I Am Not a Dog on a Chain

Last updated

I Am Not a Dog on a Chain
Morrissey - I Am Not a Dog on a Chain.png
Studio album by
Released20 March 2020 (2020-03-20)
Studio
Genre Electronic rock, alternative rock, pop rock, soul, R&B, disco
Length49:26
Label BMG
Producer Joe Chiccarelli
Morrissey chronology
California Son
(2019)
I Am Not a Dog on a Chain
(2020)
Without Music the World Dies
(2024)
Singles from I Am Not a Dog on a Chain
  1. "Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?"
    Released: 10 January 2020
  2. "Love Is On Its Way Out"
    Released: 31 January 2020
  3. "Knockabout World"
    Released: 21 February 2020

I Am Not a Dog on a Chain is the thirteenth solo studio album by Morrissey, released through BMG on 20 March 2020. It is Morrissey's first album of original material since 2017's Low in High School . [1] It was produced by Joe Chiccarelli, and lead single "Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?" features vocals from Thelma Houston. [2]

Contents

Recording and promotion

The album was produced by Joe Chiccarelli and recorded at Studio La Fabrique in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, as well as Sunset Sound in Hollywood. [3] [4]

In a press release, Morrissey called the album "the very best of me" and "too good to be true [...] too true to be considered good". [1] Producer Joe Chiccarelli described it as Morrissey's "boldest and most adventurous album yet", claiming that he has "pushed the boundaries yet again – both musically and lyrically". [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 62/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. Club B− [6]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Pitchfork 6.1/10 [10]
The Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]

I Am Not a Dog on a Chain currently holds a score of 62 out of 100 - indicating "generally favourable" reviews - on review aggregator Metacritic, based on 13 reviews. [5] Josh Modell of The A.V. Club gave the album a B− and felt that the lyrical content was the weakest but that Morrissey displayed songcraft and "a great vocal performance". [6] The editorial staff of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine summing up his review by calling the album "one of the better latter-day Morrissey records" but decrying how "placid and complacent he's been for the better part of a decade". [7] Mina Tavakoli of Pitchfork rated the album 6.1 out of 10 and called it "frequently ridiculous, mildly captivating, and occasionally repetitive, pocked by moments of goofiness that come from the runoff of a man eager to chase old miseries and find new ones to berate". [10]

Writing for The Independent , Jake Cudsi rated the album two out of five stars, opining that it "has its moments, but they are brief and virtually lost amid the more experimental forays". [8] Laura Snapes of The Guardian also gave the album two out of five stars, judging that Morrissey plays the "victim" and is "often lost among the strident music as he hectors people afraid to be themselves", though his "coyness undermines his apparent glee as a truth-teller". [12] Associated Press wrote: "Morrissey delivers his best musical performance in years" [13]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jim Jim Falls"Morrissey, Jesse Tobias 3:44
2."Love Is on Its Way Out"Morrissey, Gustavo Manzur3:15
3."Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?"Morrissey, Manzur5:46
4."I Am Not a Dog on a Chain"Morrissey, Tobias3:53
5."What Kind of People Live in These Houses?"Morrissey, Tobias3:42
6."Knockabout World"Morrissey, Tobias3:25
7."Darling, I Hug a Pillow"Morrissey, Mando Lopez4:47
8."Once I Saw the River Clean"Morrissey, Tobias4:20
9."The Truth About Ruth"Morrissey, Manzur3:45
10."The Secret of Music"Morrissey, Lopez7:52
11."My Hurling Days Are Done"Morrissey, Tobias5:01
Total length:49:26

Personnel

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart performance for I Am Not a Dog on a Chain
Chart (2020)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [14] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [15] 80
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [16] 80
French Albums (SNEP) [17] 117
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [18] 13
Irish Albums (OCC) [19] 47
Italian Albums (FIMI) [20] 89
Norwegian Vinyl Albums (VG-lista) [21] 1
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [22] 12
Scottish Albums (OCC) [23] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [24] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [25] 56
UK Albums (OCC) [26] 3
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [27] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [28] 44

See also

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References

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