The Last of the Famous International Playboys

Morrissey wrote the words and Stephen Street the music. The lyric mythologises the gangster brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray, and Morrissey said he wanted to explore how the tabloid press made celebrities of violent criminals. Street described the music as a Fall-type droning dirge that Morrissey asked to speed up. It was the first solo single to feature Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon, who also play on the B-side "Lucky Lisp".

It reached number six in Britain. The sleeve shows Morrissey aged six up a tree in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. Tim Broad directed the video, with the actor Jason Rush. NME's Stuart Maconie first dismissed the record, then admitted a year later in his Bona Drag review that he had been wrong. Johnny Marr sent Morrissey a note praising it, according to Johnny Rogan. Morrissey played it on his 1991, 1992, 2007, 2011 and 2018 tours.