If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
Encyclopedia
"If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" is a song by the Manic Street Preachers
, released as the first single from their fifth studio album, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
, with lyrics written by Nicky Wire
(credited as Nick Jones), and music written by James Dean Bradfield
and Sean Moore
. It was released on 24 August 1998 and became the first of the band's two number one singles in the United Kingdom
to date. The song is in the Guinness World Records
as the number one single with the longest title without brackets. The song was voted #20 on Channel 4
's 100 Greatest Number One Singles, is the group's biggest success on the Irish singles chart (where it reached #3), and is the only Manic Street Preachers track ever to be released as a single in the United States
, where it was a minor hit on Modern Rock
radio.
The song's theme is taken from the Spanish Civil War
, and the idealism of Welsh
volunteers who joined the left-wing International Brigades
, fighting Francisco Franco
's military rebels against the Spanish Republic
. The song takes its name from a Republican
poster of the time. A photograph of a young child killed by Nationalist bombs is shown under a sky of bombers with the stark warning "If you tolerate this, your children will be next" written at the bottom.
Various works on the Spanish Civil War
were the inspiration for this song, most notably George Orwell
's first-hand account, "Homage to Catalonia
." Wire has acknowledged that he was also inspired by a song by The Clash
, "Spanish Bombs
", which has a similar subject.
Certain lyrics pertain directly to these works. For example, the line "If I can shoot rabbits/then I can shoot fascists" is attributed to a remark made by a man who signed up with the Republican fighters to his brother in an interview years later. This was originally quoted in the book Miners Against Fascism by Hywel Francis
.
"I've walked Las Ramblas/but not with real intent" brings to mind the account in Orwell's book of fighting on the Ramblas, with the various factions seemingly getting nowhere with the fighting and often a sense of camaraderie overriding the vaunted principles each side was supposed to be fighting for.
The recording was issued as two CD singles: the first included versions of "Prologue to History" and "Montana/Autumn/78", second featured a 4:54 remix by Massive Attack
and a 10'02" The Class Reunion of the Sunset Marquis Mix by David Holmes
. The song also made an appearance as track number three on Forever Delayed
(2002), the Manics' greatest hits
album.
In March 2009, it was discovered that the song was used on the website of the British National Party
as the soundtrack
of an article describing "the violence, hatred, fragmentation and despair" wrought on London
by the "great multicultural
experiment". The choice of this song was considered ironic by many, considering the song contains lyrics such as "So if I can shoot rabbits/Then I can shoot fascists". Record company Sony
were successfully able to have the song removed from the site on the grounds of unauthorised use
. The BNP later released a press statement claiming that "the song had mistakenly been automatically streamed on to its site and had nothing to do with the official party" and that "you can interpret the lyrics any way you want".
on his 2003 album, Hallucinations. Eric Chase, the DJ also recorded a cover of this song by December 2009.
Radiohead
front man Thom Yorke
occasionally sang portions of the song during live performances of "Everything in Its Right Place
" during the band's 2001 tour.
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
, released as the first single from their fifth studio album, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is the fifth album by Welsh band Manic Street Preachers. It was released in September 1998 on Epic Records, and in the United States the following year, on Virgin Records.- Background :...
, with lyrics written by Nicky Wire
Nicky Wire
Nicholas Allen Jones, known as Nicky Wire, is the lyricist, bassist and occasional vocalist with the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.-Early life:...
(credited as Nick Jones), and music written by James Dean Bradfield
James Dean Bradfield
James Dean Bradfield is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.- Early life :...
and Sean Moore
Sean Moore (musician)
Sean Anthony Moore is the writer, drummer/percussionist and sometime trumpet player of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.-Early years:...
. It was released on 24 August 1998 and became the first of the band's two number one singles in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to date. The song is in the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the number one single with the longest title without brackets. The song was voted #20 on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's 100 Greatest Number One Singles, is the group's biggest success on the Irish singles chart (where it reached #3), and is the only Manic Street Preachers track ever to be released as a single in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where it was a minor hit on Modern Rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio.
