Morrissey: 'Longevity has shocked me'

Former Smiths frontman Morrissey has revealed his "surprise" over his longevity in the music business.

Promoting compilation album The Very Best of Morrissey on Radio 4, the singer admitted that he is relieved difficult periods in his life haven't affected his popularity.

He said: "I'm very surprised it's lasted so long, especially shall we say under the circumstances as it hasn't been the easiest journey but I'm very surprised.

"Initially I thought maybe if I could do one or two albums, that would be extraordinary. To me singing is the ultimate power and the ultimate form of expression, and that's the only thing I wanted to do."

Reflecting on the transition between The Smiths and his solo career, the star added: "Well, to me the whole thing is seamless really and people talk about Smiths songs and they talk about solo songs but I don't really see any difference."

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