The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (single)

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Cover art
2017 7" Demo Mix Cover art
THE SMITHS Single
Name The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Release 16 September 1985, 22 April 2017 (7" Demo Mix for Record Store Day)
Total Length 3:18
Recorded August 1985
Writer/composer Morrissey / Johnny Marr
Producer The Smiths
Art work Cover star: Truman Capote, photo by Cecil Beaton (1949) / Albert Finney, photo by Cecil Beaton (demo)
2017 sleeve & layout by Esteban and Darren Evans.
Layout: Caryn Gough
Vinyl Etching ARTY BLOODY FARTY
"IS THAT CLEVER"...JM
TRUMP Will Kill AMERICA (demo)
Publisher Rough Trade Records (UK)
Warner Bros. Records (demo)
Format(s) 7" Vinyl, 12" Vinyl, CD
Chart position UK #23
UK #172 (demo)
UK Vinyl Chart #2 (demo)
Single chronology
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Bigmouth Strikes Again
Single (Demo Mix) chronology
Sweet And Tender Hooligan
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
The Queen Is Dead

Information

The demo 7" release (April 22, 2017), was another Record Store Day exclusive (12 thousand copies worldwide).
It was held off the #1 spot in the Vinyl Singles Chart by David Bowie's "No Plan" 7" Record Store Day release.
Donald Trump was the subject of the matrix message.

Track list

7" Vinyl

UK - [Rough Trade RT 191]

  1. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side – 3:17 (Morrissey/Marr)
  2. Asleep – 4:10 (Morrissey/Marr)

12" Vinyl / CD

UK - [Rough Trade RTT 191 / RTT 191CD]

  1. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side – 3:17 (Morrissey/Marr)
  2. Rubber Ring – 3:55 (Morrissey/Marr)
  3. Asleep – 4:10 (Morrissey/Marr)

7" Vinyl

US / Europe - [Warner Bros. Records – TSRSD 2017]

  1. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (Demo Mix) – 3:22 (Morrissey/Marr)
  2. Rubber Ring (Early Drone Studios Version) – 3:19 (Morrissey/Marr)

Lyrics

The boy with the thorn in his side
Behind the hatred there lies
A murderous desire for love

How can they look into my eyes
Still they don't believe me?
How can they hear me say those words
Still they don't believe me?

And if they don't believe me now
Will they ever believe me?
And if they don't believe me now
Will they ever, will they ever believe me?

The boy with the thorn in his side
Behind the hatred there lies
A plundering desire for love

How can they see the Love in our eyes
And still they don't believe us?
And after all this time
They don't want to believe us...

And if they don't believe us now
Will they ever believe us?
And when you want to Live:
How do you start?
Where do you go?
Who do you need to know?

Music Video

Credits

  • The Smiths, Promo Film

Live History

Play count (The Smiths concert): 48

The Smiths live history:

... further results

Play count (Morrissey concert): 63

Morrissey live history:

... further results

Appears On

Appears On Covers Compilation

Cover Versions

Mentioned In

Discogs Information

Credits

  • Bass Guitar - Andy Rourke
  • Drums - Mike Joyce
  • Engineer - Stephen Street
  • Guitar, Piano - Johnny Marr
  • Layout - Caryn Gough
  • Music By - Johnny Marr
  • Orchestrated By - The Smiths
  • Other [Cover Star] - Truman
  • Photography By - Cecil Beaton
  • Producer - Johnny Marr
  • Producer - Morrissey
  • Sleeve - Morrissey
  • Voice - Morrissey
  • Words By - Morrissey

Notes

© 1985 Made in England

[Additional printed on sleeve] Special thanks to Grant Showbiz Recorded in Manchester August 1985 Rough Trade Records, 61-71 Collier Street, London, N1   Cecil Beaton photograph courtesy of Sotheby's London

See also The Boy With The Thorn In His Side with the push-out centre label.

Images

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Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Custom orange inner sleeve.

Recorded in Manchester August 1985 Cecil Beaton photograph courtesy of Sotheby's London Cover star is Truman Capote

℗ & © 1985 Warner Bros. Music Ltd.

Made in England

Images

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Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Original single September 1985

Special thanks to Grant Showbiz Recorded in Manchester August 1985

Cover star - Truman Cecil Beaton photograph courtesy of Sotheby's London

℗ 1988 Rough Trade Records Ltd © 1985 Warner Bros. Music Ltd Made in France by MPO

Images

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Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Images

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Discogs information (additional release)

Notes

Back Cover: Cover star Albert Finney Cover photograph ©The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's

Labels: Made in the EU

Other Notes: Record Store Day 2017 release. Includes new artwork featuring Salford actor Albert Finney. Limited worldwide release of 12,000.

Images

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Wikipedia Information

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"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released as a single in September 1985, reaching No. 23 in the UK Singles Chart. A remixed version appeared on their third album The Queen Is Dead in June 1986. This was the first single by The Smiths to be accompanied by a promotional music video, something the band had previously resisted. They also performed the song on an episode of Top of the Pops. The main difference between the single version and the album version is in the use of synthesised strings. They are largely absent from the single version, only appearing in the song's coda. In 2003, Morrissey named it his favourite Smiths song.

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