| "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Smiths | ||||
| from the album The Queen Is Dead | ||||
| B-side | "Rubber Ring" "Asleep" | |||
| Released | 16 September 1985 | |||
| Recorded | August 1985 | |||
| Studio | Drone Studios, Manchester | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:17 (single version) 3:15 (album version) 3:18 (alternate mix) | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Johnny Marr, Morrissey | |||
| Producer(s) | The Smiths (single); Morrissey and Johnny Marr (album version) | |||
| The Smiths singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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, which are absent from the single version. In 2003, Morrissey named it his favourite Smiths song.[2]
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (31 October 2019). "The Lost and Lonely Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ Reardon, Ben (July 2003). "Morrissey i-Q". i-D Magazine. London.