| "Refugees" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Tears | ||||
| from the album Here Come the Tears | ||||
| Released | 25 April 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Genre | Britpop | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | Independiente Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler | |||
| Producer(s) | Bernard Butler | |||
| The Tears singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Refugees" is the debut single by The Tears, released on 25 April 2005 on Independiente Records. It charted at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. [1]
The top-ten charting was relatively good considering the lack of commercial success achieved by the singles of the previous Suede album. The title track's lyrical content is said by Brett Anderson to have political meaning, regarding his disgust towards the treatment of refugees. He said: “There’s a lot of scaremongering right-wing politicians that will tell you that your country is being destabilised by refugees, just to win a few votes. It’s a load of old bollocks. Immigration is essential to living in a healthy, diverse, multicultural 21st century society.” [2] The second single from the debut album, "Lovers," was originally slated to be a b-side to the Refugees single. This was changed after the record label decided it was worthy of being on the album. Anderson claimed that b-side "Southern Rain" deserved to be on the album.
The single was well-received. Nick Cowen of Drowned in Sound rated it 8 out of 10, saying: "'Refugees' showcases all the dilettante-like swagger the pair's former band exhibited on its more upbeat numbers." [3] John Murphy of musicOMH felt that "Anderson sounds more inspired than he has done in years and the song itself boasts a gloriously epic feel, worthy of the first Suede album." [4] Kevin Courtney of The Irish Times wrote: "Big, open-armed guitars and us-against-the-world lyrics make this a neat bookend to 'So Young'". [5] Virgin Media felt the song “sounds rather like Suede of old, with both parties having lost none of their knack for a bittersweet melody.” [6]
Suede is an English rock band formed in London in 1989. The band is composed of singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Richard Oakes, bass player Mat Osman, drummer Simon Gilbert and keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Neil Codling.
Bernard Joseph Butler is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the first guitarist with Suede, until his departure in 1994. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation; BBC journalist Mark Savage called him "one of Britain's most original and influential guitarists". He was voted the 24th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a national 2010 BBC poll and is often seen performing with a 1961 cherry red Gibson ES-355 TD SV with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
"There by the Grace of God" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released in October 2002 by record label Epic as a single from the band's greatest hits album Forever Delayed.
The Tears were an English rock supergroup formed in 2004 by ex-Suede bandmates Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler. The duo were a much anticipated reunion and music critics praised their first concerts and debut album, Here Come the Tears. However, the project was short-lived as they disbanded in 2006, which allowed Anderson to focus on his solo career and Butler to become a full-time producer.
Brett Lewis Anderson is an English singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he briefly fronted The Tears in 2004, and released four solo albums in which he also played guitar and keyboards. Anderson is known for his distinctive wide-ranging voice, poetic lyrics, energetic and charismatic stage presence and, during Suede's early days, an androgynous appearance. Suede reformed in 2010 and continue to record and tour.
Suede is the debut album by English alternative rock band Suede, released in March 1993 on Nude Records. It was recorded in London at Master Rock studios late 1992 and early 1993 and was produced by Ed Buller. At the time the fastest-selling debut album in British history in almost a decade, Suede debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart, won the 1993 Mercury Music Prize, and is often cited as one of the first Britpop records. Displaying a sound of Britishness and glam rock, its music and lyrical content has been compared to The Smiths and early David Bowie.
Coming Up is the third album by English alternative rock band Suede, released on 2 September 1996 through Nude Records. It was the band's first album since the departure of guitarist Bernard Butler, who was replaced by Richard Oakes. Also added to the band was keyboardist Neil Codling. The album was nominated for the 1997 Mercury Prize. A commercial and critical success, Coming Up was the second by the band to reach no. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, producing five top ten singles and receiving a favourable reception at home and in the US. Coming Up was the album that introduced Suede to a worldwide audience, in places such as Europe, Canada and Asia.
Head Music is the fourth album by English alternative rock band Suede, released by Nude Records in May 1999. Produced and mixed by Steve Osborne, Head Music features a more electronic sound, which was a new approach for the band. The recording of Head Music was plagued with difficulties such as singer Brett Anderson's addiction to crack, and keyboardist Neil Codling's struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome. The album still went to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, however, making it the band's third and final chart-topping album. Overall, the album received generally favourable reviews from critics.
Here Come the Tears is the only album by The Tears, released on 6 June 2005 on Independiente Records.
Sci-Fi Lullabies is a two-disc compilation album by English alternative rock band Suede released by Nude Records on 6 October 1997, consisting of B-sides from the singles that were released from the group's first three albums. It reached no. 9 on the UK Albums Chart, and received universal acclaim on release. In subsequent years, the record has been hailed as one of the finest B-side compilations in popular music.
"Metal Mickey" is the second single by the English rock band Suede, released on 14 September 1992 on Nude Records. It was included the following year on the band's debut album Suede. It charted at No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart, a vast improvement on the previous single "The Drowners", which fell short of the top 40. The song also reached the top 40 in Australia and Sweden.
"Stay Together" is a non-album single by Suede, released on 14 February 1994 on Nude Records. It is the last single released while guitarist Bernard Butler was in the band, though subsequent singles from Dog Man Star feature his music. It is tied with "Trash" as the highest charting single the band has released, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart. The song also charted in Ireland, peaking at no. 18. The single was released in the US on 26 April as a six song EP, and was the first release by the band as The London Suede. The State-side name change was the result of a successful lawsuit brought by Suzanne deBronkart, who had already been performing and recording in the US under the name Suede.
"Attitude" is a song by Suede, released on 6 October 2003 on Columbia Records. It would be the group's final single before disbanding in late 2003. "Attitude" peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart as a double A-side with "Golden Gun", becoming the group's highest-charting single since "She's in Fashion" in 1999. It also reached the top 20 in Denmark and Spain and peaked at number 50 in Ireland. Some critics viewed the single as an improvement from the group's 2002 album A New Morning, which was considered to be a disappointing album.
"Trash" is the first single from the album Coming Up by Suede, released on 29 July 1996, on Nude Records. It is the first single on which all the songs were written without guitarist Bernard Butler, since Richard Oakes had taken his place. The single is tied with "Stay Together" as the band's highest charting at number three; however, it outsold the earlier single, thus making it their biggest-selling single. Outside the UK, the song topped the Finnish Singles Chart in late August and reached the top five in Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
"Electricity" is the first single from the album Head Music by Suede, released on 12 April 1999 on Nude Records. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and in Finland and Norway. It was also a top-twenty hit in Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Sweden and reached number 39 in New Zealand.
"She's in Fashion" is the second single from the album Head Music (1999) by Suede. It was released on 21 June 1999 and peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 in Finland, and number 59 in Sweden.
"Positivity" is the first single from the album A New Morning by Suede, released on September 16, 2002 on Columbia Records. Although it received mixed reviews from critics and fans, the song became one of the band's final hit singles, reaching number one in Denmark, number 12 in Spain, number 15 in Finland and Norway, and number 16 in their native United Kingdom.
"Obsessions" is the second single from the album A New Morning by Suede, released on November 18, 2002 on Columbia Records.
"A&E" is a song by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp from their fourth studio album, Seventh Tree (2008). The song was written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, with co-production handled by Flood. It was released as the album's lead single on 11 February 2008.
The Blue Hour is the eighth studio album by English alternative rock band Suede. The album was released on 21 September 2018.
