Low in High School is the eleventh solo studio album by British singer Morrissey, released on 17 November 2017 through BMG.[3] It was produced by Joe Chiccarelli, and recorded at La Fabrique Studios in France and at Ennio Morricone's Forum Studios in Italy.[4]
| Low in High School | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) The French vinyl edition features a blue background rather than an orange one. | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 November 2017 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 53:25 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Producer | Joe Chiccarelli | |||
| Morrissey chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
.jpg) 2018 deluxe edition cover | ||||
| Singles from Low in High School | ||||
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The album debuted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. Low in High School generally received mixed or average reviews.
Background and release
Prior to the album's release, it was reported that several retailers including HMV had refused to stock the album due to its cover art,[4] though this was later denied by HMV.[5] The child on the cover is Max Lopez (noted in the article as Msax), the son of Morrissey's bassist, Mando Lopez.
The first single, "Spent the Day in Bed", received its first play on 19 September 2017 and was released on the same day.[6] Along with the release of the single, Morrissey announced an upcoming US tour.[7] "I Wish You Lonely" was released as an instant grat download on 24 October.[8] "Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up on the Stage" was released on 7 November.[9] Two more singles were released in 2018.
The 'deluxe edition' of Low in High School was released in December 2018, and features four extra studio tracks and five bonus live tracks. The deluxe edition studio track "Back on the Chain Gang" was issued as a single in late 2018.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 59/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The A.V. Club | B[12] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [13] |
| The Guardian | [14] |
| The Irish Times | [15] |
| Mojo | [16] |
| NME | [17] |
| Pitchfork | 5.7/10[18] |
| Rolling Stone |  [19] |
| The Times | [20] |
On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Low in High School has a score of 59 out of 100 based on 43 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reception.[21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave Low in High School a rating of three out of five stars, stating it is "one of Morrissey's most musically adventurous records" but "can seem as aurally conflicted as it is politically".[11] Josh Modell, writing for The A.V. Club, gave the album a B rating and said it might be Morrissey's best release since You Are the Quarry.[12] Alexis Petridis in The Guardian also gave it three out of five stars. Jordan Bassett, writing for NME, gave the album two out of five stars, stating "the 12-song album's first five tracks are passable, if not actually quite enjoyable. Beyond this point, though, only the most hardened Moz fan should dare to venture."[17]
Accolades
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio X | 30 Best New Albums of 2017 | N/A |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Love, I'd Do Anything for You" |
| 4:43 |
| 2. | "I Wish You Lonely" |
| 2:59 |
| 3. | "Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up on the Stage" |
| 4:19 |
| 4. | "Home Is a Question Mark" |
| 4:00 |
| 5. | "Spent the Day in Bed" |
| 3:31 |
| 6. | "I Bury the Living" |
| 7:25 |
| 7. | "In Your Lap" |
| 4:36 |
| 8. | "The Girl from Tel-Aviv Who Wouldn't Kneel" |
| 4:57 |
| 9. | "All the Young People Must Fall in Love" |
| 3:37 |
| 10. | "When You Open Your Legs" |
| 3:17 |
| 11. | "Who Will Protect Us from the Police?" |
| 4:05 |
| 12. | "Israel" |
| 5:56 |
| Total length: | 53:25 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Lover-to-Be" |
| 4:09 |
| 14. | "Back on the Chain Gang" | Chrissie Hynde | 3:51 |
| 15. | "Never Again Will I Be a Twin" |
| 4:15 |
| 16. | "This Song Doesn't End When It's Over" |
| 3:57 |
| 17. | "You'll Be Gone" (live) | 2:33 | |
| 18. | "Rose Garden" (live) | Joe South | 3:06 |
| 19. | "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" (live) | Waylon Jennings | 3:25 |
| 20. | "I Didn't Know What to Do" (live) | Gilbert O'Sullivan | 1:54 |
| 21. | "Judy Is a Punk" (live) | Joey Ramone | 1:37 |
Personnel
- Morrissey – lead vocals
Additional personnel
- Jesse Tobias – guitars
- Gustavo Manzur – keyboards
- Boz Boorer – guitars
- Matthew Ira Walker – drums
- Mando Lopez – bass guitar
- Roger Joseph Manning – string arrangement, horn arrangement
- H.E.R. – violin (8, 12)
- Steve Aho – orchestration
- Songa Lee – violin
- Kathleen Sloan – violin
- Erik Arvinder – viola
- Andy Martin – trombone
- Fred Simmons – trombone
- Gustavo Manzur – backing vocals
- Davide Dell'Amore – engineering
- Damien Arlot – engineering
- Samuel Wahl – engineering
- Morgane Myollet – engineering
- Miro Lagioa – technical
- Joe Chiccarelli – producing
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] | 81 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] | 18 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] | 19 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] | 67 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] | 40 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] | 20 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[29] | 71 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] | 15 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[31] | 8 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[32] | 36 |
| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[33] | 3 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] | 2 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[35] | 36 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[36] | 29 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[37] | 5 |
| US Billboard 200[38] | 20 |