RELEASED AS A SINGLE, 15 APRIL 1996.

In the months following Richey’s disappearance, it wasn’t clear whether the band would continue. Back in the autumn of 1994 during Richey’s stay at The Priory, they had said that they wouldn’t continue as a three piece if he was unable to return to the band In 1998, Terri Hall also confirmed that she doubted at the time whether they – and Nicky in particular – would want to carry on.

The band remained in a state of limbo for about three months, while they waited for any news of Richey’s whereabouts. Nicky continued to write during this period – years later he said that a lot of these solo lyrics were heavily influenced by The Holy Bible and will never see the light of day. (NME 31/7/10) But two of the lyrics survived – ‘A Design For Life’ and ‘The Pure Motive’ – which he gave to James.

The band have described the writing of the song as a very natural process; James combined the two lyrics into one and called Nicky the night he finished to play the song down the phone to him. He had already worked out how it would sound – “an old Motown record, a bit of REM, a bit of Ennio Morricone” (Nicky, Feb 1996).

You can hear this in the first rehearsal version, released on the EMG 10th CD, which was recorded in May 1995 at Soundspace Studios in Cardiff . The guitars may be heavier and the quality of the recording is poor, but it’s basically the same song that would be released 11 months later.

The song was strong enough in its own right to persuade the band to carry on as a three piece. It wasn’t a great turning point or dramatic, emotional bonding session – just a simple, logical decision. But you can also understand that the band would want to take their minds off Richey’s disappearance by keeping busy. James also remarked later that it reminded him of his roots and made him reflect on how he was living, ‘putting him back on track a bit’ after this time on the London party scene.

Nicky’s original lyrics, seen on the EMG 10th anniversary DVD are quite different from the recorded version, with a harsher tone more akin to the lyrics on Gold Against The Soul, or The Holy Bible.

The first verse of Nicky’s original version of ‘A Design For Life’

It concerns the fall-out from the miners’ strike and how it has left the working class in a situation where they are ‘about to break.’ It’s more autobiographical than the final version, with Wire, the bedroom boy feeling separated from the rest of the local population, who succumb to alcoholism. He casts himself as the conflicted observer, condemning but also understanding the self-destruction of the working class. It’s a subject which he would return to in Ready For Drowning, two years later.

The “Pure Motive” lyrics have never been published, but were heavily influenced by the TV writer Jimmy McGovern, especially the “Cracker” episode “To Be A Somebody” starring Robert Carlyle and the way it depicted the public perception of the working class.

Even without the second set of original lyrics, it’s interesting to see how the song evolved, with much of the autobiography and raw emotion being cut away in the editing process. The final version pushes the lyric to a different level. There is still a simultaneous mixture of celebration and criticism of the working class, but also includes an additional critique of working class caricatures, which was partly inspired by certain Britpop bands.

Blur were the main target for Wire’s bile at the time. He described the lyrics of “Girls and Boys” as ‘patronising.’ Damon Albarn had talked in interviews about his working class roots – he was born in the East End, but had left for Chelmsford when he was six for a resolutely middle class upbringing. On three Blur albums he wrote about working class characters, painting them as gross caricatures that sound as if they come straight out of ‘Carry On’ films. Nicky admitted that ironically he felt separated from the people he was writing about, but his lyric was something more sincere, heartfelt and realistic.

The title was inspired by Joy Division’s An Ideal For Living EP / A Design For Living biography. Simon Price also suggested that it was influenced by a 1995 Volkswagen advert – which may have inspired James’ shout of “Volkswagen Adverto… The New Ford Special!” during a performance on TFI Friday – although that was as much to do with the song sounding like it was made to be the backing track to an ad campaign. .

The first line of the song, ‘Libraries Gave Us Power’ (how many number 2 singles open with a line like that?) is inspired an inscription on Pillgwennlly Library in Newport, Wales where Nicky’s wife once worked. The inscription beneath the eaves – “Knowledge Is Power”. It encompasses a desire amongst the working class to educate and better themselves – it’s the desire which sent Nicky to university and the one he felt was being dismissed and eroded. He saw the current ‘pitbull’ image of working class as a government design to keep the working classes in their place and the beginning of a trend which would see them demonised through being associated with terms like ‘chav’ and ASBOs.

The line “Work came and made us free” is possibly inspired by the sign over the gates at Auschwitz.

Of course many people concentrate on the ‘we only wanna get drunk’ line, but it’s actually about working class heroism and the way that when they are motivated, the working class can affect change, for instance – as Sean explained – through the unions, and fighting the government’s use of political and economic constraints to control them.

At least one journalist also misinterpreted the ‘this is the end’ line, as if it was about the end of the world. In fact the song has more to do with beginnings – going back to the band’s roots and making a new start, talking about themes which they started to write about from the very beginning in “Aftermath 85.” It was also strikingly positive and definant and despite talking about the destruction of the working class, it was also about the fact that “whatever is thrown at the working classes by the upper classes we will always come through” (Nicky Wire & Jon Savage interview, Feb 1996).

It was the most musically uplifting thing they had written or recorded. Mike Hedges’ soaring production undoubtedly added to this. Hedges was chosen after and aborted session with New Order producer Stephen Hague because of his work with McAlmont and Butler (“Yes”) and Everything But The Girl’s album “Baby The Stars Shine Bright”. He was ideally suited to provide the Spector vibe that the James had written into the song. Hedges described it as a ‘juke box hit’ – much to James’ chagrin; but what he actually meant was that he could already tell that it was a timeless classic.

