Morrissey has criticised the BBC for refusing to play his new single ‘Notre-Dame’ and claimed that diversity is a lie. The former Smiths singer made the comments in a post on his website Morrissey Central on July 5.
Morrissey said the track had reached number six on the Official Singles Sales Chart, number five on the Physical Singles Chart and number four on the Vinyl Singles Chart despite a lack of radio airplay. He wrote that the public wanted to hear the song but the BBC would not play it even though its stations have a duty to reflect public taste.
The singer linked the decision to what he described as strict rules around diversity. He stated that when people say diversity is their strength they fail to mention how their notion of diversity entails very strict Third Reich regulations and punishments.
‘Notre-Dame’ appears on Morrissey’s album Make-Up Is A Lie, which was released in March and reached number three on the Official Albums Chart. The song was first issued in February and was inspired by the 2019 fire at the cathedral in Paris.
Morrissey is currently on a European tour and has scheduled five UK arena dates for December in Brighton, Cardiff, Liverpool, Glasgow and Leeds.