"Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors" is the first single from Editors' second album An End Has a Start. It was released as a digital download on June 11, 2007 and as a physical single through CD and vinyl on June 18, 2007 in the UK. It peaked at number 7 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week of physical release. A single was also released in the US on June 26, 2007. The song was set to debut on Zane Lowe's show on April 30; however, the song leaked on the internet a few days preceding.

The song was recorded at Grouse Lodge, under the supervision of producer Jacknife Lee. Lead vocals, rhythm guitar and piano were provided by Tom Smith, lead guitar and synth by Chris Urbanowicz, bass guitar by Russell Leetch and percussion by Ed Lay. Smith and Lay were also part of the choir, along with producer Jacknife Lee, audio engineer Tom McFall and singer Anne Struther, all of whom were chosen purely because they were in the studio at the time. When performed live, the choir vocals are provided by Smith, Lay and Leetch, rather than using a pre-recorded backing track.

The intro of the song is an unaccompanied drum beat played for 8 seconds, at which point the lead vocals and piano, both by Tom Smith, enter. The piano part plays a continual progression of three chords: G, C and E minor. At the end of the first verse, the piano is replaced by a short guitar solo, by Chris Urbanowicz, which continues the progression. The second verse returns to piano, which segues into a distorted rhythm guitar part for the chorus.

The chorus itself has two parts: the first part is four lines long and uses the chord progression of D, E minor, A minor, while the second part is two lines long, but repeated twice, and uses G, D, E minor, C. After the second chorus, the song enters a bridge, consisting of just piano and vocals, with a faint synthesised accompaniment. Following the end of the vocal part, the song moves into a break as a bass guitar enters, leading up to a reprise of the guitar solo, accompanied by a choir who repeat the lyrics of the bridge. The song ends with Smith singing the second part of the chorus, accompanied by the lead guitar, with an abrupt fade out on the final syllable.

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