Early solo work: 1988–1991

Several months before the Smiths dissolved, Morrissey enlisted Stephen Street as his personal producer and new songwriting partner, with whom he could begin his solo career.^[93] By September 1987, he had begun work on his first solo album, Viva Hate, at Wool Hall Studios near Bath;^[93] it was recorded with the musicians Vini Reilly and Andrew Paresi.^[94] Rather than featuring pre-existing images of celebrities, as the Smiths' album and single covers had done, the cover sleeve of Viva Hate featured a photograph of Morrissey taken by Anton Corbijn.^[95] In February 1988, EMI released the first single from this album, "Suedehead", which reached number 5 on the British singles chart, a higher position than any Smiths single had achieved.^[96] The second single from the album, "Everyday Is Like Sunday", was released in June and reached number 9.^[97] The album reached number 1 on the UK album charts.^[95] The album's final song, "Margaret on the Guillotine", featured descriptions of Thatcher being executed; in response, the Conservative Member of Parliament Geoffrey Dickens accused Morrissey of being involved in a terrorist network and police Special Branch conducted a search of his Manchester home.^[98]

Morrissey's first solo performance took place at Wolverhampton's Civic Hall in December 1988.^[99] The event attracted huge crowds, with NME journalist James Brown observing that "the excitement and atmosphere inside the hall was like nothing I have ever experienced at any public event".^[100] Following Viva Hate, Morrissey put out two new singles; "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" was about the Kray twins, gangsters who operated in London's East End, and reached number 6 on the UK singles chart.^[101] This was followed by "Interesting Drug", which reached number 9.^[102] After his songwriting partnership with Street ended and was replaced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer,^[103] he recorded "Ouija Board, Ouija Board", released as a single in November 1989; it reached number 18.^[103] Christian spokespeople and tabloid newspapers condemned the song, claiming that it promoted occultism, to which Morrissey responded that "the only contact I ever made with the dead was when I spoke to a journalist from The Sun."^[104]

With Winstanley and Langer he began work on his first compilation album, Bona Drag, although only recorded six new songs for it, the rest of the album comprising his recent singles and B-sides.^[105] The album reached number 9 on the UK album chart.^[106] Two of the newly recorded Bona Drag tracks were released as singles: "November Spawned a Monster", a song about a woman who is a wheelchair user, reached number 12 in the charts but received criticism from some who believed that it mocked disabled people.^[107] The second, "Piccadilly Palare", referenced London rent boys and featured terms from the polari gay slang. Released in November 1990, it reached number 19 in the charts.^[108] The song attracted some criticism from the British gay press, who were of the opinion that it was wrong for Morrissey to use polari when he was not openly gay;^[109] in an interview the previous year he had nevertheless acknowledged his attraction to both men and women.^[110]

Adopting Mark E. Nevin as his new songwriting partner,^[111] Morrissey created his second solo album, Kill Uncle; released in March 1991, it peaked at number 8 on the album chart.^[111] The two singles released in promotion of the album, "Our Frank" and "Sing Your Life", failed to break the Top 20 on the singles charts, reaching number 26 and 33 respectively.^[111]^[112] Another of the album's tracks, "Found, Found, Found", alluded to Morrissey's friendship with Michael Stipe, the lead singer of American indie rock band REM.^[113] Planning his first solo tour, Morrissey assembled several musicians with a background in rockabilly for his new backing group, including the guitarist Boz Boorer, Alain Whyte and Spencer Cobrin.^[114] Morrissey began the Kill Uncle tour in Europe; he brought Phranc as his support act and decorated the stage of each performance with a large image of Edith Sitwell.^[115] On the US leg of his tour, he sold out Los Angeles' 18,000 seat The Forum in fifteen minutes, faster than Michael Jackson or Madonna had done.^[116] During the performance, David Bowie joined him onstage for a rendition of T. Rex's "Cosmic Dancer".^[116] In the US, he sold out 25 of his 26 other performances;^[116] one Texan appearance was filmed by Tim Broad for release as the VHS Live in Dallas.^[117] He proceeded to Japan—where he was frustrated by the authorities' tough stance toward fans—and then Australasia, where he cancelled several dates due to acute sinusitis.^[118]

