There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - wikipedia There Is a Light That Never Goes Out `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' Single by The Smiths from the album The Queen Is Dead Released 12 October 1992 Format CD Recorded September -- November 1985 Genre Alternative rock Length 4 : 02 Label WEA Songwriter ( s ) Johnny Marr, Morrissey Producer ( s ) Johnny Marr, Morrissey The Smiths singles chronology `` Stop Me If You Think You 've Heard This One Before '' ( 1987 ) `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' ( 1992 ) `` Sweet and Tender Hooligan '' ( 1995 ) `` Stop Me If You Think You 've Heard This One Before '' ( 1987 ) `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' ( 1992 ) `` Sweet and Tender Hooligan '' ( 1995 ) `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Featured on the band 's third studio album The Queen Is Dead, it was not released as a single in the United Kingdom until 1992, five years after their split. It peaked at No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart. The song has received considerable critical acclaim ; in 2014, NME listed `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' as the 12th greatest song of all time. In 2005, Morrissey released a live version of the song as a double A-side with his cover of Patti Smith 's `` Redondo Beach '', reaching No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart. Contents 1 Origin and recording 2 Composition and lyrics 3 Releases and reception 4 In popular culture 5 Track listing 6 Charts 7 Notes 8 External links Origin and recording The Smiths began working on `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' during its late 1985 recording sessions at London 's RAK Studios. In early September, the band recorded a rehearsal tape of the song performed in the key of F# minor. Four days later, the group made a monitor mix in the key of C# minor, this time accompanied by a synthesised string arrangement Marr created on an E-mu Emulator ( credited to the `` Hated Salford Ensemble '' on the album release ). While Morrissey was cynical about using synthesised strings, the lack of a budget to hire a real string ensemble as well as the band 's reluctance to allow outsiders into the recording process changed his mind. The recording was completed in November at Jacobs Studios in Farnham, where Morrissey redid his vocal part twice and Marr added a flute melody. Composition and lyrics There Is a Light That Never Goes Out Sample of `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' by the Smiths, from their third album The Queen Is Dead ( 1986 ). Problems playing this file ? See media help. Written in tandem with `` Bigmouth Strikes Again '', the two songs share the same key as well as similar chords. Simon Goddard noted that both the guitar break in `` Bigmouth Strikes Again '' and the flute section in `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' ( originally written as a guitar part ) are based on C# minor arpeggio figure. The song features an ascending F # m -- A -- B chord sequence that guitarist Johnny Marr took from the Rolling Stones cover of Marvin Gaye 's `` Hitch Hike ''. Marr said in 1993 that he included the figure as an `` in - joke '' to determine if the music press would attribute the inspiration for the part to `` There She Goes Again '' by the Velvet Underground, who he contended `` stole '' the figure from `` Hitch Hike ''. Marr commented, `` I knew I was smarter than that. I was listening to what the Velvet Underground were listening to ''. AllMusic 's Tim DiGravina argues that while depressed characters were a regular feature in Morrissey 's work, his lyrics on `` There Is a Light '' `` ups the sad - and - doomed quotient by leaps and bounds. '' Goddard argues in his book Songs That Saved Your Life that the basic narrative story is similar to that of the James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause, in which Dean -- an idol of Morrissey 's -- leaves his tortuous home life, being the passenger to a potential romantic partner. In fact, a line from that movie ( `` It is not my home '' ) is quoted in the song. According to Goddard, an earlier version lacked some of the finished version 's ambiguity, culminating in the line `` There is a light in your eyes and it never goes out ''. Releases and reception Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic Due to a dispute between the Smiths and its record label Rough Trade Records after the group completed The Queen Is Dead, nine months passed after the release of `` The Boy with the Thorn in His Side '' before the group issued another single. Once the matter was resolved, Rough Trade owner Geoff Travis felt that `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' should be the band 's `` comeback '' record. However, Johnny Marr was insistent that `` Bigmouth Strikes Again '' be the band 's next single. Despite Travis 's advocation of the song, Simon Goddard expressed doubt that the song 's `` explicit glamorisation of suicide '' would have endeared it to daytime radio. Regardless, `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' became the second Smiths song to top BBC Radio One disc jockey John Peel 's Festive Fifty poll in his 1986 tally. The song was shortly thereafter included on the 1987 compilation album The World Wo n't Listen. In October 1992, `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' finally received a single release by WEA to promote the... Best II compilation. The song reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart, making