I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"
Single by The Smiths
from the album Strangeways, Here We Come
B-side	"Pretty Girls Make Graves" "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" (live)
Released	2 November 1987
Recorded	March 1987
Studio	The Wool Hall
Genre	Alternative rock glam rock[1]
Length	3:47
Label	Rough Trade
Songwriter(s)	Morrissey Johnny Marr
Producer(s)	Morrissey Johnny Marr Stephen Street
The Smiths singles chronology
"Girlfriend in a Coma" (1987) "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" (1987) "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" (1987)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" is a song by the English rock band The Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr and released on the group's 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come. Featuring a glam rock-inspired guitar riff, the song emerged from a jam during the "Sheila Take a Bow" sessions.

Though not originally planned to be released as a single, "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" was released as the album's second single after "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" was banned by the BBC for references to mass murder after the Hungerford Massacre. Released in November 1987, it reached number 23 in the UK Singles Chart, a relative commercial underachievement.^[3] It was the first single released after the band had announced their split.

"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" has seen critical acclaim for Marr's guitar work and Morrissey's witty lyricism. It has since appeared on multiple compilation albums.