The early 1990s were described by biographer David Bret as the "black phase" in Morrissey's relationship with the British music press, which was increasingly hostile and critical of him.^[119] In some cases, this involved the press spreading misinformation, such as the claim that he and Phranc were recording a cover of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart";^[120] others, such as those of Barbara Ellen in NME, were closer to personal attack than musical review.^[121] NME claimed that his cancelled performances reflected a disrespect towards his fans.^[122] He became increasingly reticent in talking to British music journalists,^[123] expressing frustration at how they constantly compared his solo work with that of the Smiths; "my past is almost denying me a future".^[124] He told one interviewer that the band he was then working with were technically better musicians than the Smiths had ever been.^[124]

Changing image: 1992–1995

In July 1992, Morrissey released the album Your Arsenal, which peaked at number 2 in the album chart.^[125] It was the final release from producer Mick Ronson; Morrissey related that working with Ronson had been "the greatest privilege of my life".^[126] Your Arsenal reflected Morrissey's lament for what he regarded as the decline of British culture in the face of increasing Americanisation.^[127] He told one interviewer that "everything is informed by American culture—everyone under fifty speaks American—and that's sad. We once had a strong identity and now that's gone completely".^[127] A number of the tracks on the album, most notably "Certain People I Know" and "The National Front Disco", dealt with the lives and experiences of tough, working-class youths.^[128] Your Arsenal was critically well received,^[129] and often described as his best album since Viva Hate.^[125] The first single, "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful", had been released in April 1992 and peaked at number 17;^[130] this was followed by "You're the One for Me, Fatty", which reached number 19 and "Certain People I Know", which reached number 34.^[131] From September to December, Morrissey embarked on a 53-date Your Arsenal tour in which he varyingly decorated the stage with backdrops of skinhead girls,^[132] Diana Dors, Elvis Presley, and Charlie Richardson.^[133] One of the performances was recorded and released as Beethoven Was Deaf.^[134]

By the release of Your Arsenal, Morrissey's image had changed; according to Simpson, the singer had converted "from the aesthete interested in rough lads into a rough lad interested in aestheticism (and rough lads)".^[135] According to Woods, Morrissey developed an air of "quietly assured masculinity", representing "a more robust, burlier, beefier version of himself",^[136] while the poet and Morrissey fan Simon Armitage described the transition as being one from that of "stick-thin, knock-me-over-with-a-feather campness" to that of a "mobster and bare-knuckle boxer image".^[137] This new image was reflected in the cover art for Your Arsenal; a photograph taken by Sterling, it featured Morrissey onstage with his shirt open, displaying a muscular torso beneath.^[135]

In mid-1993, Morrissey co-wrote his fifth album, Vauxhall and I, with Whyte and Boorer; it was produced by Steve Lillywhite.^[138] Morrissey described the album as "the best I've ever made",^[139] and at the time believed it would be either his final or penultimate work.^[140] It was both a critical and commercial success,^[141] topping the UK album chart in March 1994.^[142] The album had been named for Vauxhall, a district of South West London famous for the Royal Vauxhall Tavern gay pub.^[139] One of the album's songs, "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get", was released as a single at the time and reached number 8 in the UK.^[139] The single's sleeve featured images of Jake Walters, a skinhead in his twenties, who was living with Morrissey at the time.^[143] Walters had introduced Morrissey to York Hall, a boxing venue in Bethnal Green, part of London's East End, with the singer spending an increasing amount of time there.^[144]

That year, he also released a non-album single, "Interlude", a duet with Siouxsie Sioux: the track was a cover of a Timi Yuro song. The record was published under the banner "Morrissey & Siouxsie"; due to record company issues, "Interlude" was only available on import outside Europe.^[145]

