We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
"We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" is a song by English alternative rock singer Morrissey, released on 27 April 1992 by HMV. It was released as the first single from his "Your Arsenal" album, preceding the album by three months, and was the first Morrissey single to be co-written with guitarist Alain Whyte and produced by glam rock guitarist Mick Ronson, known for his work with David Bowie as one of the Spiders from Mars. The song peaked at 17 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 9 in  Ireland. Background and content. Morrissey said that the lyrics were about the music scene in Manchester, with bands contesting for success. James lead singer Tim Booth has claimed the song is about the success James had as a fellow Manchester band, once performing it at a festival in place of Morrissey. Morrissey, however, states that the song is not about James. On hating when his friends became successful, Morrissey said: "When my old friend Simon Topping [the frontman of Manchester band A Certain Ratio] appeared on the cover of the NME, I died a thousand deaths of sorrow and lay  down in the woods to die." Critical reception. Andrew Collins in "NME" gave a very negative review of the single, writing that "this is by far and away the ex-Smith's WORST single" and described the music as "the sound of five men bashing around in the darkness in search of a tune" before finishing the review by announcing "Moz is history, and we'd all do well to learn it." In a retrospective review, Ned Raggett of AllMusic wrote, "It may be a mouthful, but as delivered it becomes a wonderfully funny, intentionally bitchy sentiment for this EP 's lead track." Live performances. Morrissey debuted the song during the second US leg of his tour promoting the "Kill Uncle" album. The first half of the song was performed during the aborted gig at Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, in 1991, in which 48 people were injured as the crowd rushed the stage. It was then performed in concert for the duration of his tour in 1992 promoting "Your Arsenal". Fellow Manchester band James performed it as a set opener when standing in for Morrissey at Glastonbury, with frontman Tim Booth stating beforehand that "this is our Morrissey impression". Track  listings. 7-inch vinyl and cassette 12-inch vinyl (UK) CD (UK) 12-inch vinyl and CD (US)