- A Design for Life
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"A Design for Life" 
Single by Manic Street Preachers from the album Everything Must Go Released 15 April 1996 Format CD, cassette Recorded ? Genre Alternative rock Length 4:16 Label Epic Manic Street Preachers singles chronology "She Is Suffering"
(1994)"A Design for Life"
(1996)"Everything Must Go"
(1996)"A Design for Life" was released by Manic Street Preachers in 1996 and was the first single release from the Everything Must Go album of May that same year.
The title was inspired by the Joy Division EP record "An Ideal for Living". The opening line 'Libraries gave us power' was inspired by the legend above the entrance to the former Pillgwenlly Library in Newport, near the band's home town of Blackwood in Wales: 'Knowledge is Power', whilst the phrase 'then work came and made us free' references the German slogan Arbeit macht frei that featured above the gates of most of the Nazi concentration camps and which was earlier referenced by the band on "The Intense Humming of Evil" from The Holy Bible. It reached number two in the UK charts on 27 April 1996 and was the first in a run of five consecutive releases to be top ten hits.
The song also explores themes of class conflict and working class identity and solidarity, inspired by the band's strong socialist convictions. Its video included scenes of fox hunting and Royal Ascot to represent what the band saw as class privilege.
The CD single included "Mr Carbohydrate", "Dead Passive" and "Dead Trees and Traffic Islands", while the cassette included a live version of "Bright Eyes".
It was the first song written and released by the band following the mysterious disappearance of figurehead Richey James the previous year.
The song also made an appearance as the opening track on Forever Delayed, the band's greatest hits album released in November 2002.
The song is referenced in the song "Slide Show" (alongside Beck's "Devils Haircut" and Oasis' "Wonderwall") on Travis' 1999 album, The Man Who: "'Cause there is no design for life, There's no devil's haircut in my mind, There is not a wonderwall to climb to climb or step around".
In May 2007, NME magazine placed "A Design for Life" at number 30 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 75 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[1]
Contents
Sleeve quote
The creation continues incessantly through the media of man. But man does not create... he discovers. Those who look to the laws of nature for support for their new works collaborate with the creator. Copiers do not collaborate. Because of this, originality consists in returning to the origin.—Antonio GaudiTrack listing
All music James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore, all lyrics Nicky Wire, except where noted
CD1
- "A Design for Life" - 4:19
- "Mr Carbohydrate" - 4:13
- "Dead Passive" - 3:19
- "Dead Trees and Traffic Islands" - 3:43 (Music and lyrics James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore, Nicky Wire)
CD2
- "A Design for Life"
- "A Design for Life (Stealth Sonic Orchestra Version)"
- "A Design for Life (Stealth Sonic Orchestra Instrumental)"
- "Faster (Chemical Brothers Vocal Mix)" (Music James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore, lyrics Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards)
MC
- "A Design for Life"
- "Bright Eyes (live)" (Mike Batt)
References
Manic Street Preachers James Dean Bradfield · Sean Moore · Nicky Wire
Richey EdwardsStudio albums Generation Terrorists (1992) · Gold Against the Soul (1993) · The Holy Bible (1994) · Everything Must Go (1996) · This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998) · Know Your Enemy (2001) · Lifeblood (2004) · Send Away the Tigers (2007) · Journal for Plague Lovers (2009) · Postcards from a Young Man (2010)Compilation albums EPs New Art Riot (1990) · Stars and Stripes (1992) · Life Becoming a Landslide EP (1994) · Know Our B-Sides (2001) · God Save the Manics (2005) · Journal for Plague Lovers Remixes E.P. (2009)Singles "Suicide Alley" (1988) · "UK Channel Boredom" (1990) · "Motown Junk" (1991) · "You Love Us (Heavenly Version)" (1991) · "Feminine Is Beautiful" (1991) · "Stay Beautiful" (1991) · "Love's Sweet Exile/Repeat" (1991) · "You Love Us" (1991) · "Slash 'n' Burn" (1992) · "Motorcycle Emptiness" (1992) · "Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H)" (1992) · "Little Baby Nothing" (1992) · "From Despair to Where" (1993) · "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" (1993) · "Roses in the Hospital" (1993) · "Faster/P.C.P." (1994) · "Revol" (1994) · "She Is Suffering" (1994) · "A Design for Life" (1996) · "Everything Must Go" (1996) · "Kevin Carter" (1996) · "Further Away" (1996) · "Australia" (1996) · "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (1998) · "The Everlasting" (1998) · "You Stole the Sun from My Heart" (1999) · "Tsunami" (1999) · "The Masses Against the Classes" (2000) · "Found That Soul" (2001) · "So Why So Sad" (2001) · "Ocean Spray" (2001) · "Let Robeson Sing" (2001) · "There by the Grace of God" (2002) · "The Love of Richard Nixon" (2004) · "Empty Souls" (2005) · "Underdogs" (2007) · "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (2007) · "Autumnsong" (2007) · "Indian Summer" (2007) · "The Ghosts of Christmas" (2007) · "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" (2010) · "Some Kind of Nothingness" (2010) · "Postcards from a Young Man" (2011) · "This Is the Day" (2011)Box sets Video Albums Everything Live (1997) · Leaving the 20th Century (2000) · Louder Than War (2001) · Forever Delayed (2002)Other appearances "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (1995) · "Leviathan" (2005) · "The Instrumental" (2006) · "Umbrella" (2008)Related articles Categories:- Manic Street Preachers songs
- 1996 singles
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