In the autumn of 1994, Morrissey recorded five songs at South London's Olympic Studios.^[146] In January 1995 the single "Boxers" was released, reaching number 23 on the singles chart.^[147] In February 1995, he embarked on the Boxers tour, supported by the band Marion and featuring a backdrop depiction of the boxer Cornelius Carr.^[148] One of these performances was filmed by James O'Brien and released as the VHS Introducing Morrissey.^[149] In December 1995, the song "Sunny" was released as a single; a lament for Morrissey's terminated relationship with Walters, the song was the first of Morrissey's singles not to chart.^[146] In 1995 the compilation album World of Morrissey was released, containing largely B-sides.^[150]

Move to Los Angeles: 1995–2003

After his contract with EMI expired, Morrissey signed to RCA.^[151] On this label he recorded his next album, Southpaw Grammar, at the Miraval Studios in southern France before releasing it in August 1995.^[152] Its cover art featured an image of the boxer Kenny Lane.^[153] It reached number 4 in the UK album charts,^[153] but made little impact compared to its two predecessors.^[154] In September 1995, Morrissey served as the support act for the British leg of Bowie's Outside Tour.^[155] Backstage at the Aberdeen gig, Morrissey was taken ill and taken to hospital; he did not return for the rest of the tour.^[156] Later referring to the tour critically, he said that when you become involved with Bowie, "you have to worship at the Temple of David".^[157]

In December 1996, a legal case against Morrissey and Marr brought by Smiths' drummer Mike Joyce arrived at the High Court. Joyce alleged that he had not received his fair share of recording and performance royalties from his time with the band, calling for at least £1 million in damages and 25% of all future Smiths album sales. After a seven-day hearing, the judge ruled in favour of Joyce.^[158]^[159] In summing up the case, Judge Justice Weeks referred to Morrissey as "devious, truculent and unreliable when his own interests were at stake", with the words "devious" and "truculent" being widely used in press coverage of the ruling.^[160] Marr paid the money legally owed to Joyce but Morrissey launched an appeal against the ruling.^[161] He said that the judge had been biased against him from the start of the proceedings because of his public criticisms of Thatcher and her government.^[162] Morrissey lost his appeal in July 1998, although he launched another soon after;^[162] this too was unsuccessful.^[163] In a November 2005 statement, Morrissey said that Joyce had cost him £600,000 in legal fees alone and approximately £1,515,000 in total.^[164]

Morrissey returned on Island Records in 1997, releasing the single "Alma Matters" in July,^{[citation needed]} followed by his next album Maladjusted in August.^[165] The album peaked at number 8 in the UK album charts. Its further two singles, "Roy's Keen" and "Satan Rejected My Soul", both peaked outside the top 30 on the UK singles chart.^[112] Having been unhappy with the cover design for Southpaw Grammar, Morrissey left control of cover art of Maladjusted to his record company, but again was unsatisfied with the result.^[166]

Uncut reported in 1998 that Morrissey no longer had a record deal.^[167] The following year, he embarked on the Oye Esteban Tour, and was one of the headliners of the Coachella Festival in California.^[168]

The England that I have loved, and I have sung about, and whose death I have sung about, I felt had finally slipped away. And so I was no longer saying, "England is dying." I was beginning to say, "Well, yes, it has died and here's the carcass"—so why hang around?

— Morrissey, on his move to Los Angeles.^[169]

Leaving Britain, Morrissey purchased a house in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles. It had formerly been the residence of Carole Lombard and had been re-designed by William Haines.^[170] Over the next few years he rarely returned to Britain.^[170] In 2002, Morrissey returned with a world tour, culminating in two sold-out nights at the Royal Albert Hall, during which he played as-yet unreleased songs.^[171] Outside the US and Europe, concerts also took place in Australia and Japan.^[172] During this time, Channel 4 filmed The Importance of Being Morrissey, a documentary which aired in 2003; it was Morrissey's first major screen interview to appear on British television.^[173]^[174] He told interviewers that he was working on an autobiography,^[175] and expressed criticism of reality television music shows like Pop Idol which were then in their infancy.^[176]

