His Album of the Year 2014, World Peace is None of Your Business, Pulled from stores and platforms three weeks after its release due to disagreements with the label (Harvest/Capitol), it is still unavailable almost a decade later. This absence, to which we must add two recorded but unreleased albums, makes Morrissey’s record situation one of the great anomalies of contemporary pop.
Depresión Sonora: “It’s a shame that artists don’t position themselves politically.”
After the disagreement, the former The Smiths singer signed to the BMG label and released three albums: High Low at School (2017), California Son (2019), and I’m Not dog on a Chain (2020), after which the record label decided not to renew her contract, apparently because she was looking for diversity in her catalog. It’s not the first time Morrissey has found himself in this situation. There were already seven years between them, Maladjusted (1997) and You Are the Quarry (2004), in which there was no publication. Although the difference now is that Morrissey has long recorded two albums waiting to see the light of day and there is a lot of press against him,
The first is titled Teens Campfire (2020), recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Andrew Watt. It stars three of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and features Iggy Pop. Morrissey re-signed to Capitol (owners of Harvest) for this album and the reissue of previous albums. The controversy was sparked by the conception of the song that gives the album its title. It is about the attack in Manchester in 2017, in which 22 people were killed and 116 injured, which he portrays at concerts “11. September England” and refuses to patronize. The song is aimed at those who would rather not look back in anger, and Morrissey sings that until his death he will do the opposite.
After a dance of release dates and problems with the supposed single, I’m Veronica, featuring Miley Cyrus backing vocals without the permission of her label, a critically acclaimed digital preview was released unannounced, rebels without applause, and suddenly Morrissey announced that he was leaving Capitol and that the record company owned the album. Immediately thereafter, Capitol decided not to release the record, for which they must have paid a lot of money. It seems he doesn’t see the song with good eyes (Teenage Bonfires) and has decided that fans will not be able to enjoy the full album. Morrissey gave the first and last name of the person who made that decision, stating a few months ago that “the silence of some artists gets nowhere and makes the bonfire bigger.” The Capitol’s moral perspective, like a chicken on an egg, about the campfire is Michelle Jubellier (Chairwoman and CEO of Capitol), who was heavily involved in the withdrawal of World Peace. None of your businesses were pulled from shelves in 2014 and are determined not to be sold or heard. We have had the same creeping culture of censorship campfire”.
almost all songs are campfire They were released live and were very well received. Every time he sings this song, there’s applause right in the middle. Three years later, the record still sits unreleased in the Capitol safe, and he has said it will likely be released after his death.
Despite having one unreleased album, Morrissey decided to record a second album. Without music, the world dies (2023), this time with his usual producer, Joe Chiccarelli, and again in France with his former band. The stimulus for this album is the return of Alain Whyte, their main composer from 1992 to 2004. In short, two new albums are waiting for their moment, one seized by Capitol and another awaiting a bidder. His latest albums are still in the top five in the UK, meaning sales are not a problem.
Morrissey is undoubtedly the singer most flaunted in interviews. He has always spoken openly since his early days, and his records have often been surrounded by controversy. The title of the album, Meat is Murder (1985), would not draw attention today but was a challenge at the time. Even TVE journalist Paloma Chamorro said he wasn’t serious. Oddly enough, they ask him things other people don’t ask him. He has never made a joke and will not, as he is well aware of the consequences the media has for him. Kevin Spacey, for example, questioned his guilt, saying, “He was unnecessarily attacked,” a comment that naturally went viral. And here we have the second acquittal in that regard. Another controversy was that, although he continues to claim that he never voted, he expressed sympathy for the right-wing minority party For Britain (dissolved) and its president (lesbian and vegan) because his animal welfare program is the area of politics that interests Morrissey most. He said, “I don’t understand how opposing halal slaughter can make me a racist when I’ve been opposed to all forms of animal slaughter all my life.”
This exhibition has a big mouth It’s part of his personality and always has been. But the times have changed. When you bemoan the IRA’s failure to attack Margaret Thatcher and sing a song calling for death, you get applause. If it says “I would kill Trump with my bare hands”, the same thing. But there’s an important part of the British press that doesn’t accept opposing opinions, as if artists have to conform to what they dictate. To those so offended and opting for the abandonment culture, he recently said, “Look elsewhere; don’t look; tune out; listen to something else; bake a cake.” Probably his 1990 single November Spikes a Monster with these lyrics, which speak of a “monster” and a “poor, twisted girl, so ugly” would have problems today. Has the world changed, or has Morrissey?
He refuses to release his music on his own. “I still have hope in the music industry, but there are strong faces in it who don’t have an honest interest in music,” he said. But the truth is that his situation is stuck without a record deal. He recently said that a large company had told him about it “Without music, the world dies. It’s a masterpiece, but we don’t sign anyone over the age of 26.” “I thought it was about diversity and opening barriers at the moment. These words are very selective! I know two very well-connected CEOs in London who are working hard to stop my career.” It’s difficult, as the majority of his fans support him. That these two records come out and that World peace is none of your business available again is a matter of time.
I’ve just wrapped up a sold-out tour in England and Ireland, and it was added by request. It travels through the United States, Mexico, South America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand from September to December. In his own words, he states, “You can’t fire someone who has always been fired.” When was the last time you saw me on TV or heard me on the radio? I inadvertently invented cancellation.” Meanwhile, it continues to flourish in the face of what it calls the culture of cancellation, which it defines as “a modern-day form of lynching” at every concert.
