We consider the classical problem of prescribing the scalar curvature of a manifold via conformal deformation of the metric, dating back to works by Kazdan and Warner. This problem is mainly understood in low dimensions, where blow-ups of solutions are proven to be "isolated simple". We find natural conditions to guarantee this also in arbitrary dimensions, when the prescribed curvatures are Morse functions. As a consequence, we improve some pinching conditions in the literature and derive existence results of new type. This is joint work with M. Mayer.