The song's theme is taken from the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, and the idealism of Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
volunteers who joined the left-wing International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
, fighting Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's military rebels against the Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
. The song takes its name from a Republican
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
poster of the time. A photograph of a young child killed by Nationalist bombs is shown under a sky of bombers with the stark warning "If you tolerate this, your children will be next" written at the bottom.
Various works on the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
were the inspiration for this song, most notably George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's first-hand account, "Homage to Catalonia
Homage to Catalonia
Homage to Catalonia is political journalist and novelist George Orwell's personal account of his experiences and observations in the Spanish Civil War. The first edition was published in 1938. The book was not published in the United States until February 1952. The American edition had a preface...
." Wire has acknowledged that he was also inspired by a song by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, "Spanish Bombs
Spanish Bombs
"Spanish Bombs" is a song by The Clash, with principal vocals by Joe Strummer and additional vocals by Mick Jones, and featured on their 1979 double album London Calling...
", which has a similar subject.
Certain lyrics pertain directly to these works. For example, the line "If I can shoot rabbits/then I can shoot fascists" is attributed to a remark made by a man who signed up with the Republican fighters to his brother in an interview years later. This was originally quoted in the book Miners Against Fascism by Hywel Francis
Hywel Francis
Dr Hywel Francis is a Welsh Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Aberavon since 2001.-Background:...
.
"I've walked Las Ramblas/but not with real intent" brings to mind the account in Orwell's book of fighting on the Ramblas, with the various factions seemingly getting nowhere with the fighting and often a sense of camaraderie overriding the vaunted principles each side was supposed to be fighting for.
The recording was issued as two CD singles: the first included versions of "Prologue to History" and "Montana/Autumn/78", second featured a 4:54 remix by Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
and a 10'02" The Class Reunion of the Sunset Marquis Mix by David Holmes
David Holmes (musician)
David Holmes is a Northern Irish DJ, musician and composer.-Career:Holmes began djing in Belfast from the age of 15. His first hit was the song "DeNiro", with Ashley Beedle, in 1992. In the early to mid 1990s he ran two club nights in the Belfast Art College known as Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain...
. The song also made an appearance as track number three on Forever Delayed
Forever Delayed
Forever Delayed is a greatest hits album by the Manic Street Preachers, released in October 2002. The album included three singles which had never appeared on earlier albums , the latter being one of the band's two UK #1 hits, along with "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next." Several...
(2002), the Manics' greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album.
In March 2009, it was discovered that the song was used on the website of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
as the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of an article describing "the violence, hatred, fragmentation and despair" wrought on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by the "great multicultural
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
experiment". The choice of this song was considered ironic by many, considering the song contains lyrics such as "So if I can shoot rabbits/Then I can shoot fascists". Record company Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
were successfully able to have the song removed from the site on the grounds of unauthorised use
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
. The BNP later released a press statement claiming that "the song had mistakenly been automatically streamed on to its site and had nothing to do with the official party" and that "you can interpret the lyrics any way you want".
Covers
The song was covered by David UsherDavid Usher
David Usher is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. Formerly the frontman for the alternative rock band Moist, he embarked on a solo career beginning in the late 1990s.-Biography:...
on his 2003 album, Hallucinations. Eric Chase, the DJ also recorded a cover of this song by December 2009.
Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
front man Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
occasionally sang portions of the song during live performances of "Everything in Its Right Place
Everything in Its Right Place
"Everything in Its Right Place" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, written by lead singer Thom Yorke in 1999. It was recorded with producer Nigel Godrich in Batsford later the same year...
" during the band's 2001 tour.
CD1
- "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" – 4:51
- "Prologue to History" – 4:44
- "Montana/Autumn/78" – 3:12
CD2
- "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" – 4:50
- "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (Massive Attack Remix) – 4:54
- "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (David Holmes Remix) – 10:02
MC
- "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next"
- "Kevin Carter" (Live at Manchester NYNEX, 24 May 1997)