it their last UK Top 40 appearance to date. Music critics consider `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' to be one of the Smiths ' finest efforts. Simon Goddard wrote, `` In a straw poll among Smiths fans today, ' There Is a Light That Never Goes Out ' would more than likely still come out victorious '', which he credits to the `` perfect balance '' of Marr 's compositional skills and Morrissey 's lyricism. AllMusic 's Tim DiGravina calls it `` a standout among standouts from the Smiths ' masterpiece third album, The Queen Is Dead. '' In 2014, NME listed `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' as the 12th greatest song of all time. The website Acclaimed Music lists it as the 78th most acclaimed song of all time, and the 8th most acclaimed song of the 1980s. In popular culture There is a chapter in Irvine Welsh 's novel Trainspotting named after this song, which mentions its title directly. The song appears on the soundtrack to ( 500 ) Days of Summer ; in the film, it is used to bring the main characters together. The song has been covered by numerous artists including Miley Cyrus in 2014 during several stops of her Bangerz Tour. Neil Finn 's project 7 Worlds Collide covered the song on their 2001 self - titled album. It was also covered by Noel Gallagher during an acoustic performance with Gem Archer. Track listing CD 1 ( 1992 ) `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' -- 4 : 02 `` Hand in Glove '' ( live ) -- 2 : 48 `` Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others '' ( live ) -- 5 : 03 `` Money Changes Everything '' -- 4 : 41 CD 2 ( 1992 ) `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' -- 4 : 02 `` Hand in Glove '' ( with Sandie Shaw ) -- 2 : 58 `` I Do n't Owe You Anything '' ( with Sandie Shaw ) -- 4 : 06 `` Jeane '' ( with Sandie Shaw ) -- 2 : 52 7 '' and cassette single ( 1992 ) `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' -- 4 : 02 `` Handsome Devil '' ( live ) -- 2 : 55 7 '' ( 1987 ) `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' -- 4 : 02 `` Half a Person '' -- 3 : 36 Charts Chart Peak position Ireland ( IRMA ) 22 UK Singles ( The Official Charts Company ) 25 Notes Jump up ^ Passions Just Like Mine - Smiths information website Jump up ^ `` Chart Position ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2014. ^ Jump up to : NME.COM. `` The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time : 100 - 1 NME.COM ''. NME.COM. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 02. ^ Jump up to : Goddard, p. 161 - 62 Jump up ^ Goddard, p. 161 ^ Jump up to : `` ' There Is A Light That Never Goes Out ' song review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved on 27 February 2010. Jump up ^ There is a Light That Never Goes Out -- Early Version on YouTube Jump up ^ `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out Review ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2012. Jump up ^ Goddard, p. 159 ^ Jump up to : Goddard, p. 163 Jump up ^ `` Acclaimed Music ''. www.acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 02. Jump up ^ http://www.500daysofsummerquotes.com/ Jump up ^ Gamboa, Glenn ( August 2, 2014 ). `` Miley Cyrus reveals new direction at Nassau Coliseum ''. Newsday. Retrieved August 2, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Miley Covers the Smiths ''. WXPN - the Key. External links There Is a Light That Never Goes Out on YouTube There Is a Light That Never Goes Out -- instrumental on YouTube Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics The Smiths Craig Gannon Mike Joyce Johnny Marr Morrissey Andy Rourke Studio albums The Smiths Meat Is Murder The Queen Is Dead Strangeways, Here We Come Extended plays The Peel Sessions Live albums Rank Compilations Hatful of Hollow The World Wo n't Listen Louder Than Bombs Stop Me Best... I... Best II Singles The Very Best of The Smiths The Sound of The Smiths The Smiths Singles Box Complete Singles `` Hand in Glove '' `` This Charming Man '' `` What Difference Does It Make ? '' `` Heaven Knows I 'm Miserable Now '' `` William, It Was Really Nothing '' `` How Soon Is Now ? '' `` Shakespeare 's Sister '' `` Barbarism Begins at Home '' `` That Joke Is n't Funny Anymore '' `` The Boy with the Thorn in His Side '' `` Bigmouth Strikes Again '' `` Panic '' `` Ask '' `` Shoplifters of the World Unite '' `` Sheila Take a Bow '' `` Girlfriend in a Coma '' `` I Started Something I Could n't Finish '' `` Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me '' `` Stop Me If You Think You 've Heard This One Before '' `` There Is a Light That Never Goes Out '' `` Sweet and Tender Hooligan '' Other songs `` Still Ill '' `` Suffer Little Children '' `` Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want '' `` Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others '' Related articles Discography The Smiths Is Dead Songs List of live performances Mexrrissey Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=There_Is_a_Light_That_Never_Goes_Out&oldid=815914903 '' Categories : 1986 songs 1992 singles 2005 singles Rock ballads 1980s ballads Morrissey songs The Smiths songs Songs written by Morrissey Songs written by Johnny Marr Warner Music Group singles Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from June 2014 EngvarB from June 2014 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands Українська 吴语 Edit links This page was last edited on 18 December 2017, at 01 : 13. 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Question: the smiths there is a light that never goes out album
Answer: The Queen Is Dead