The Manics released their debut album Generation Terrorists in 1992. Their combination of androgynous glam punk imagery, outspoken invective and songs about "culture, alienation, boredom and despair" soon gained them a loyal following and cult status. The band's later albums retained a politicized and intellectual lyrical style, while adopting a broader alternative rock sound. Enigmatic lyricist Richey Edwards gained early notoriety by carving the words "4 REAL" into his arm with a razor blade (narrowly missing an artery and requiring seventeen stitches) in response to the suggestion that the band were less than authentic. The dark nature of 1994's The Holy Bible reflected the culmination of Edwards' instability.
Following Edwards' disappearance, Bradfield, Moore, and Wire persisted with the Manic Street Preachers and went on to gain critical and commercial success, becoming one of Britain's premier rock bands. They have had eight top ten albums and fifteen top ten singles. They have reached number one three times, with their 1998 album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours and the singles "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (1998) and "The Masses Against The Classes" (2000). The Masses Against The Classes Songfacts reports that the latter was the first UK #1 of 2000. They have also won the Best British Album and Best British Group accolades at the BRIT Awards in 1997 and 1999, and were lauded by the NME for their lifetime achievements in 2008. Their ninth studio album, Journal For Plague Lovers, was released on 18th May 2009 and features lyrics Edwards had left behind to the band weeks before his disappearance.
They came together in 1986, when James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Sean Moore and rhythm guitarist Flicker formed Betty Blue in the small South Wales town of Blackwood. Two years later, Flicker had left and Nicky's friend Richey Edwards (previously the group's driver) joined in his place. Richey would later say in Vox magazine, "If you built a museum to represent Blackwood, all you could put in it would be shit. We used to meet by this opening called Pen-y-Fan. It was built when the mines closed down but now the water has turned green and slimy. They put 2,000 fish in it, but they died. There's a whirlpool in the middle where about two people die every year". A bleak image, then, but it provided the necessary fuel to drive the band.
Inspired by the passion of The Clash, and moved by Thatcher's suppression of the miners, the band's lyrics exploded with politicised anger. Their first single, the self-financed Suicide Alley, didn't make great waves, and the band moved to London. There, they found a sympathetic character in the form of Bob Stanley: later a member of St Etienne, but then a freelancer for the Melody Maker.
Stanley released a collection of their demos as the New Art Riot EP in June 1990. It caught the attention of Philip Hall, who became their publicist and co-manager.
In early 1991 Heavenly released Motown Junk, an inspired three-minute punk blast. Later that year it was followed by You Love Us, a swaggering, arrogant self-regarding slice of brilliance.
The Manics paved the way for a resurgence of guitar bands in Wales. In the press, they were forced to live with punning headlines referring to sheep, boyos and leeks - they got all the clichés out of the way so the bands of the so-called Cool Cymru would be taken more seriously.
Yet their image often overshadowed the music. On 15 May 1991 came a turning point for the Manics. Following a gig at Norwich Arts Centre, Steve Lamacq, then writing for the NME, argued with the band that they were a cartoon band - not real punks. The band refuted this, but still Lamacq persisted. Frustrated, Richey Edwards took a razor and calmly carved the words 4 REAL into his forearm. Lamacq was horrified; Richey needed 17 stitches. Six days later the Manics signed to Sony. Richey had suffered from depression for many years, and self-mutilation had become increasingly common for him. But the Norwich incident was the first time the guitarist had aired his emotional problems in public.
In February 1992 the debut album Generation Terrorists was released. Heavily influenced by Appetite For Destruction, Richey said of it, "We wanted to sign to the biggest record label in the world, put out a debut album that would sell 20 million, and then break up. Get massive and then just throw it all away". The album sold 250,000 copies worldwide. Predictably they didn't split up, but the album polarised opinion between those that saw them as the new saviours of rock and roll, and detractors who considered them contrived and insincere. Not that the Manics cared: they were off on their first American tour, shortly after the LA riots, and singles such as Slash 'N' Burn and Motorcycle Emptiness were climbing up the charts.
