Motorcycle Emptiness

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“Motorcycle Emptiness”
Single by Manic Street Preachers from the album Generation Terrorists
Released	1 June 1992
Format	CD, Vinyl record (7"/12"), cassette
Recorded	Mid 1991
Genre	Rock
Length	6:08
Label	Columbia
Producer	Steve Brown
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology
"Slash 'N' Burn" (1992) "Motorcycle Emptiness" (1992) "Suicide Is Painless" (1992)

"Motorcycle Emptiness" (sample (help·info)) was a single by the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers released on 1 June 1992. It was the fifth single to be lifted from the Generation Terrorists album. The track is slower paced than most others on the album. Its lyrics are inspired by S.E. Hinton's book 'Rumble Fish', about biker gang culture. The lyrics have been interpreted as an attack on the hollowness of the consumer lifestyle offered by capitalism, describing how society expects young people to conform.

The song reached number seventeen in the UK charts on 13 June 1992. It remained there for another week and spent a total of six weeks in the top 75, two weeks longer than any other Generation Terrorists single and a record not surpassed by the Manics until 1996's "A Design for Life".

Some of the lyrics are taken from the poem "Neon Loneliness" (the first line of the chorus 'Under Neon Loneliness' is a direct lift) by Welsh poet Patrick Jones, the brother of MSP bassist and lyricist Nicky Wire. It also made an appearance as track number two on Forever Delayed (28 October 2002), the Manics' greatest hits album.

The song was later remixed by Apollo-440 under their alternative name Stealth Sonic Orchestra as a piece of classical style music. This remix was available as a track on the single "Australia" (taken from their seminal album Everything Must Go); and was also used by T-Mobile for an advertising campaign in 2003, much to the derision of some fans.

The song was derived from the early Manics songs "Go, Buzz Baby, Go" (with which it shares the chord structure and the phrase "Motorcycle Emptiness" late in the song over the verse chords), and "Behave Yourself Baby".

In 2006, Q Magazine readers voted the song as the 88th Best Song Ever.

Contents 1 Sleeve quote 2 Track listing 2.1 CD 2.2 12" picture disc 2.3 7" / MC 2.4 2003 reissue CD

[edit] Sleeve quote

"I talk to God but the sky is empty". Sylvia Plath

[edit] Track listing

[edit] CD

1. "Motorcycle Emptiness" (edit)
2. "Bored Out Of My Mind"
3. "Crucifix Kiss" (live)
4. "Under My Wheels" (live)

[edit] 12" picture disc

1. "Motorcycle Emptiness" (full length)
2. "Bored Out Of My Mind"
3. "Under My Wheels" (live)

[edit] 7" / MC

1. "Motorcycle Emptiness" (edit)
2. "Bored Out Of My Mind"

[edit] 2003 reissue CD

1. "Motorcycle Emptiness"
2. "4 Ever Delayed"
3. "Little Baby Nothing" (acoustic)

v • d • e Manic Street Preachers James Dean Bradfield • Nicky Wire • Sean Moore Flicker (Miles Woodward)  • Richey James Edwards Studio 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) Singles and EPs "Suicide Alley" (1989) • "New Art Riot EP" (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) • "Little Baby Nothing" (1992) • "Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)" (1992) • "From Despair To Where" (1993) • "La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh)" (1993) • "Roses In The Hospital" (1993) • "Life Becoming A Landslide EP" (1994) • "Faster/P.C.P." (1994) • "Revol" (1994) • "She Is Suffering" (1994) • "A Design for Life" (1996) • "Everything Must Go" (1996) • "Kevin Carter" (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) • "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (2007) • "Autumnsong" (2007) • "Indian Summer" (2007) Promos "UK Channel Boredom" (1990) • "God Save The Manics EP" (2005) • " Underdogs" (2007) • "Ghost Of Christmas" (2007) Other releases "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" (1995)  • "Know Our B-Sides" (2001)  • Leviathan" (2005)  • "The Instrumental" (2006) • "Umbrella" (2008) Compilation albums "Forever Delayed" (2002) • "Lipstick Traces" (2003) Box Sets "Six Singles from Generation Terrorists" (1997) Videos "Everything Live" (1997) • "Leaving the 20th Century" (2000) • "Louder Than War" (2001) • "Forever Delayed" (2002) Official book "Forever Delayed" (2002) Related articles Manic Street Preachers Discography Manic Street Preachers B-sides