It was also an achievement of one of the band’s great ambitions. Back in 1993, Richey said in a TV interview that, “What we’re trying to do is write a song like Motorcycle Emptiness but make it 3 minutes long, to make it more simple, more economical with words, more accessible, more easy to understand.”

A Design For Life meets every part of this definition, It’s a ‘milestone’ record, like Motown Junk and one of the archetypal Manics songs. It was also the beginning of their great leap forwards as it appealed to thousands of new fans, as well as the existing hardcore fanbase. Its appeal was also reflected in an Ivor Novello Award – for Best Contemporary Song – on 29 May 1997.

SINGLE

Released 15 April 1996

Highest Chart Position #2

The CD singles were issued in two different sleeves, in metallic silver and gold, embossed with the band name and song title inside a box. This design was deliberately similar to ‘Ceremony’ by New Order. Both sleeves are designed with a cold, non-image. The Manics chose Mark Farrow because of his classic minimalist designs for the Pet Shop Boys and M People. In the Manics’ case, the contrast between the inner and outer sleeve is especially fine; after the coldness of the shiny outer packaging, the inside is decorated with lush images of nature.

New Order ‘Ceremony’ Sleeve

In one of the UK Top 40’s typical acts of injustice, the song was kept off the number one spot by Mark Morrison’s ‘Return Of The Mack’ – in its first week, the Manics sold 94,000 singles – 7,000 less than the number one. It went on to sell 300,000.

SLEEVE QUOTES

CD one: “The creation continues incessantly through the media of man. But man does not create… he discovers. Those who look for the laws of nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator. Copiers do not collaborate. Because of this, originality consists in returning to the origin.” The Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi

CD two: “The architect, by the relationships which he creates he wakes in us profound echoes, he gives us the measure of an order which we feel to be in accordance with that of our world, he determines the various movements of our heart and of our understanding; it is then that we experience the sense of beauty.” The Swiss architect Le Corbusier

VIDEO/TV

The video was directed by Pedro Romhanyi and appears to have been influenced by the promo for Public Enemy’s “Shut ‘Em Down” which James chose as one of his favourites on MTV in 1993. Both videos are pasted together from footage of the band, juxtaposed with quotes and images including rioting.

“A Design for Life” was filmed at the Roundhouse in Camden. The juxtaposed images show scenes from Royal Ascot, the Poll Tax Riots, The Last Night of the Proms and the Paris 1968 riots

Full List of Video Slogans:

DESIGN FOR LIFE

A HOUSE IS A MACHINE FOR LIVING IN

USEFUL IS BEAUTIFUL

TOMORROW IS TOO LATE

UGLINESS CORRUPTS THE HEART AND MIND

HOPE LIES IN THE PROLES

VIOLENCE FOR EQUALITY

WHEN FREEDOM EXISTS THERE WILL BE NO STATE

IS EVERYBODY HAPPY?

THE PURE MOTIVE

HEROES OR VILLAINS? MAKE YOUR CHOICE

MAN DOES NOT CREATE. HE DISCOVERS.

READ A DICTIONARY EVERY DAY

There are two versions of the video, as it was re-edited for MTV because the scenes rioting were considered too contentious. The original version was eventually released on the ‘Forever Delayed’ DVD. Another re-edited version was used, along with the Stealth Sonic Orchestra Version instrumental version of the song, as the intro tape for gigs in 1996 / 1997, as can be seen on the ‘Everything Live’ video.

TV APPEARANCES

As one of their of classic songs, A Design For Life is the one song which pops up on TV whenever they are mentioned, so it’s impossible to pin down every appearance. But one of the most notable was in 1996, on late night ITV show Hotel Babylon. It was one of their first TV appearances as a three piece and Nicky was stationary throughout the song because, explaining later than he was upset at being made to stand in Richey’s spot on stage by the show’s director.

NOTABLE ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS

A rarely heard Full Vocal Edit was used for TV appearances in 1996; the intro is cut off, with James going straight into the first verse.

Two live versions have been released; Live At Sheffield City Hall, 14th October 1996 (The extra track on the “Australia” cassette single) and Live At Amsterdam Paradiso, 9th November 1998 (One of the extra tracks on the European CD of “The Everlasting.”)

Two Stealth Sonic Orchestra Versions, produced by Apollo 440, under a pseudonym. The Stealth Sonic Orchestra Instrumental Version was used as intro music for the “Everything Must Go” tours and was also later used by the Welsh Tourist Board for their 1998 UK TV adverts.

An orchestral version by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was also included on Daily Express Garden Classics, a free CD given away with the UK broadsheet newspaper.

LIVE

The song has been a compulsory part of their set at gigs ever since their support slot with the Stone Roses in 1995. Towards the end of the Everything Must Go tours, it even replaced “You Love Us” as the last song in the set.

James has varied the lyrics occasionally and changed them to “We don’t talk about love, we only want to get fucked” at many shows. He has also included a few lines from ‘Summer Wind’ the Frank Sinatra song during performances over the past 10-15 years.

The band also performed a version with revised lyrics for Michael Sheen’s “The Passion” in 2011.