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
it's so easy
Manic Street Preachers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's out to please
She pouts her best
She's out to take
No need to try
She's ready to make
It's so easy, easy
When everybody's tryin' to please me baby
When everybody's tryin' to please me
Cars are crashin' every night
I drink n' drive everything's in sight
I make the fire
But I miss the firelight
I hit the bull's eye every night
It's so easy, easy
When everybody's tryin' to please me baby
Yeah it's so easy, easy
When everybody's tryin' to please me
So easy
But nothin' seems to please me
It all fits so right
When I fade into the night
See me hit you
You fall down
I see you standin' there
You think you're so cool
Why don't you just
Fuck off
Ya get nothin' for nothin'
If that's what ya do
Turn around bitch I got a use for you
Besides you ain't got nothin' better to do
And I'm bored
It's so easy, easy
When everybody's tryin' to please me baby
It's so easy, easy
When everybody's tryin' to please me
So easy
But nothin' seems to please me
It all fits so right
When I fade into the night
So come with me
Don't ask me where 'cause I don't know
I'll try ta please you
I ain't got no money but it goes to show
It's so easy
The lyrics of Manic Street Preachers' song "It's So Easy" are highly provocative and implicitly violent. The song is sung from the point of view of a person who enjoys being in control and receiving attention from others, especially women. The first verse describes the singer's observation of a woman dressed in her Sunday best, and he immediately understands that she is out to please him. She pouts her lips and presents herself as vulnerable, waiting for him to make his move. The second verse depicts the singer's reckless behavior, drinking and driving, and causing chaos. He claims that he misses the firelight but hits the bull's eye every night, suggesting that he can achieve his goals by any means necessary.
The chorus of the song, "It's so easy, easy when everybody's trying to please me," reinforces the singer's narcissism and entitlement. He takes pleasure in the fact that his desires are continuously fulfilled by others. The bridge of the song shows the singer's aggression, power, and misogyny. He tells someone to "fuck off" and calls them a "bitch" and claims that they have nothing better to do. He also says, "Turn around bitch, I got a use for you," implying that he views women only as sexual objects and that he has complete control over them.
The final verse of the song is perhaps the most troubling. The singer invites someone to come with him, even though he does not know where they will go. He says that he will try to please the person, but he does not have any money. This verse suggests desperation and a lack of control, which does not fit with the rest of the song's tone. The song is a disturbing and challenging commentary on toxic masculinity, objectification of women, and a sense of entitlement.
Line by Line Meaning
I see your sister in her Sunday dress
He observes a girl dressed in her best clothes, perhaps trying to impress him.
She's out to please
The girl is trying to please him or gain his attention.
She pouts her best
She's putting on a seductive face, perhaps to make him desire her more.
She's out to take
She may be trying to take advantage of him or his status.
No need to try
For him, attracting others and getting what he wants is effortless and automatic.
She's ready to make
She may be ready to engage in sexual activity or some sort of transaction.
It's so easy, easy
For him, getting what he wants is a cakewalk.
When everybody's tryin' to please me baby
Everyone around him seems to be trying to win his favor.
Cars are crashin' every night
He's living dangerously and recklessly, perhaps to fill some sort of void in his life.
I drink n' drive everything's in sight
He's putting himself and others in danger due to his carelessness.
I make the fire
He can initiate or create chaos.
But I miss the firelight
He may feel empty or incomplete without the fullness of the experience he's seeking.
I hit the bull's eye every night
He succeeds in whatever he's pursuing, whether that's attracting women or living recklessly.
So easy
Getting what he wants is simple for him, perhaps because he has power or status.
But nothin' seems to please me
Despite his successes, he remains unfulfilled or empty inside.
It all fits so right
The life he leads may feel comfortable or familiar to him, even if it isn't healthy.
When I fade into the night
He may feel more alive or in control when he's away from the judgment of others.
See me hit you
He's using violence or aggression to assert his power.
You fall down
He's using violence or aggression to dominate or intimidate others.
I see you standin' there
He may be taunting or insulting someone who he sees as inferior.
You think you're so cool
He's challenging someone's sense of self-importance or identity.
Why don't you just
He's confronting someone about their behavior or attitude.
Fuck off
He's using crude language to dismiss or reject someone.
Ya get nothin' for nothin'
He's suggesting that people need to earn his favor or attention by doing something for him.
If that's what ya do
He's stating that he expects something in exchange for his attention or affection.
Turn around bitch I got a use for you
He's objectifying or exploiting someone, perhaps for his own benefit or pleasure.
Besides you ain't got nothin' better to do
He's implying that the other person is worthless or has no value besides serving his needs.
And I'm bored
He's looking for something to entertain or distract him, perhaps because he lacks something meaningful in his life.
Don't ask me where 'cause I don't know
He's suggesting that he's not sure what he's looking for, but he'll know it when he finds it.
I'll try ta please you
He's willing to make an effort to satisfy someone else, but only if it benefits him in some way.
I ain't got no money but it goes to show
He may be implying that he has other resources or qualities that make him valuable, even if he's not wealthy.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Aaron West Arkeen, Duff Rose Mckagan, Izzy Stradlin, Saul Hudson, Steven Adler, W Axl Rose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
anglopunk
It's a cover version of a Guns 'n Roses song and you can find it on the Lipstick Traces album.
jaytv777
I must be the only person who got turned onto GnR (my younger sisters fave!) via the manics (who I considered way beyond the whole metal/glam scene) thanks boys!
Henkka Goldsmyth
How good is this song? It is fucking amazing.. (1st time hearing!)
Idol2Idol
Fucking love this era
Stephen Brookes
Mega!
saborranchero
So richey was plugged in after all!
Or Hasson
sounds pretty good but not like the classic
Jimmy Schmidt
Richey plugged in for sure I hate when they say he isn't cause he clearly is
Man Dingo
this one's for all you fackin' time out readers...
spaztard52
@anglopunk the original is on appetite for destruction by guns n roses