Comeback: 2004–2009

In 2003, Morrissey signed to Sanctuary Records, where he was given the defunct reggae label Attack Records to use for his next project.^[177]^[178] Produced by Jerry Finn and recorded in both Los Angeles and Berkshire, Morrissey's seventh solo album was You Are the Quarry; it was released in May 2004.^[179] The album's cover art featured an image of Morrissey carrying a Tommy gun.^[180] It peaked at number 2 on the UK album chart and number 11 on the U.S. Billboard album chart.^[112] The first single, "Irish Blood, English Heart", reached number 3 in the UK singles chart, the highest ranked single of his career.^[181] Promoting the album, he made appearances on both Top of the Pops and Later with Jools Holland,^[182] and gave his first television interview in 17 years on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross; Morrissey was visibly uncomfortable with Jonathan Ross' questions.^[183] He also agreed to interviews with various press outlets, including the NME, stating that "the nasty old guard" who controlled the magazine in the 1990s were gone and that it was not "the smelly NME any more".^[184]

To promote the album, Morrissey embarked on a world tour from April to November.^[185] He marked his 45th birthday with a concert at the Manchester Arena, supported by Franz Ferdinand;^[186] it was recorded for release as the DVD Who Put the M in Manchester?.^{[citation needed]} Morrissey was also invited to curate that year's Meltdown festival at London's Southbank Centre. Among the acts he secured were Sparks, Loudon Wainwright III, Ennio Marchetto, Nancy Sinatra, The Cockney Rejects, Lypsinka, The Ordinary Boys, The Libertines, and playwright Alan Bennett.^[187] He had unsuccessfully attempted to secure appearances from Brigitte Bardot and Maya Angelou.^[188] That year he also performed at several UK music festivals, including Leeds, Reading, and Glastonbury.^[189]

Morrissey's eighth studio album, Ringleader of the Tormentors, was recorded in Rome and released in April 2006. It debuted at number 1 in the UK album charts and number 27 in the US.^[190]^[191] The album yielded four singles: "You Have Killed Me", "The Youngest Was the Most Loved", "In the Future When All's Well", and "I Just Want to See the Boy Happy".^{[citation needed]} The album was produced by Tony Visconti; Morrissey called the album "the most beautiful—perhaps the most gentle—so far". Billboard described the album as showcasing "a thicker, more rock-driven sound".^[192]

In December 2007, Morrissey signed a new deal with Decca Records, which included a Greatest Hits album and a new studio album.^[193] Greatest Hits charted at number 5 in the UK album chart.^[190] "That's How People Grow Up" was the first single from Greatest Hits, reaching number 14 in the UK charts.^[190] A second single from the album, "All You Need Is Me", followed.

His ninth studio album, Years of Refusal, originally due in September, was postponed until February 2009, as a result of the death of producer Jerry Finn,^[194] and the lack of an American label to distribute the album.^[195] When released by the Universal Music Group, it reached number 3 in the UK Albums Chart^[196] and 11 in the US Billboard 200.^[197] The record was widely acclaimed by critics,^[198] with comparisons made to Your Arsenal^[199] and Vauxhall and I.^[200] A review from Pitchfork Media noted that with Years of Refusal, Morrissey "has rediscovered himself, finding new potency in his familiar arsenal. Morrissey's rejuvenation is most obvious in the renewed strength of his vocals" and called it his "most venomous, score-settling album, and in a perverse way that makes it his most engaging".^[200] "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" and "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" were released as the record's singles. The song "Black Cloud" features the guitar playing of Jeff Beck. Throughout 2009, Morrissey toured to promote the album. As part of the extensive Tour of Refusal, Morrissey followed a lengthy US tour with concerts booked in Ireland, the UK, and Russia.^[201]

In October 2009, Swords, a B-sides collection of material released between 2004 and 2009, was released.^[202] It peaked at 55 on the UK albums chart, and Morrissey later called it "a meek disaster".^[203] On the second date of the UK tour to promote Swords, Morrissey collapsed onstage in Swindon,^[204] and was briefly hospitalised.^[205] Following the Swords tour, Morrissey had fulfilled his contractual obligation to Universal Records and was without a record company.^[206]