The second Manics album was released in June 1993. Gold Against The Soul was overproduced and less passionate, but did contain the classic songs La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh) and From Despair To Where. However, they also chose to support Bon Jovi for a string of unwise live dates. The troubles continued with the death on 7 December 1993 of their mentor Philip Hall, who had been battling cancer for two years. Meanwhile, Richey's problems were worsening. Weighing less than six stone and subjecting his body to drinking and cutting binges, he was eventually admitted to the Priory in Roehampton.
Richey's despair was documented in what is now considered the Manics' masterpiece, 1994's 'The Holy Bible'. Unremittingly bleak, the opening song Yes contained the lines "I eat and I dress and I wash and I still can say thank you / Puking, shaking, sinking / Can't shout, can't scream, I hurt myself to get pain out". The song was about prostitution, but every line emanated from Richey's fragile state of mind. He rejoined the band for tours with Therapy? and Suede (and an early incarnation of Vitriol I.D.) in Europe, and a series of frantic shows at the London Astoria in December. The final night saw them destroying 10,000 worth of their equipment. "We'll never be that good again," said Nicky after the event. It was also their last live appearance as a four-piece.
Although they had never found transatlantic success, at the beginning of 1995 they were preparing to give America one last try. However, on 1 February Richey walked out of the Embassy hotel in London and never returned. His passport and money were found in his Cardiff Bay flat, and two weeks later his car was discovered beside the Severn Bridge - a notorious local suicide spot. The file on his disappearance remains open.
"We decided to carry on in April," said Nicky Wire in The Guardian, "after two months of waiting by the phone and feeling ill and exhausted. We thought we'd been so close, and in the end we couldn't do anything for him." September saw the band record a cover of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head for the War Child "Help" album, and by January 1996 the Manics were recording their comeback album 'Everything Must Go'. It was released on 20 May to critical acclaim, went double platinum and yielded four top ten singles: 'A Design For Life', the title track, 'Kevin Carter' and 'Australia'. The sound represents a cross between the heavy rock of 'Gold Against The Soul' and a new, less agressive, almost Britpop like sound.
Two Brit Awards later, they released the LP This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours which gave the band their first number one single in If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, perhaps the only song that references the Spanish Civil War to ever appear on Top of the Pops.
On December 31st 1999 the band said goodbye to the 20th Century with a gig at Cardiff Millennium Stadium, attended by upwards of 50,000 people. This was followed by their second number one single, The Masses Against The Classes, which hit the top spot despite not having a video or marketing support from their record company.
Shortly afterwards, Nicky stated that "the fourth era of the Manics is beginning".
The fourth era, so far, has involved an audience with Fidel Castro in Cuba, the 2001 album Know Your Enemy, and continuing success. Their long awaited greatest hits collection, Forever Delayed, appeared in October 2002, followed in 2003 by Lipstick Traces, a two-disc collection of covers, B-sides, and outtakes including the last song recorded with Richey, 'Judge Yr'self'.
The Manics returned in November 2004 with the more reflective Lifeblood, which featured the singles The Love Of Richard Nixon and Empty Souls, both of which went straight in at number two in the charts.
Not to rest on their laurels, the band released a 10th anniversary edition of The Holy Bible in December 2004 which included a digitally remastered version of the original album, a never before heard U.S mix and a DVD of live performances and extras.
In April 2005 the Manics released a limited 3 track E.P. titled God Save The Manics as a free download but with hard copies distributed also without cost at the final date of their small, intimate 'Past Present and Future' tour at Hammersmith Apollo, London - their last show before a two year hiatus.
Later that year the band contributed the new track Leviathan to September's War Child charity album Help: A Day in the Life, becoming one of the few bands to contribute tracks to both albums.
2006 saw both James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire releasing solo albums, The Great Western and I Killed the Zeitgeist respectively. But both insisted that this in no way meant an end to the Manics and in December the band headlined XFM's Winter Wonderland gig in Manchester.
2007 sees the band enter yet another era with their 8th studio album, Send Away The Tigers, which was released on May 7th.
The album Journal For Plague Lovers was released in May 2009 and features lyrics left to the band by Richey before he disappeared. They released several different versions of the album, including a special edition, which has a book featuring copies of the original typed lyrics and pictures that went with them, and a bonus disc with all the original demos, recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, which they say is one of their favourite studios.
