"Red Sleeping Beauty" was the second single by McCarthy released in October 1986.
The B-sides were "From the Damned", "God the Father" and "For the Fat Lady".
The song is believed to have been written as a protest to the Margaret Thatcher government.
The song has been covered by Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield and features as a B-side to the Manics single "Autumnsong" released on 16 July 2007.
A Swedish indie pop band was named after the song title.