"Australia"
Single by Manic Street Preachers
from the album Everything Must Go
B-side
Released2 December 1996 (1996-12-02)[1]
Length
  • 4:05 (album version)
  • 3:42 (edit)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore, Nicky Wire
Producer(s)Mike Hedges
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology
"Kevin Carter"
(1996)		 "Australia"
(1996)		 "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next"
(1998)

"Australia" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released on 2 December 1996 through Epic Records as the fourth and final single from the fourth studio album, Everything Must Go (1996). The song peaked on number seven in the UK Singles Chart and 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.[2]

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.[3]

Release

On 14 December 1996, "Australia" reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart, giving Manic Street Preachers their fourth consecutive top-10 hit, and charted for nine weeks. With this, all singles from Everything Must Go charted within the top 10 in the UK.[4] It also made an appearance on Forever Delayed, the band's greatest hits album, released in November 2002.[5]

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).[6] 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.

Legacy

In October 2011, NME placed "Australia" at number 150 on its list of "the 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[7] The song was the theme tune to the Nickelodeon UK sitcom Renford Rejects and has also been used in adverts for the Australian Tourist Commission.[8]

Track listings

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

UK CD1 and Australian CD single[9]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Australia" (radio edit) 3:41
2."Velocity Girl" (originally by Primal Scream)James Beattie, Robert Gillespie1:41
3."Take the Skinheads Bowling" (originally by Camper Van Beethoven)Chris Molla, David Lowery, Greg Lisher, Victor Krummenacher2:32
4."Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (originally by Frankie Valli)Bob Crewe, Robert Gaudio3:12
UK CD2[10]
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
UK cassette single[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Australia" (radio edit) 
2."A Design for Life" (live) 

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 26
Scotland (OCC)[13] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 7

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 30 November 1996. p. 45. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Power, Martin (17 October 2010). Manic Street Preachers. Omnibus Press.
  3. ↑ "AUSTRALIA".
  4. ↑ "Manic Street Preachers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Manic Street Preachers singles".
  6. ↑ "Manic Street Preachers albums".
  7. ↑ "Best songs of the past 15 years".
  8. ↑ Whitehead, Jennifer (23 January 2003). "Manic Street Preachers tempt Brits to Australia". campaignlive.com. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  9. ↑ Manic Street Preachers (1996). Australia (UK CD1 & Australian CD single liner notes). Epic Records. 664044 2.
  10. ↑ Manic Street Preachers (1996). Australia (UK CD2 liner notes). Epic Records. 664044 5.
  11. ↑ Manic Street Preachers (1996). Australia (UK cassette single sleeve). Epic Records. 664044 4.
  12. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 51/52. 21 December 1996. p. 25. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  13. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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