(It's Not War) Just the End of Love

"(It's Not War) Just the End of Love"
Single by Manic Street Preachers
from the album Postcards from a Young Man
Released 13 September 2010
Format CD, Vinyl record (7"), digital download
Genre Alternative rock
Length 3:27
Label Columbia
Producer Dave Eringa
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology
"The Ghosts of Christmas"
(2007)		 "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love"
(2010)		 "Some Kind of Nothingness"
(2010)

"(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" is a song by Manic Street Preachers and both the opener and the lead single of their tenth album Postcards From a Young Man.

The song was made Record of the Week on BBC Radio 2[1] and added to the BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and XFM playlists.[2]

Contents

Music video

The music video was premiered on GMTV on 26 August 2010. It is set in a 1970s chess tournament and stars actor Michael Sheen, who portrays a chess master loosely based on Garry Kasparov opposite Anna Friel.[3]

Reception

The single was enthusiastically received by BBC Wales' James McLaren, who stated "Well I like it, I really do. It's got a theatrical pop verve to it. A sweeping string-laden hook, classic Bradders growly verse and a widdly solo in the middle eight. The melody is simple but delivered with classic Manics panache."[4] This Is Fake DIY described it: "It's simple, it's catchy and it's enjoyable, and will have many casual radio listeners rifling through their back catalogue to discover what they've been missing all these years."[5] The NME commented that it had "nostalgia...but also an unmistakable sense of vitality and urgency".[6] In an early review of the album, the NME described the track as "quite literally the daftest, campest, most outlandish stadium pop song the Manics have ever put their minds to. But in a really excellent way, with one of those choruses you only need to hear once to remember forever."[7] The Fly called it a "brilliant start" to the album, saying that it "sets out its grandiose stall from the off as James Dean Bradfield's FM-friendly riff gives way to a warm orchestral flourish".[8]

The single entered the UK Charts at #28 [9], making "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" their lowest charting single since "Life Becoming a Landslide" (1994).

Track listing

CD 1

  1. "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" – 3:29
  2. "I'm Leaving You for Solitude" – 3:21
  3. "Distractions" – 3:56
  4. "Ostpolitik" – 2:58

CD 2

  1. "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love"
  2. "Lost Voices"

(Manics website exclusive format)

7" single[10]

  1. "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love"
  2. "I Know the Numbers"

Chart performance

Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[11] 28

References

  1. ^ "BBC Radio 2 Playlist: Week Commencing: 28 Aug 2010", BBC, retrieved 2010-08-31
  2. ^ "XFM Playlist", retrieved 2010-08-31
  3. ^ "MANIC STREET PREACHERS UNVEIL NEW VIDEO (IT'S NOT WAR) - JUST THE END OF LOVE", stereoboard.com, 27 August 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
  4. ^ McLaren, James (2010) "Manic Street Preachers (It's Not War) Just The End Of Love", BBC Wales Music, 26 July 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
  5. ^ Baker, Maxwell (2010) "Manic Steet Preachers - (It’s Not War) Just The End Of Love", This Is Fake DIY, 16 August 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
  6. ^ "10 Tracks You Have To Hear This Week", NME, 5 August 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
  7. ^ Martin, Dan (2010) "Manic Street Preachers, ‘Postcards From A Young Man’ – First Listen", NME, 27 July 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
  8. ^ Doherty, Niall (2010) "Manic Street Preachers 'Postcards From A Young Man' // First Listen", The Fly, 29 July 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ "Manic Street Preachers - (Its Not War) Just The End of Love single details and pre-order", Columbia Records, 30 July 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
  11. ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company.
Manic Street Preachers
Studio albums
Compilation albums
EPs
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
Other appearances
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (1995)  · "Leviathan" (2005)  · "The Instrumental" (2006) · "Umbrella" (2008)
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