"Tsunami" is a song by Welsh rock 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 as a single on 5 July 1999 through

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. It was the fourth and final single released from their fifth studio album, ''

This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours ''This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 14 September 1998 by record label Epic. Like its 1996 predecessor '' Everything Must Go'', ''This Is My Tru ...

'' (1998). All three members of the band—

James Dean Bradfield James Dean Bradfield (born 21 February 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. He is known for being the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. Biography Early life B ...

, Sean Moore and

Nicky Wire Nicholas Allen Jones (born 20 January 1969), known as Nicky Wire, is a Welsh musician and songwriter, best known as lyricist, bassist and secondary vocalist of the Welsh alternative rock band, Manic Street Preachers. Prior to the group, Wire s ...

—share the writing credits. The single peaked at number 11 on 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 ...

Background

"Tsunami" is the Japanese word for "big wave". The song was inspired by The Silent Twins,

June and Jennifer Gibbons June Gibbons (born 11 April 1963) and Jennifer Gibbons (11 April 1963 – 9 March 1993) were identical twins who grew up in Wales. They became known as "The Silent Twins", since they only communicated with each other. They wrote works of ficti ...

, who gave up speaking when they were young, became involved in

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

and ended up being sent to

Broadmoor Hospital Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. It is the oldest of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth Hospital near Liverpool and Rampton Secure ...

. The song is unique in the band's catalogue in that it is largely built around an electric sitar and strings.

Release

The single peaked at number 11 in the United Kingdom, remaining on the

for eight weeks. Of all four singles from ''

'', "Tsunami" spent the fewest weeks on the chart. In Finland, the song peaked in number 13, spending three weeks on

Finnish Singles Chart The Official Finnish Charts ( fi, Suomen virallinen lista; sv, Finlands officiella lista) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiell ...

. The B-side "Buildings for Dead People" appears on the enhanced CD 1 along with the video for "

A Design for Life "A Design for Life" is a single by Welsh band Manic Street Preachers from their fourth studio album, '' Everything Must Go'' (1996). Released on 15 April 1996, the song peaked and debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Origins The title ...

". CD 2 includes a remix of "Tsunami" by Cornelius and a mix by Electron Ray Tube. The cassette version includes a live recording of "

Motown Junk "Motown Junk" is a non-album single and the second single by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 21 January 1991. Release "Motown Junk" was released on 21 January 1991 by record label Heavenly, the band' ...

" from the Tivoli in Utrecht in Holland on 29 March 1999. "Tsunami" was also included on the band's ''

Forever Delayed ''Forever Delayed'' is a greatest hits album and DVD by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers, released in 2002 by record label Epic. The album included three singles which had never appeared on earlier albums (" Motown Junk", " ...

'' singles compilation.

Track listing

All music was composed by

and Sean Moore except where indicated. All were lyrics written by Nick Jones except where indicated. UK CD1 # "Tsunami" – 3:50 # "Buildings for Dead People" – 5:29 # "

" (video version) – 4:20 UK CD2 # "Tsunami" – 3:50 # "Tsunami" ( Cornelius remix) – 4:04 # "Tsunami" ( Electron Ray Tube mix) – 6:43 UK cassette single # "Tsunami" – 3:50 # "

(Medley)" (live at the Tivoli in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

, Netherlands, on 29 March 1999) (lyrics: Richey James, Jones) – 4:02

Charts

References

External links

Article on "The Silent Twins" from the New Yorker
{{Authority control 1999 singles 1999 songs Epic Records singles Manic Street Preachers songs Songs about floods Songs based on actual events Song recordings produced by Mike Hedges Songs written by James Dean Bradfield Songs written by Nicky Wire Songs written by Sean Moore (musician)