Further albums and literary work: 2010–2019

In April 2011, EMI issued a new compilation, Very Best of Morrissey, for which the singer had chosen the track list and artwork.^[207] In March 2011, Morrissey took Ron Laffitte as his manager.^[208] In June and July 2011, Morrissey played a UK tour;^[209] during his 2011 performance at Glastonbury Festival, Morrissey criticised UK Prime Minister David Cameron for attempting to prevent a ban on wild animals performing in circuses, calling him a "silly twit".^[210] This was followed by several dates elsewhere in Europe.^[211] Morrissey's 2012 tour started in South America and continued through Asia and North America. Morrissey played concerts in Belgium, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Portugal, England, and Scotland. In late September, while visiting Strand Bookstore in Manhattan, he saved an elderly lady who had fainted beside him.^[212] Between January and March 2013, Morrissey toured 32 North American cities, beginning in Greenvale, New York and ending in Portland, Oregon.^[213] Patti Smith and her band were special guests at the Staples Center concert in Los Angeles, and Kristeen Young opened on all nights.^[214]

Thumb — Morrissey during his performance at the Hop Farm Festival 2011

In January 2013, Morrissey was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer and several engagements were rescheduled.^[215] On 7 March, Morrissey was hospitalised again, this time with pneumonia in both lungs.^[216] One week later, the rest of the tour was cancelled.^[217] During his rehabilitation he spent time in Ireland, where he watched the country's football team play a match against Austria in the company of his cousin Robbie Keane.^[218]^[219]

In April, EMI reissued the single "The Last of the Famous International Playboys", backed by three new songs: "People Are the Same Everywhere", "Action Is My Middle Name", and "The Kid's a Looker", all recorded live in 2011.^[220] Starting in June, Morrissey performed in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile.^[221] In August, Morrissey's concert at Hollywood High School on 2 March 2013, had a worldwide cinema release.^{[clarification needed]} Morrissey: 25 Live marks Morrissey's 25th year as a solo artist, and was the first authorised live Morrissey DVD in nine years.^[222] In July, Morrissey cancelled the South American leg of his tour due to a "lack of funding", saying it was "the last of many final straws".^[223]

In October 2013, Morrissey's autobiography, titled Autobiography, was released after a "content dispute" had delayed it from the initial release date of 16 September 2013.^[224] The book's release caused controversy as it was published as a "contemporary classic" under the Penguin Classics label at Morrissey's request, which some critics felt devalued the Penguin Classics label.^[225]^[226] Morrissey had completed the 660-page book in 2011,^[227] before shopping it to publishers such as Penguin Books^[228] and Faber and Faber.^[229] The book received divergent reviews: The Daily Telegraph giving it a five-star review that described it as "the best written musical autobiography since Bob Dylan's Chronicles", while The Independent criticised the book's "droning narcissism" as well as its status as a Penguin Classic.^[230] The book entered the UK book charts at number 1, nearly 35,000 copies being sold in its first week.^[231] In December, a 2011 live cover version of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love", was released as a single.^[232]

In January 2014, Morrissey signed a two-record deal with Capitol Music.^[233] His tenth studio album, World Peace Is None of Your Business, was released in July.^[234] Prior to its release, he embarked on a US tour in May,^[235] but was hospitalised in Boston in early June, cancelling the remaining nine tour dates.^[236] After finishing a six date tour in the UK, he did a US tour during June and July, including a concert in New York with special guest Blondie at Madison Square Garden.^[237] In July 2015, he publicly claimed that an airport security guard had groped him at San Francisco International Airport. He filed a sexual assault complaint; the Transportation Security Administration found no supporting evidence to act on the allegation.^[238] In August, Capitol Music and Harvest Records ended their contracts with Morrissey.^[239] In October, he disclosed he had received treatment for Barrett's oesophageal cancer.^[240]^[238]

