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  #1  
Old 22-08-2018, 11:18
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Europa Gluten Free Europa Gluten Free is offline
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Motorcycle Emptiness is the Manics most overrated song

Following the victory of ME in the forum poll of Greatest Ever Manics Song (or whatever) http://www.foreverdelayed.org.uk/for...ad.php?t=62899, I want to declare ME as the Manics most overrated song.

Here are my main grievances in bullet point fashion for ease of understanding:

1. It's too long
2. The lyrics are cut and paste juvenilia
3. The lyrics are difficult to decipher when sung
4. There is no need for the "All we want.." section. It is cringy.
5. The original recording and production have aged very badly.
6. The drums on the recording are brutal.
7. It's not a great set opener. It's too long.
8. The guitar riff is alright just. Let's not get too excited.

The only redeeming features are the mega guitar solo at the end and the video. In fact, if it didn't have the Japanese video, I'd say it wouldn't have such a resonance with the fanbase.

Discuss!
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Old 22-08-2018, 11:29
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You're not taking this well are you....
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  #3  
Old 22-08-2018, 11:42
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It made me think of that Bluebird meme.
The Bluebird going "The Manic Street Preachers actually have later period material that surpasses their earlier-" and then a huge Blackbird goes "MOTORCYCLE EMPTINESS! MOTORCYCLE EMPTINESS!" for the rest of the strip.
I still like the song. It's the greatest Manics album track that happened to be a single after all! ;!
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Old 22-08-2018, 12:50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Europa Gluten Free View Post
Following the victory of ME in the forum poll of Greatest Ever Manics Song (or whatever) http://www.foreverdelayed.org.uk/for...ad.php?t=62899, I want to declare ME as the Manics most overrated song.

Here are my main grievances in bullet point fashion for ease of understanding:

1. It's too long
2. The lyrics are cut and paste juvenilia
3. The lyrics are difficult to decipher when sung
4. There is no need for the "All we want.." section. It is cringy.
5. The original recording and production have aged very badly.
6. The drums on the recording are brutal.
7. It's not a great set opener. It's too long.
8. The guitar riff is alright just. Let's not get too excited.

The only redeeming features are the mega guitar solo at the end and the video. In fact, if it didn't have the Japanese video, I'd say it wouldn't have such a resonance with the fanbase.

Discuss!
I'll discuss!

I don't agree. But 'overrated' is such a weird term. It just usually means 'some people really like it but I don't think they should like it quite so much'. Which is ... fine. Opinions!

I'm going to respond to your opinions with mine

1. It's too long
No, I like it being long, I wish they would write more long songs.

2. The lyrics are cut and paste juvenilia
I disagree with three premises of this statement. 1)That it's fair to call the lyrics 'cut and paste' (where from?) 2) That even if they are 'cut and paste'(?) that would necessarily be a bad thing, 3)"juvenilia"? Yes they wrote it when young (or cut and paste it when young? Make your mind up! ) but it covers many of the same themes of their work at the time but throughout their career.

3. The lyrics are difficult to decipher when sung
Are they? And would that be such a terrible thing in a world with so many banal lyrics that mean nothing than 'blah blah love you blah blah'? It doesn't seem to bother too many people.

4. There is no need for the "All we want.." section. It is cringy.
There is no need for the term 'no need' in any art-form. It's art. As humans we need to create and experience art to some extent but it's not a bodily requirement like water. I think you mean you don't like it. OK. I do, I love it, I don't think it's cringeworthy at all.

5. The original recording and production have aged very badly.
Yeah, I kind of agree with this one. I'm not sure the production hadn't aged immediately if you get my meaning. But in its defence I think that's more an issue with all GT-era manics songs, not Motorcycle Emptiness in particular. I think the production is a little perfunctory, but that the song transcends it shows just what a great song it is.

6. The drums on the recording are brutal.
This is kind of just 5.b, "I refer the honourable gentleman to the reply I gave some moments ago..."

7. It's not a great set opener. It's too long.
This is kind of just point 1 again in a live setting... no.

8. The guitar riff is alright just. Let's not get too excited.
No, let's! It's a great riff!

I also agree with you the solo at the end is fantastic and I think it's a shame it gets messed about with so much in live performances. I also don't love the live slow-down ending.

But it's a great song. Despite some minor flaws in its presentation, IMHO. And yes the video is great but it's not a huge part of why I love the song, it just complements it really well.

I still love A Design For Life more though.
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  #5  
Old 22-08-2018, 14:15
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I definitely agree it's too long for a starter at a gig - first songs need to be punchy, ME feels like it should be 'earned' and suits a later slot - this would make it a bit more epic coming after lots of shorter songs.
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  #6  
Old 22-08-2018, 19:23
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It is a very good song but it's not something that's in my top 20 Manics songs. Live it's more interesting and better sounding than the album recording, but I've still never thought it to be as amazing as some people do.
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Old 22-08-2018, 23:45
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I agree with Porco.
I'll just add something about that video thing.

I heard the song long before I saw the video, and I fell in love immediately. (I was 11 years old at the time, thought... ♥)

Explanation:
I'm a bit young within the Manics fanbase context, being born in 1989, and in Croatia early 1990s historicaly kinda sucked. (Ahem)
My first real memories of the Manics start with Tolerate, which of I've seen the video back when the song was a hit and could be seen/heard everywhere on TV and radio stations. I liked the song (although, it could have been an influence from my elder siblings), but, as you might have noticed, I was too young to care (how old was I? 7? 8?)

