Morrissey - First of the Gang to Die (Move Festival, Manchester 2004)

Steven Patrick Morrissey rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career, making the top ten of the UK Singles Chart on ten occasions. His first solo album, 1988's Viva Hate, entered the UK albums chart at number one.

Widely regarded as an important innovator in the indie music scene,music magazine NME considers Morrissey to be "one of the most influential artists ever," while The Independent says "most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status he has reached in his lifetime." In 2004, Pitchfork Media called him "one of the most singular figures in Western popular culture from the last twenty years."

Morrissey's lyrics have been described as "dramatic, bleak, funny vignettes about doomed relationships, lonely nightclubs, the burden of the past and the prison of the home." He is also noted for his unusual baritone vocal style (though he sometimes uses falsetto), his quiff haircut and his dynamic live performances. Media controversies have been caused by his forthright and often contrary opinions, and he has also attracted media attention for his advocacy of vegetarianism and animal rights.

:: First of the Gang to Die ::

You have never been in love,
Until you've seen the stars,
Reflect in the resevoirs

And you have never been in love,
Until you've seen the dawn rise,
Behind the home for the blind

We are the pretty petty thieves,
And you're standing on our street..

...where Hector was the first of the gang
With a gun in his hand
And the first to do time
The first of the gang to die. Oh my.
Hector was the first of the gang
With a gun in his hand
And the first to do time
The first of the gang to die. Oh my.

You have never been in love,
Until you've seen the sunlight thrown
Over smashed human bones

We are the pretty petty thieves,
And you're standing on our street..

...where Hector was the first of the gang
With a gun in his hand
And the first to do time
The first of the gang to die. Such a silly boy.
Hector was the first of the gang
With a gun in his hand
And a bullet in his gullet
And the first last lad to go under the sod.


And he stole from the rich and the poor
And the not-very-rich and the very poor
And he stole all hearts away
He stole all hearts away
He stole all hearts away
He stole all hearts away