View source for She Is Suffering

{{Short description|1994 single by Manic Street Preachers}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = She Is Suffering
| cover      = She_Is_Suffering.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Manic Street Preachers]]
| album      = [[The Holy Bible (album)|The Holy Bible]]
| released   = {{start date|1994|10|3|df=y}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=27|date=1 October 1994}}</ref>
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Post-punk]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gigwise.com/photos/94508/|title=Manic Street Preachers' The Holy Bible: the tracks ranked|last=Trendell|first=Andrew|date=23 September 2014|website=[[Gigwise]]|access-date=19 April 2020}}</ref>
| length     =
* 4:44 (album version)
* 4:07 (single version)
| label      = [[Epic Records|Epic]]
| writer     =
* [[James Dean Bradfield]]
* [[Sean Moore (musician)|Sean Moore]]
* [[Nicky Wire]]
* [[Richey Edwards]]
| producer   = Steve Brown
| prev_title = [[Revol (song)|Revol]]
| prev_year  = 1994
| next_title = [[A Design for Life]]
| next_year  = 1996
| misc       = {{External music video|{{YouTube|OYNwr58V1Pg|"She Is Suffering"}}}}
}}
"'''She Is Suffering'''" is a song by Welsh [[alternative rock]] band [[Manic Street Preachers]]. It was released in October 1994 by record label [[Epic Records|Epic]] as the third and final single from the band's third studio album, ''[[The Holy Bible (album)|The Holy Bible]]'' (1994). It was their last single to feature [[Richey Edwards]] before his disappearance on 1 February 1995. The single reached number 25 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] on 15 October 1994.

== Content ==

According to its lyricist, [[Richey Edwards]], the song's title refers to "Desire. In other bibles and holy books, no truth is possible until you empty yourself of desire. All commitment otherwise is fake/lies/economic convenience". [[Nicky Wire]] also noted, "It's quite a simple song, both musically and lyrically. It's kind of like the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] thing where you can only reach eternal peace by shedding every desire in your body."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.richeyedwards.net/holybible.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020707234245/http://articles.richeyedwards.net/holybible.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 7, 2002 |title=''The Holy Bible'' – According to Nicky and Richey |website=richeyedwards.net |accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref>

== Critical reception ==

Pan-European magazine ''[[Music & Media]]'' wrote, "You should suffer too if you don't jump on this passionate rock song, their best since 1992's '[[Motorcycle Emptiness]]'. Softies can play "[[MTV's Most Wanted]]" acoustic version."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-11-26.pdf#page=12|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=11|issue=48|date=26 November 1994|page=12|access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref> Martin Aston from ''[[Music Week]]'' gave it a score of four out of five, noting that the song "is slower than most of the Manics' predecessors but will still score".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Martin|last=Aston|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-09-24.pdf#page=16|title=Market Preview: Alternative|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=24 September 1994|page=16|access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref>

== Promotion ==

Promotion for the single included [[James Dean Bradfield]] performing an acoustic version of the song on [[RTÉ]]'s Sunday afternoon TV/radio [[simulcast]] ''[[The Beatbox]]''{{sfn|Price|1999}}

=== Music video ===

A promo video for the song was directed by Alfonso Doring, which featured performance clips interspersed with shots of art mannequins.<ref>{{Cite web|title = [A67] 'She Is Suffering'|url = https://manicsdiscog.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/a67-she-is-suffering/|website = Manic Street Preachers: A Critical Discography|accessdate = 26 October 2015}}</ref> In the music magazine ''[[Melody Maker]]'', Wire described the music video to "She Is Suffering" as "absolute shite beyond belief".{{sfn|Price|1999}} It was released on the band's ''Forever Delayed'' video compilation DVD (2002).<ref name="Power">{{cite book |last=Power |first=Martin |title=Manic Street Preachers |date=17 October 2010 |publisher=Omnibus Press}}</ref>

== Track listings ==

{{track listing
| all_music = [[James Dean Bradfield]] and [[Sean Moore (musician)|Sean Moore]]
| all_lyrics = [[Richey Edwards]] and [[Nicky Wire]], except as noted
| headline = CD single 1
| title1 = She Is Suffering
| note1 = 7-inch radio edit
| length1 = 4:07
| title2 = Love Torn Us Under
| length2 = 3:42
| title3 = [[The Drowners]]
| note3 = live) (featuring [[Bernard Butler]]
| writer3 = [[Brett Anderson]], Butler
| length3 = 3:17
| title4 = [[Stay with Me (Faces song)|Stay with Me]]
| writer4 = [[Rod Stewart]], [[Ron Wood]]
| length4 = 3:37
}}
{{track listing
| headline = CD single 2
| title1 = She Is Suffering
| note1 = 7-inch radio edit
| title2 = [[La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)]]
| note2 = Vocal Mix) (remixed by [[The Chemical Brothers|the Dust Brothers]]
| title3 = La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
| note3 = Dub Mix) (remixed by the Dust Brothers
| title4 = [[Faster (Manic Street Preachers song)|Faster]]
| note4 = Dub Mix) (remixed by the Dust Brothers
}}
{{track listing
| headline = 10-inch vinyl
| title1 = She Is Suffering
| note1 = 7-inch radio edit
| length1 = 4:07
| title2 = The Drowners
| note2 = live) (featuring Bernard Butler
| writer2 = Anderson, Butler
| length2 = 3:17
| title3 = Stay with Me
| note3 = live
| writer3 = Stewart, Wood
| length3 = 3:37
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Cassette
| title1 = She Is Suffering
| note1 = 7-inch radio edit
| title2 = Love Torn Us Under
}}
{{track listing
| headline = European Maxi-CD single
| title1 = She Is Suffering
| note1 = 7-inch radio edit
| title2 = The Drowners
| note2 = live) (featuring Bernard Butler
| writer2 = Anderson, Butler
| length2 = 3:17
| title3 = Stay with Me
| note3 = live
| writer3 = Stewart, Wood
| length3 = 3:37
| title4 = She Is Suffering
| note4 = acoustic version) (live on MTV's Most Wanted
| length4 = 4:01
}}

* All live tracks (excluding the European release) were recorded at the [[Clapham Grand]], [[Battersea]], London, England, on 2 March 1994 in aid of the Philip Hall Memorial Fund for [[Cancer Research UK|Cancer Research]].

== Charts ==

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1994)
! Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| [[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/20086/MANIC-STREET-PREACHERS/ |title=Manic Street Preachers|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
| align="center"| 25
|}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{cite book |last=Price |first=Simon |title=Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers) |publisher=Virgin Books |place=London |isbn=0-7535-0139-2 |year=1999}}

{{Manic Street Preachers}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1994 singles]]
[[Category:1994 songs]]
[[Category:Epic Records singles]]
[[Category:Manic Street Preachers songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by James Dean Bradfield]]
[[Category:Songs written by Nicky Wire]]
[[Category:Songs written by Richey Edwards]]
[[Category:Songs written by Sean Moore (musician)]]