When I hit puberty, and chose the punk way, I discovered Generation Terrorists amongst my brother's cassette collection. It was love at first hearing.
Additionally, I couldn't speak any English back then, but I knew the Manics' reputation already, so I genuinely trusted the lyrics must be good, clever etc. However, since I couldn't understand the words due to language barriers, naturally I focused more on James' singing and, man, was it dreamy! ~~~~ ♥
Eventually, the Manics' song lyrics and translated Japanese video games became my favorite English learning boosters.
Okay, I went Further Away from the main topic.

We were saying...
Yes! Motorcycle Emptiness.
"Culture sucks doooooown words..." ♬♪
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Old 22-08-2018, 23:59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dac X Lee View Post
I agree with Porco.
I'll just add something about that video thing.

I heard the song long before I saw the video, and I fell in love immediately. (I was 11 years old at the time, thought... ♥)

Explanation:
I'm a bit young within the Manics fanbase context, being born in 1989, and in Croatia early 1990s historicaly kinda sucked. (Ahem)
My first real memories of the Manics start with Tolerate, which of I've seen the video back when the song was a hit and could be seen/heard everywhere on TV and radio stations. I liked the song (although, it could have been an influence from my elder siblings), but, as you might have noticed, I was too young to care (how old was I? 7? 8?)

When I hit puberty, and chose the punk way, I discovered Generation Terrorists amongst my brother's cassette collection. It was love at first hearing.
Additionally, I couldn't speak any English back then, but I knew the Manics' reputation already, so I genuinely trusted the lyrics must be good, clever etc. However, since I couldn't understand the words due to language barriers, naturally I focused more on James' singing and, man, was it dreamy! ~~~~ ♥
Eventually, the Manics' song lyrics and translated Japanese video games became my favorite English learning boosters.
Okay, I went Further Away from the main topic.

We were saying...
Yes! Motorcycle Emptiness.
"Culture sucks doooooown words..." ♬♪
“chose the punk way” love it. Great post (not just for the first sentence... )
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Old 23-08-2018, 06:31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marconi Delorian View Post
I definitely agree it's too long for a starter at a gig - first songs need to be punchy, ME feels like it should be 'earned' and suits a later slot - this would make it a bit more epic coming after lots of shorter songs.
This is a point I wanted to make about live renditions of ME for quite some time. If I was chose a most cathartic live experience it was ME late in the set in 2004. It's a song that works best when you're emotions are already at a high and it brings you into the stars. When it's played early and particularly as a starter, it's robbed of its magic as half the time you're thinking 'ooh that Manics are on stage" and "Nicky, are you sure you want to go with that colour of eye shadow".

My guess to why it's played so early is that it must be a slugger for the band to perform and they want to hang it out while they have plenty of energy.
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Old 23-08-2018, 08:49
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Never used to like it as an opener but given the pace that they go through it these days I think it works pretty well.
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Old 23-08-2018, 10:05
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Well it's certainly among the most generally highly rated of Manics songs so that always carries the risk of being overrated. Of the pre-Design stuff, it's probably the song I've heard most on the radio.

Ah I've always loved it, but I do prefer it live. Feels so much more energetic and anthemic than it does on record. Faster too, eh not checked duration in sets but it feels like they've shaved a good 30 seconds off it, maybe a bit more? Lyrically, it's not amazing but it's got its catchy one liners in there, good to sing along to. Better than Mausoleum in that respect at least..

As far as openers go, it has become a bit of a go to and I kinda wish it hadn't. I was gonna say I'd like to see em mix the openers up a bit more, but I've seen about 20 different openers anyway.. Hmm. I'd like to see it acoustic for a change.
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Old 23-08-2018, 16:09
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“chose the punk way” love it. Great post (not just for the first sentence... )

Ahahaha
Thank you. ♥
Stay beautiful. ^_-
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Old 23-08-2018, 16:49
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Each to their own but I genuinely think :
  • It never outstays it's welcome
  • It's the most successful and ambitious example of their sloganeering lyric style of that time,
  • It's the best produced song of the album and can't do much more than that. Almost every other song on GT sounds like a square peg in a round hole but ME could not have sounded better at that stage in their career.
  • It's one of the few songs they have got better at playing over time (especially the call and response element , including the 'all we want' section ) and using as a set opener is a huge statement of intent
  • It's the only song I know where the radio edit keeps the swearing and I giggle every time I hear it so thank god for James' indecipherability
  • It's a huge riff
It's great to hear it a lot more regularly on the radio nowadays (it's virtually a staple on Absolute Radio I've noticed ) but for years I'd argue it was criminally underrated outside of the fanbase.

I can remember a very drunk valleyboy asking me what it was called at a Manics gig in Cardiff (possibly 98) which lead to the great question from him (shouted into my ear) 'MOUNTAINBIKE WHAT??'

Last edited by Glyn; 23-08-2018 at 17:06.
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Old 23-08-2018, 17:25
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It's also a song that gets a curse word onto the radio, which is nice.
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Old 23-08-2018, 18:25
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Later the character Clay Davis in HBO's The Wire could be found channelling JDB's surreptitious swearword...
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