"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" is a song by the British alternative rock group The Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. It was originally featured on their third album The Queen Is Dead (1986), and was released as a single in 1992, five years after The Smiths split up. Morrissey released a live version of the song as a double A-side with his cover of Patti Smith's "Redondo Beach" in 2005. It reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.Origin and recordingThe 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 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 a reluctance on the band's part to allow outsiders into the recording process changed the singer's 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 lyricsWritten 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.
