I don’t know what the hell the big issue is here. Morrissey has never been this huge selling/charting artist. He has brief periods of cameos at the top and then falls away, the same as many other artists. His enduring legacy musically is not his sales and how well he charts (even if he dwells on it a bit). It’s the cult following and inspiring nature of his work to both fans and musicians alike. There’s really only a handful of artists, relatively speaking, who consistently chart high and maintain that placement for a long time.
Morrissey just isn’t one of those artists, and that’s fine, he doesn’t have to be. Now more than other times with the world being kind of crazy throws another spanner in the works in terms of album purchasing. It is what it is, it charted well initially, then it’s fallen away. I don’t know why people get so worked up over it one way or the other.
Some sense at last.
The haters make out as if Morrissey's chart career normally resembles something that would put Michael Jackson, Phil Collins and The Beatles to shame.
He's always been a critically acclaimed artist, but at no point in his career - before or after the laughable 'racist' accusations - has he been someone who ruled the charts. He's had his moments, a few #1 albums and top #10 singles, but they've never stuck around long.
California Sun (2019). Got to #4 (lower than Dog). Four weeks on the charts then gone.
Years of Refusal (2009). #3. Five weeks on the charts, gone.
Maladjusted (1997). #8. Three weeks on the charts, gone.
Southpaw Grammar (1995). #4. Four weeks on the charts, gone.
Kill Uncle (1991). #8. Four weeks on the charts, gone.
(source
https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13740/morrissey/)
None of those releases bettered IANADOAC's chart placing, and whilst they may have spent (marginally) more time on the charts, it's not like they lingered around for months on end.
It is also well known that charts generally are a young artist's domain. Record companies don't promote older artists the way they do with younger ones. So for Morrissey to release an album aged 60 which garnered a chart position better than some of his releases decades ago isn't really consistent with this narrative of him having lost his fanbase.
How exactly do these hateful former fans think IANADOAC would have fared if Morrissey had the 'correct' opinions about things? #1? #2? Perhaps it would have spent three weeks on the chart like Maladjusted did.
If Morrissey wasn't charting at all in any country, he'd probably be worried. But that isn't the case, no matter how much the haters might wish it to be.
