"Stay Beautiful" is a song by

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...

, released on 29 July 1991 by record label Columbia as the first single from the band's debut album, ''

Generation Terrorists ''Generation Terrorists'' is the debut studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 10 February 1992 through record label Columbia. On the back of significant media attention and a "disproportionately ...

''.

Content

The track started out under the working title of "Generation Terrorists" and originally featured the lyrics "Why don't you just fuck off" in the chorus, which was later cut to "Why don't you just... ap in the released version with a guitar fill in the aforementioned gap. It has since become customary for fans to shout the original lyric when the band occasionally perform the song live. Marc Burrows of ''

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

'' proclaimed "Stay Beautiful" a "straightforward punker", and "the most pure punk record in their arsenal" alongside "Repeat", and that it had "more in common with their earlier indie-label records ..than it does with its parent album".

Music video

The music video for the song features the band performing inside a garishly coloured house being splashed with paint, before the setting is demolished by a clay-mation space octopus at the conclusion; referencing themes and events in Alan Moore's '' Watchmen''.

Release

"Stay Beautiful" was released as a single on 29 July 1991 by record label Columbia. The single crept into the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, reaching number 40 on 10 August 1991. It was re-issued six years later but failed again to make the top 40, reaching number 52 on 13 September 1997. The B-sides for all formats included "R.P. McMurphy", with the CD and 12-inch versions adding "Soul Contamination". The title of "R.P. McMurphy" is based on the protagonist of Ken Kesey's 1962 novel ''

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

'' (which was subsequently made into a film).

Influence

The title of "Stay Beautiful" was used by

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

in a television advertisement for a car in reference to the song. There is also a bar/club in London named Stay Beautiful in reference to the song. During his solo tour, bassist Nicky Wire performed there. Longtime music press champion of the band Simon Price co-created alternative "glam/rock/trash" nightclub Stay Beautiful. Named after the song, it drew heavily on the ethos and attitudes of the band.

Track listing

; CD version ; 12" version ; 7" version

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stay Beautiful (Manic Street Preachers song) 1991 singles Manic Street Preachers songs Columbia Records singles Songs written by Richey Edwards Songs written by James Dean Bradfield Songs written by Sean Moore (musician) Songs written by Nicky Wire