"Revol" is a song by the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

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

. It was released in August 1994 by the

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

record label as the second single from their third studio album, ''

The Holy Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writte ...

'', which was released later in the month. The song reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart on 13 August 1994.

Music and lyrics

"Revol" has been categorized under the genres

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegaz ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

. The song's lyrics were written by the rhythm guitarist

Richey Edwards Richard James Edwards (22 December 1967 – disappeared 1 February 1995, declared dead 24 November 2008), also known as Richey James or Richey Manic, was a Welsh musician who was the lyricist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band ...

and the bass guitarist

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

. The verses list famous and controversial names in history, each being dismissed one-by-one in short and often insulting

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of Articulation (music), musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and ...

lines (such as " Chamberlain, you see God in you", "

Pol Pot Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until Cambodian–Vietnamese War, his overthrow in 1979. During ...

, withdrawn traces, bye-bye", "

Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...

, you're all target now" and "

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Commu ...

, celibate self-importance"). The track may be considered an autobiographical account of Edwards' attempts to hold down any meaningful relationships. "Revol" is "lover" spelt backwards. The lyric also places the names of famous political figures next to images of failure in sexual and emotional relationships. Wire, however, has said not even he knows exactly what the song is about.

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. His cousin Sean Moore is a ...

has previously been critical of the song, saying that he hates the UK version. He is, however, a fan of the "US Mix" by

Tom Lord-Alge Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1962) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at Unique Recording in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground ...

, which can be found on the 10th anniversary re-issue edition of ''The Holy Bible''.

Release

"Revol" was released on 1 August 1994 by Epic as the second single from the band's third studio album, ''The Holy Bible''. It reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart.

Track listings

CD single 1 # "Revol" – 3:07 # "Too Cold Here" – 3:35 # " You Love Us" (original Heavenly version) – 4:27 # "

Love's Sweet Exile "Love's Sweet Exile" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 28 October 1991 by record label Columbia as the second single from their debut album, ''Generation Terrorists'' (1992). The B-side, "Repea ...

" (Bangkok live) – 3:05 CD single 2 # "Revol" – 3:07 # "Drug Drug Druggy" (live) – 3:27 # " Roses in the Hospital" (live) – 4:46 # "You Love Us" (live) – 3:04 Cassette # "Revol" – 3:07 # "Too Cold Here" – 3:35 10-inch vinyl # "Revol" – 3:07 # "Too Cold Here" – 3:35 # " You Love Us" (original Heavenly version) – 4:27 # " Life Becoming a Landslide" (Bangkok live) – 4:04

Personnel

– lead vocals, lead guitar *

Richey James Richard James Edwards (22 December 1967 – disappeared 1 February 1995, declared dead 24 November 2008), also known as Richey James or Richey Manic, was a Welsh musician who was the lyricist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band ...

– rhythm guitar * Sean Moore – drums *

– bass guitar

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1994 singles 1994 songs Epic Records singles Macaronic songs Manic Street Preachers songs Political songs Songs about Russia Songs based on actual events Songs written by James Dean Bradfield Songs written by Nicky Wire Songs written by Richey Edwards Songs written by Sean Moore (musician)