A Design for Life

"A Design for Life"
"A Design for Life"
Single by Manic Street Preachers
from the album Everything Must Go
B-side	"Mr Carbohydrate"; "Dead Passive"; "Dead Trees and Traffic Islands"; "Bright Eyes" (live);
Released	15 April 1996
Genre	Alternative rock; Britpop; orchestral pop;
Length	4:16
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	James Dean Bradfield; Sean Moore; Nicky Wire;
Producer(s)	Dave Eringa; Mike Hedges;
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology
Official video
	"A Design for Life" on YouTube

"A Design for Life" is a 1996 song by Welsh band Manic Street Preachers and is the leading single from their fourth studio album Everything Must Go. It went to number 2 in the United Kingdom and Scotland, number 48 in New Zealand, number 50 in Australia, number 17 in Ireland and number 11 in Iceland.

Track listings

All music was composed by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore; all lyrics were written by Nicky Wire except where noted.

UK CD1; Australian CD and cassette single^[6]^[7]

"A Design for Life" – 4:20
"Mr Carbohydrate" – 4:14
"Dead Passive" – 3:20
"Dead Trees and Traffic Islands" (music and lyric James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore, Nicky Wire) – 3:43

UK CD2 and Japanese CD single^[8]^[9]

"A Design for Life" – 4:20
"A Design for Life" (Stealth Sonic Orchestra version) – 4:48
"A Design for Life" (Stealth Sonic Orchestra instrumental version) – 4:35
"Faster" (vocal mix) (music: James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore; lyric: Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards) – 5:46

UK cassette single^[10]

"A Design for Life" – 4:20
"Bright Eyes" (live version) (Mike Batt) – 3:14

UK, European, and US 12-inch single (2016)^[11]

A1. "A Design for Life" – 4:48

A2. "Dead Trees and Traffic Islands" – 3:43

B1. "A Design for Life" (Stealth Sonic Orchestra remix) – 4:20

B2. "Mr Carbohydrate" – 4:14

References

↑ "The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996". Spin. p. 4. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
↑ Bradley, Öegan (2 October 2015). "Before One Direction: A Look Back on Britpop". VH1. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
↑ White, Steven (12 December 2015). "The 12 Best Britpop B-Sides". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
↑ McMillan, Greame (24 April 2014). "12 Tunes You Need to Know to Sound Like a Britpop Expert". Wired. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
↑ Perry, Andrew (17 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards From a Young Man, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
↑ A Design for Life (UK CD1 & Australian CD single liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ A Design for Life (Australian cassette single sleeve). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ A Design for Life (UK CD2 liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ A Design for Life (Japanese CD single liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. ESCA-6445.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ A Design for Life (UK cassette single sleeve). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ A Design for Life (UK, European & US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Manic Street Preachers. Columbia Records, Sony Music. 2016. 88875188501.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[SPIN-1] "The 96 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996". Spin. p. 4. Retrieved 18 September 2020.

[2] Bradley, Öegan (2 October 2015). "Before One Direction: A Look Back on Britpop". VH1. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2016.

[3] White, Steven (12 December 2015). "The 12 Best Britpop B-Sides". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.

[4] McMillan, Greame (24 April 2014). "12 Tunes You Need to Know to Sound Like a Britpop Expert". Wired. Retrieved 23 July 2016.

[Telegraph.co._uk-5] Perry, Andrew (17 September 2010). "Manic Street Preachers: Postcards From a Young Man, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2012.

[6] A Design for Life (UK CD1 & Australian CD single liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[7] A Design for Life (Australian cassette single sleeve). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[8] A Design for Life (UK CD2 liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[9] A Design for Life (Japanese CD single liner notes). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. ESCA-6445.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[10] A Design for Life (UK cassette single sleeve). Manic Street Preachers. Epic Records. 1996. 663070 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[11] A Design for Life (UK, European & US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Manic Street Preachers. Columbia Records, Sony Music. 2016. 88875188501.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

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Manic Street Preachers
James Dean Bradfield Sean Moore Nicky Wire Richey Edwards
Studio albums	Generation Terrorists Gold Against the Soul The Holy Bible Everything Must Go This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Know Your Enemy Lifeblood Send Away the Tigers Journal for Plague Lovers Postcards from a Young Man Rewind the Film Futurology Resistance Is Futile The Ultra Vivid Lament
Compilation albums	Forever Delayed Lipstick Traces National Treasures – The Complete Singles
EPs	New Art Riot Life Becoming a Landslide
Singles	"Suicide Alley" "Motown Junk" "You Love Us (Heavenly Version)" "Stay Beautiful" "Love's Sweet Exile"/"Repeat" "You Love Us" "Slash 'n' Burn" "Motorcycle Emptiness" "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)" "Little Baby Nothing" "From Despair to Where" "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" "Roses in the Hospital" "Faster" "Revol" "She Is Suffering" "A Design for Life" "Everything Must Go" "Kevin Carter" "Further Away" "Australia" "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" "The Everlasting" "You Stole the Sun from My Heart" "Tsunami" "The Masses Against the Classes" "So Why So Sad" "Found That Soul" "Ocean Spray" "Let Robeson Sing" "There by the Grace of God" "The Love of Richard Nixon" "Empty Souls" "Underdogs" "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" "Autumnsong" "Indian Summer" "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" "Some Kind of Nothingness" "Postcards from a Young Man" "This Is the Day" "Show Me the Wonder" "Anthem for a Lost Cause" "Walk Me to the Bridge" "Futurology" "Together Stronger (C'mon Wales)" "International Blue" "Distant Colours" "Dylan & Caitlin" "Liverpool Revisited" "Hold Me Like a Heaven" "People Give In" "Orwellian" "The Secret He Had Missed" "Rosebud"
Other songs	"4st 7lb" "Peeled Apples"
Video albums	Everything Live Leaving the 20th Century Louder Than War Forever Delayed
Related articles	Discography Culture, Alienation, Boredom and Despair I Killed the Zeitgeist