Morrissey - The Youngest Was The Most Loved (Attack/Sanctuary)
UK release date: 29 May 2006
After the resurgent masterpiece that was Ringleader Of The Tormentors comes the backlash. Mozza's recent UK tour was marred by reports of the singer flouncing off early in a huff, denying some audiences the treat of an encore, leading to the once unheard of event of Morrissey fans booing their hero at London's Palladium earlier this month.
So if there's some rebuilding to be done, The Youngest Was The Most Loved is a pretty canny choice of single release. It's guaranteed to make the faithful's collective heart melt again, being a sharp, energetic song addressing that most beloved of Morrissey subjects - the young, troubled, violent man. The addition of an Italian children's choir singing the line "there is no such thing in life as normal" could almost be Morrissey's entire philosophy distilled into one spine-tinglingly brilliant moment.
Like the last single You Have Killed Me, it's a bit of an odd choice for a single (there are far more extraordinary tracks on there than this one), but for fans still fuming at their idol's rather strange behaviour on tour, this should be enough for them to forgive.