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Australia (Manic Street Preachers song)

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"Australia"
Single by Manic Street Preachers
from the album Everything Must Go
Released2 December 1996
GenreAlternative rock, Britpop
Length4:05 (album version)
3:42 (edit)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore, Nicky Wire
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology
"Kevin Carter"
(1996) 		"Australia"
(1996) 		"If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next"
(1998)

"Australia" was released by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers on 2 December 1996 through Epic and was the fourth and final single release from the Everything Must Go album of May that same year. The song peaked on number 7 in the UK Singles Chart, and it was the fourth consecutive top 10 hit for the band.

Background

The sentiment of the song is that Australia is just about the furthest one can go to get away from their home in Wales and is a metaphor for Nicky Wire's desire to escape from the emotional turmoil caused by the disappearance of his close friend and co-lyricist, Richey Edwards.[1] Though Australia is almost the furthest one can get from Wales, New Zealand is actually an additional 2,000 kilometers (1,340 miles) away.[2][3]

The music helps the lyrics convey the sense of freedom, featuring heavy guitar sound coupled with a raw emotion, and a crescendo bolstered by Sean Moore's drumming.[4]

Release

On 14 December 1996, "Australia" reached number seven in the UK charts, giving the Manics their fourth consecutive top ten hit. It charted for 9 weeks in the UK charts. With this, all singles from Everything Must Go charted within the top 10 in the UK.[5] It also made an appearance on Forever Delayed, the band's greatest hits album, released in November 2002.[6]

The first CD included "Velocity Girl", "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (all three being cover versions of songs originally performed by Primal Scream, Camper Van Beethoven and Frankie Valli, respectively) and the cassette featured a live recording of "A Design for Life". All 3 of the CD cover versions would later feature on the Lipstick Traces compilation album in 2003 (although it is believed "Take the Skinheads Bowling" was re-recorded, yet it sounds identical and may be mis-labelled as (c) 2003, or otherwise may be presented in a new mix).[7] The lack of original Manics material for the single's extra tracks was attributed to Nicky Wire having a case of writer's block as he approached writing material for the band's next album. He attributed this to the fact that it was the first time he had written a whole album without Richey's help.[8]

Legacy

In October 2011, NME placed "Australia" at number 150 on its list of "the 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[9]

The song was the theme tune to the Nickelodeon UK sitcom Renford Rejects and has also been used in adverts for the Australian Tourist Board.[8]

Track listing

All music written by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore; except where indicated. All lyrics written by Nicky Wire; except where indicated.

CD one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Australia" (Radio edit) 3:41
2."Velocity Girl" (orig. by Primal Scream)James Beattie, Robert Gillespie1:41
3."Take the Skinheads Bowling" (orig. by Camper Van Beethoven)Chris Molla, David Lowery, Greg Lisher, Victor Krummenacher2:42
4."Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (orig. by Frankie Valli)Bob Crewe, Robert Gaudio3:12
CD two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Australia" (Radio edit) 3:41
2."Australia (Lionrock Remix)" 5:57
3."Motorcycle Emptiness (Stealth Sonic Orchestra Remix)"Bradfield, Moore (music). Richey James, Wire (lyrics)6:15
4."Motorcycle Emptiness (Stealth Sonic Orchestra Soundtrack)"Bradfield, Moore (music). James, Wire (lyrics)6:20
Cassette/7' jukebox vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Australia" (Radio edit)3:41
2."A Design for Life (Live)" 

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 26
Scotland (OCC)[11] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 7

References

  1. ^ Power, Martin (17 October 2010). Manic Street Preachers. Omnibus Press.
  2. ^ "What's the Farthest City and Country from Cardiff, United Kingdom?". furthestcity.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  3. ^ "How Far is it Between Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand". Free Map Tools. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  4. ^ "AUSTRALIA".
  5. ^ "Manic Street Preachers". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Manic Street Preachers singles".
  7. ^ "Manic Street Preachers albums".
  8. ^ a b Price 1998.
  9. ^ "Best songs of the past 15 years".
  10. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 51/52. 21 December 1996. p. 25. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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