"First of the Gang to Die" is a song written by

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

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 Alain Gordon Whyte (pronounced Alan) (born 3 July 1967) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and singer. He was Morrissey's main songwriting partner and guitarist between 1991 and 2007. Prior to 1991, Whyte previously been in the bands ...

, the two being responsible for lyrics and music respectively. Following the success of "

Irish Blood, English Heart "Irish Blood, English Heart" is a song by British singer Morrissey, released as the lead single to his seventh studio album ''You Are the Quarry.'' His first new song in seven years, it was released on 12 April 2004 in the United States and on 1 ...

", 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 "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" is a song by British solo artist Morrissey. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's third release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was inspi ...

" and "

Interesting Drug "Interesting Drug" is a song by English singer-songwriter Morrissey. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's first fourth release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was inspired lyrically ...

" both reached the top ten in 1989. The single was A-Listed by

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

and received much more exposure than "

", propelling it onto the UK top 40 airplay chart. It entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

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. In October 2011, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' placed it at number 147 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

Usage in media

The second episode of ''The Mosquito Coast'', an

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

drama series, is titled after the song and features a scene in which it is prominently used. The song also plays in the 2018 Marvel film '' Ant-Man and the Wasp''.

Track listings

7-inch 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-inch vinyl (UK) # "First of the Gang to Die" # "My Life Is a Succession of People Saying Goodbye" # "Teenage Dad on His Estate" # "Mexico"

Personnel

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover version

A cover version of the song was recorded by the singer

Zee Avi Zee Avi (born Izyan Alirahman, also known as KokoKaina), PBK is a Malaysian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player. Early life She is originally from Miri, located in Sarawak, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. She moved to Kuala Lump ...

, featured on her 2009 self-titled debut album.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First of the Gang to Die Morrissey songs 2004 singles Songs written by Morrissey Songs written by Alain Whyte 2004 songs UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles Songs about death Songs about criminals