Sweet and Tender Hooligan

Infobox Single
Name = Sweet and Tender Hooligan


Artist = The Smiths
from Album =
Released = 23 May 1995
Format = CD single
Recorded = 1985–1987
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 10:28 (total duration)
Label = Sire Records
Writer = Johnny Marr Morrissey
Producer = John Porter
Video director =
Certification =
Chart position =
Reviews =
Last single = "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"
(1992)
This single = "Sweet and Tender Hooligan"
(1995)
Next single =

"Sweet and Tender Hooligan" is a song by The Smiths, released as a single in May 1995 by their American record company Sire Records. It was released to promote the compilation album "Singles".

Whereas WEA in Europe opted to re-issue the 1986 "Ask" single to promote "Singles", Sire thought it wiser to put out a single containing rarities, even though none of them featured on the actual compilation, as neither "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" itself nor its supporting tracks had been previously released as a single. The title track had previously been recorded for the BBC and included on the 1987 compilation "Louder Than Bombs"; "I Keep Mine Hidden", "Work Is a Four-Letter Word" and "What's the World?" were previously hard-to-find B-sides to earlier singles "Girlfriend in a Coma" and "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" (both 1987).

The lyrics describe the lenient sentencing of a hooligan, with the protagonist sarcastically taking the side of the criminal, saying "and he'll never ever do it again / of course he won't / not until the next time".

Track listing

# "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" (Morrissey, Johnny Marr)
# "I Keep Mine Hidden" (Morrissey, Marr)
# "Work Is a Four-Letter Word" (Guy Woolfenden, Don Black)
# "What's the World?" "(live)" (Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Paul Gilbertson, Gavan Whelan)

Artwork

A still of boxer Cornelius Carr from the video of Morrissey's contemporary solo single "Boxers" as directed by James O'Brien in 1995.