A Design for Life
"A Design for Life" | ||||
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Single by Manic Street Preachers | ||||
from the album Everything Must Go | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 15 April 1996 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:16 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology | ||||
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Official video | ||||
"A Design for Life" on YouTube |
"A Design for Life" is a
Origins
The title was inspired by the debut Joy Division EP, An Ideal for Living. The opening line of the song, 'Libraries gave us power', was inspired by the legend "Knowledge is Power" engraved in stone above the top floor central window of the library in Pillgwenlly, Newport, 15 miles from the band's home town of Blackwood.[6] The next line, 'then work came and made us free', refers to the German slogan Arbeit macht frei that featured above the gates of Nazi concentration camps and which had been used previously by the band in their song "The Intense Humming of Evil" on the album The Holy Bible.[7]
The song explores themes of
The song was the first to be written and released by the band following the disappearance of figurehead Richey Edwards the previous year. Interviewed in 2014 by NME for their "Song Stories" video series, singer and guitarist James Dean Bradfield recalled that the lyrics had come about as a blending of two sets – "Design for Life" and "Pure Motive" – sent to him by bassist Nicky Wire. The music was written "in about ten minutes" and Bradfield was ecstatic with the result. The song "rescued the band" after the disappearance of Edwards, with Wire describing it as "a bolt of light from a severely dark place".[9] The band approached Mike Hedges to be involved in producing the song after hearing McAlmont & Butler's string-laden single "Yes", which Hedges had worked on.[8]
Release
The single reached number two on the
The CD single also included the songs "Mr Carbohydrate", "Dead Passive" and "Dead Trees and Traffic Islands", while the cassette included a live version of "
Critical reception
British magazine Music Week rated the song five out of five, picking it as Single of the Week. They wrote, "The Manics' return is a lush but stirring epic and their most commercial single to date. Mike Hedge's production has brought a more radio-friendly sound to the band and this looks like being their biggest hit yet."[16]
Legacy
The song is referred to in the song "Slide Show" (alongside
On 18 June 2009, the band were invited to officially open the new £15m Cardiff Central Library, unveiling a plaque inscribed with the words to the opening line of the song. At the event, Wire spoke about how his experience with libraries had partly inspired the song.[17] The Cardiff Arms Park Male Voice Choir performed a version of the song, in front of the band, which Wire described as "spine tingling".[19] Wire later said in an interview with The Guardian that the occasion had been a great honour for the band: "For us, it seemed like a chance to give something back to Wales. Seeing one of our lyrics – "Libraries gave us power", from A Design for Life – inscribed on the opening plaque was in its own way as affecting as playing the Millennium Stadium."[20]
Music video
The video, directed by Pedro Romhanyi, reflects the song's themes. It shows the band playing on an indoor stage in an apparently cold industrial location. Vintage advertising slogans, extolling
Track listings
All music was composed by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore; all lyrics were written by Nicky Wire except where noted.
UK CD1; Australian CD and cassette single[21][22]
UK CD2 and Japanese CD single[23][24]
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UK cassette single[25]
UK, European, and US 12-inch single (2016)[26]
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 15 April 1996 |
|
Epic | [32] |
Japan | 22 May 1996 | CD | [33] |
References
- ^ a b "The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996". Spin. p. 4. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ Bradley, Öegan (2 October 2015). "Before One Direction: A Look Back on Britpop". VH1. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- Sabotage Times. Archived from the originalon 4 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ McMillan, Greame (24 April 2014). "12 Tunes You Need to Know to Sound Like a Britpop Expert". Wired. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ Perry, Andrew (17 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards From a Young Man, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Manics' 'humble' library opening". BBC. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ^ a b Power, Martin (17 October 2010). Manic Street Preachers. Omnibus Press.
- ^ Louder. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "How Writing 'A Design For Life' Saved Manic Street Preachers – Interview". Retrieved 26 April 2015 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ a b "British single certifications – Manic Street Preachers – A Design for Life". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Diver, Mike (29 September 2010). "BBC – BBC Music Blog: Album Reviews Q&A: Manic Street Preachers".
- ^ a b "Manic Street Preachers – A Design for Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Manic Street Preachers – A Design for Life". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Design for Life". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. 13 April 1996. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ a b c "[A76] 'A Design For Life'". Manic Street Preachers: A Critical Discography.
- ^ 150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years | NME.COM
- ^ "Manics' 'humble' library opening". BBC News. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ "Music Blog:'If you tolerate this ...': Nicky Wire on library closures". The Guardian. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ A Design for Life (UK CD1 & Australian CD single liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ A Design for Life (Australian cassette single sleeve). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 8.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ A Design for Life (UK CD2 liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 5.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ A Design for Life (Japanese CD single liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. ESCA-6445.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ A Design for Life (UK cassette single sleeve). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 4.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ A Design for Life (UK, European & US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Manic Street Preachers. Columbia Records, Sony Music. 2016. 88875188501.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 18. 4 May 1996. p. 26. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (17.8. – 23.8. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 17 August 1996. p. 42. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- MegaCharts. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles 1996". Music Week. 18 January 1997. p. 25.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 13 April 1996. p. 27. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "デザイン・フォー・ライフ | マニック・ストリート・プリーチャーズ" [A Design for Life | Manic Street Preachers] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- Price, Simon (1999). Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers). London: Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0139-2.
External links
- acoustic version James Dean Bradfield, August 2013 at walesonline.co.uk