Their 10th studio album, Postcards from a Young Man, was released in September 2010. The album features several guest artists: Duff McKagan on A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun, John Cale on Auto-Intoxication and Ian McCulloch on Some Kind of Nothingness. A deluxe edition was also released containing a bonus disc with the original demos on it.
In 2011 the band released their second compilation National Treasures- The Complete Singles Collection, a release preceded by new single This Is The Day a cover of a ´¨The The song. The collection featured every single released since and including Motown Junk.
http://www.manicstreetpreachers.com
Socialist Serenade
Manic Street Preachers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you have to pay for that privilege
This side of the truth where no sun shines
They don't count the cripples and the blind
I was thinking everybody had a chance
Like a dream stretched way too far
All this time such a debt to the city, yeah
This is a socialist serenade
Yes I have money but I hate champagne
This is a socialist serenade
I can't see the past anywhere
Some greater benefit for the people
Ha ha ha ha we all believed in you
Is it about the politics of celebrity
Or endless days in the sun of Tuscany?
This is a socialist serenade
Yes I have money but I hate champagne
This is a socialist serenade
I can't see the past anywhere, anywhere
This is a socialist serenade
Yes I have money but I hate champagne
This is a socialist serenade
I can't see the past anywhere, anywhere
Change your name to New
Forget the fucking Labour
The song "Socialist Serenade" by Manic Street Preachers talks about the struggles of the working class and criticizes the capitalist system that values wealth over education and equality. The first verse questions the purpose of education when individuals have to pay for it, which makes it a privilege only accessible to those who have enough money. The line "They don't count the cripples and the blind" illustrates how society often excludes people with disabilities, making it harder for them to succeed and thrive.
The second verse reflects the disillusionment felt by someone who had believed in the idea that everyone has an equal chance to succeed. The debt to the city refers to the burden of living in a society where basic needs like education and healthcare are expensive, and the line "I don't know who's the real enemy" suggests confusion and frustration about who is responsible for perpetuating these inequalities.
The chorus, "This is a socialist serenade, yes I have money but I hate champagne" emphasizes the dichotomy between the singer's personal wealth and their belief in socialist values, as they reject the luxurious lifestyle often associated with wealth. The final verse critiques the political system and questions whether it truly benefits the people or if it is driven by the politics of celebrity and personal gain.
Overall, the song critiques the capitalist system that values wealth over equality and education, and advocates for socialist values that prioritize the wellbeing of all individuals in society.
Line by Line Meaning
What's the point in an education
Questioning the value of education when it comes at a financial cost
When you have to pay for that privilege
Highlighting the fact that education is not a universal right and is often only accessible to those who can afford it
This side of the truth where no sun shines
Emphasizing the bleakness and harsh reality of a system that does not provide equal opportunities for all
They don't count the cripples and the blind
Pointing out the discrimination and marginalization faced by certain groups of people in society
I was thinking everybody had a chance
Expressing a belief in equal opportunities and the idea that anyone can succeed if they work hard enough
Like a dream stretched way too far
Acknowledging that this belief may be unrealistic and unattainable for many people
All this time such a debt to the city, yeah
Highlighting the burden of financial debt placed on individuals who pursue higher education or other opportunities in the city
I don't know who's the real enemy
Expressing confusion and disillusionment with a system that seems to work against the interests of the people it serves
This is a socialist serenade
Describing the song as a tribute to socialist values and beliefs
Yes I have money but I hate champagne
Rejecting the trappings of wealth and privilege associated with the upper class
I can't see the past anywhere
Expressing a sense of disconnection from history and tradition
Some greater benefit for the people
Advocating for policies and systems that prioritize the well-being of society as a whole
Ha ha ha ha we all believed in you
Sarcastically mocking politicians and leaders who have failed to live up to their promises
Is it about the politics of celebrity
Questioning whether political discourse has become too focused on superficialities rather than substantive issues
Or endless days in the sun of Tuscany?
