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. She moved to Kuala Lumpur when she was 12...
on her 2009 self-titled debut album.
7" vinyl and CD (UK)
- "First of the Gang to Die"
- "My Life Is a Succession of People Saying Goodbye"
DVD
- "First of the Gang to Die" (live Manchester 22 May 2004) (video)
- "First of the Gang to Die" (audio)
- "Teenage Dad on His Estate" (audio)
- "Mexico" (audio)
CD (USA) and 12" vinyl (UK)
- "First of the Gang to Die"
- "My Life Is a Succession of People Saying Goodbye"
- "Teenage Dad on His Estate"
- "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?Who Put the M in Manchester?
Who Put the M in Manchester? is a DVD documenting a live performance by Morrissey. The homecoming concert took place at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England, on 22 May 2004, Morrissey's 45th birthday.-Track listing:...
. As of December 2011 it is the most frequently played Morrissey song.