Viva Hate  by Morrissey

At the time Viva Hate was released, only half a year had passed since the sudden breakup of the Smiths. Everyone is on edge and waiting to see what the future holds. Morrissey surprises everyone by releasing his first solo album in early 1988 and wins acclaim, and this is certainly not due to his recent past with the Smiths, but rather because it is an album that still stands among Morrissey's top records, as well as of the 1980s.

The compositions of the album are a combination of Morrissey's lyrics and the music written by Stephen Street, producer of the Smiths, with whom the former Smiths singer collaborates – of course – also in the production.

Upon its release, Viva Hate reached No. 1 in the UK. Over time, the album continued to sell. In the UK it went gold in 1993 (!), while it has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and remains his greatest commercial success.