Criticizing the wealthy elites who prioritize their own leisure over the needs of the broader society
Change your name to New
Calling for a complete overhaul of the system and a break from the status quo
Forget the fucking Labour
Rejecting mainstream political parties that have failed to bring about meaningful change
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: James Dean Bradfield, Nick Jones, Sean Moore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jack Mcgregor
I love this song. The sound, the melody, the lyrics. It’s strong heavy distortion reminds a bit of The Beatles ‘Helter Skelter’. We don’t have champagne socialists today, today we have cocaine socialists. Years on from this song and we are so far removed from any kind of socialism. They are making it illegal for us to demonstrate, we had the changes to the welfare state, swingeing and unforgivable. Assault on our NHS, if you want your child to go far you need to shell out 20 grand a term for their private education. I was privately educated but rebelled against when I was 14 and saw right through it. This was when masters were still beating boys with a cane or a leather strap called a taws. I was an exceptionally gifted student. I was in the top 2% of my year and was allowed to do my prep in a room without the supervision of a prefect. Funnily enough it was after reading ‘1984’ by George Orwell and Lord of the Flies by William Golding and then seeing a film called T.A.P.S that I really began to rebel. I started smoking, fags were cheap back then. I began to carry I flick knife which a friend had got me from a visit to Sicily. I wore winkle pickers instead of the standard shoes, and sewed a Clash patch onto my blazer. I was immediately told to take the patch off, so I did and simply sewed it on the other side of my blazer. Then I ran away from school. I had my own bank account, this was in the eighties and my own bank card and a friend and I decided to run away. We stayed out til the last bell then ran down into Colinton dell and hid in an over hanging bunch of grass. We could hear kids shouting on us. When they stopped we made a run for it and made our way to Waverley station. It was full of drunks and deranged quite frightening guys for two fourteen year olds. This one guy kept showing us his huge knife. I felt it would be suicide to pull my flick knife on him. We were caught by British Transport Police. We weren’t searched, what would two nice boys from Merchiston have in their pockets? We were taken back to the school my housemaster locked me in a greenhouse/conservatory part of his accommodation on one of the hottest days of the year. He kept me there all day for other pupils to make fun of. Then he took me out in the evening and when I asked for some water he just barked ‘shut up boy, now I’m going to cane you, I’m warning you it will hurt but it’s nothing less than you deserve’ I walked right up to him I was 6ft at that time and already taller than him and I said to him as meaningfully as I could ‘sir if you lift that cane to me I shall whip you about the face with it, I hope you understand me and we can avoid any horrible misunderstanding’. I don’t know where that came from but I just knew I was sick of being physically abused. Then later that evening a snotty rich wanker made a pop at me for running away. So I told him how my grandfather was a founding member of the SBS and escaped the Italians and the Nazis twice, and that like him I was anti authoritarian, anti fascist and anti old money like him, then I pulled my flick knife and said ‘what would you prefer, I cut your nose off or your ear’? He wet himself and went and grassed me up. My mother was called and told I’d gone off the rails a bit and that the conclusion of the staff was that some time at home would make me feel better. That I should go home for three weeks then come back with the slate wiped clean. I was relieved to leave and had no intentions of going back. Which I didn’t. I went to Glasgow University and did the first ever US style modular degree with pieces on literature, politics, gender studies, argument and rhetoric, `just war theory, and others like ‘orality and literature’ which I found particularly fascinating and got an A+ on the discourse at the end of that module. After university I travelled for about four years going all over the place working and seeing the world. I worked as a sheep shearer (that was bloody hard work) and I worked on the worlds biggest emu farm. I also got in tow with some bad types, particularly a motorbike gang called the Gypsy Jokers. I ended up doing some time in an Australian maximum security prison called Casuarina. There was a riot and a beheading when I was in there. It was wild. I was ok because I was on a wing made up of nothing but Gypsy jokers. Once they know your names good, then everything is good for you. It was hard time but, the screws were mostly Scottish emigres and they were bastards. I’m Galloway Irish so they were always trying to find out where my loyalties lied. I remember singing the ‘broad black brimmer’ on the wing one afternoon to let it be known unequivocally where my heart lies when it comes to that whole mess. Anyway life certainly wasn’t dull, when I came back I got a job as a phlebotomist. I’m not a bad guy, I’m just a guy who was young, worked hard, played hard with my wages and got caught up in a life I found exciting. Yes I broke the law, I served punishment and I took it. That should be the end of the matter. Jeez I have blabbered on for a while - too much of too much will do it every time. I don’t really care if you hate what I’ve written or like it. I enjoyed writing it and that’s what matters to me.