In September 2015, Penguin Books published Morrissey's first novel, List of the Lost.^[241]^[242]

In November 2017, his eleventh studio album, Low in High School, was released through BMG and Morrissey's own Etienne record label.^[243] That same month, Morrissey attracted press attention and criticism for comments made in an interview with Der Spiegel: he stated that it was "quite sad" that distinct national identities in Europe were being undermined by politicians trying "to introduce a multicultural aspect to everything",^[244]^[245]^[246] and that some individuals claiming victimhood as part of the Me Too movement were not genuine victims of sexual assault but were "simply disappointed".^[244]^[247] Morrissey accused Der Spiegel of misquoting him and said it would be his last print interview.^[248]^[249] He played two shows at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl in November.^[250] Morrissey's first UK tour since 2015 began in Aberdeen and concluded in London.^[251]

In November 2018, Morrissey released a cover of the Pretenders' "Back on the Chain Gang",^[252] performing it on The Late Late Show with James Corden.^[253] In May 2019, Morrissey played a seven-night residency at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway,^[254] prior to the release of his twelfth studio album, a covers album titled California Son.

Two more albums, unreleased album and Without Music The World Dies: 2020–present

Morrissey released an 11-track album I Am Not a Dog on a Chain in late March 2020. The lead single, "Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?" featuring Motown soul singer Thelma Houston, was also made available on streaming sites.^[255]

In November 2020, Morrissey's deal with BMG expired and was not renewed.^[256] Morrissey completed a Las Vegas residency in July 2022 titled "Viva Moz Vegas" for the second year in a row.^[257] He completed tour dates in the UK and Ireland.^[258]^[259]

On 29 October 2022, it was announced that Morrissey would be releasing his fourteenth solo album Bonfire of Teenagers in February 2023 on Capitol Records in the US, although he did not sign with a label for a UK release.^[260] The album has eleven songs produced by Andrew Watt and features Red Hot Chili Peppers members Chad Smith and Flea alongside their former bandmate Josh Klinghoffer. Guests also included singers Miley Cyrus and Iggy Pop who contributed backing vocals.^[261] In addition, Capitol planned to re-issue several of Morrissey's albums released between 1995 and 2014, with the exception of Maladjusted.^[262] On 15 November, it was announced that Bonfire of Teenagers was no longer scheduled to release in February, with Morrissey saying that the fate of the album was exclusively in the hands of the label.^[263]

On 25 November 2022, the album's lead single, "Rebels Without Applause", was released by Capitol Records worldwide.^[264] On 23 and 24 December, Morrissey announced that he had voluntarily parted ways with his current management companies, Maverick and Quest, withdrew any association with Capitol Records, and revealed that Cyrus requested to have her vocals removed from the album, which still remains under the control of Capitol and would no longer be releasing it.^[265]^[266]^[267]^[268] He later confirmed in February 2023 that Capitol, while still maintaining control of the album, will not release Bonfire of Teenagers; he also suggested that the album had been "sabotaged" by Capitol.^[269]

On 8 December 2022, Morrissey announced that in January and February 2023, he would record a new album, titled Without Music the World Dies.^[270] On 20 February 2023, he announced the album had been completed and unveiled its tracklist, before offering the album to any record labels or private investors who would be willing to distribute it.^[271]

In 2024, "Interlude", Morrissey's duet with Siouxsie, was re-released on 12-inch gold vinyl for Record Store Day on 20 April 2024; it was available in the UK and Europe only.^[272]

In August 2024, Morrissey claimed in a post on his website that he and Marr had received a "lucrative offer" to tour as the Smiths in 2025.^[273] The singer claims he accepted the invitation, but Marr did not respond. Marr did not publicly comment, but had then-recently posted a picture of right wing British politician Nigel Farage to rebuke calls to reunite in the aftermath of Oasis's reunion. Marr previously claimed in 2016 that Morrissey's politics aligned with Farage's, joking that any potential Smiths reunion would feature the politician as their replacement guitarist.^[274]