Last Friday (November 25), Morrissey shared the lead single, “Rebels Without Applause,” from his forthcoming album BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS. Andrew Watt produced the work in Los Angeles. The drums were recorded by Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), guitar, percussion and keyboards by Josh Klinghoffer (former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist).
A few months ago, live videos for “Rebels Without Applause” and the title track of the upcoming work were already circulating online.
The Song: A tribute to Morrissey’s underrated heroes
In the piece, Morrissey sings about his “rebels without applause”, the forgotten creatives of the past few years. He names, for example, “Generation X”, a comic series from the 90s, and the former punk band X-Ray Spex: “Generation X and X-Ray Spex / We all love them.”
It’s strange timing for Morrissey to be releasing a single, as earlier this month he revealed his record BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS would no longer be out in February as originally planned. Instead, the artist commented, “Destiny rests solely in the hands of Capitol Records (…).” Whenever the production releases, it will also include features starring Miley Cyrus, Flea, Chad Smith and Iggy Pop.
BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS track listing
- I Am Veronica
- Rebels Without Applause
- Kerouac’s crack
- Ha Ha Harlem
- I Live in Oblivion
- Bonfire of Teenagers
- My Funeral
- Diana Dors
- I Ex love You
- Sure Enough The Telephone Rings
- Saint In a Stained Glass Windo
The musician is on tour through America until April 2023, during which he recently canceled a concert prematurely. You can read our review of the still current work I AM NOT A DOG ON A CHAIN (2020) here.
Listen to “Rebels Without Applause”: