Motown Junk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Motown Junk" | ||
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| Single by Manic Street Preachers | ||
| from the album Motown Junk | ||
| Released | January 21, 1991 | |
| Format | CD | |
| Recorded | Late 1990 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 3:59 | |
| Label | Heavenly | |
| Producer(s) | -- | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Manic Street Preachers singles chronology | ||
| "New Art Riot" (1990) |
"Motown Junk" (1991) |
"You Love Us" (1991) |
Motown Junk is an early stand alone single from the rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on January 21, 1991. The track has long been a live favourite from the earlier part of their career to the present day. The title track shows the band during their pinnacle of iconoclastic attitude, such as in the lyric, "I laughed when Lennon got shot". The Motown in the title refers to famed 60s and 70s label Motown Records.
Both b-sides featured on the single (Sorrow 16 and We Her Majesty's Prisoners) were later on the third single - "You Love Us" - from the band's debut album, Generation Terrorists. The single was the band's first from their then record label, Heavenly Records. Despite its relatively poor charting, the single gained the band much attention from the press.
The b-side "We Her Majesty's Prisoners" was originally titled "Ceremonial Rape Machine", but after pressure from the label, it was renamed.
When performing live, the band begin 'Motown Junk' with a few lines from another song. From around 1991 until 1997, James would sing the chorus to the Motown classic "Baby Love", often changing the lyrics on the spot. During 1998/99, the song began with the riff from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"; since then the Manics have used the "Motown Junk Medley" to pay tribute to Van Halen's "Jump" and Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine".
The band have played the song at virtually every gig since 1990. Nicky Wire commented around 2003 that the day they stopped playing 'Motown Junk' live was the day they stopped being the Manics. Critics of the band's "Lifeblood" album were quick to make much of the fact that the song was dropped from the setlist of the band's December 2004 Lifeblood arena tour. It returned for the April 2005 "Past Present Future" tour, as the final song in the set.
The Singles cover features a watch recovered from the Hiroshima bomb site depicting the exact moment of detonation.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] CD
- "Motown Junk"
- "Sorrow 16"
- "We Her Majesty's Prisoners"
| Manic Street Preachers |
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Band members: James Dean Bradfield - Nicky Wire - Sean Moore |
| Former members: Flicker (Miles Woodward) - Richey James Edwards |
| Discography |
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| Albums: Generation Terrorists - Gold Against the Soul - The Holy Bible - Everything Must Go - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours - Know Your Enemy - Lifeblood |
| EPs: New Art Riot - Life Becoming a Landslide - God Save the Manics |
| Compilations: Forever Delayed - Lipstick Traces |
