There by the Grace of God

"There by the Grace of God" is a song by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 14 October 2002 by record label Epic as a single from the band's greatest hits album Forever Delayed.

"There by the Grace of God"
Single by Manic Street Preachers
from the album Forever Delayed
Released14 October 2002
Recorded2002
StudioMonnow Valley (Wales)
GenreAlternative rock, electronic
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mike Hedges, Greg Haver
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology
"Let Robeson Sing"
(2001)		 "There by the Grace of God"
(2002)		 "The Love of Richard Nixon"
(2004)

Content

The song is noted for the line "And all the drugs in the world can't save us from ourselves", which is an almost word-for-word quote from Marilyn Manson's song "Coma White", which features the line "And all the drugs in this world can't save her from herself". Manson was previously referred to in the song "The Convalescent" from 2001's Know Your Enemy, with the line "[...] and Brian Warner has a tasty little ass".[1]

The CD single includes the B-sides "Automatik Teknicolour", "It's All Gone", "Unstoppable Salvation", "Happy Ending" and the music video for "There by the Grace of God". A DVD was also released, including the music video for the song and two remixes: Saint Etienne Mix and Starecase Mix.[1]

Release

Epic Records released "There by the Grace of God" on 14 October 2002.[2] The song was featured in the band's greatest hits album Forever Delayed, released that year. The single reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart.[3] In Finland it peaked on number 9.

The single received a favourable review by the NME.[4]

Critical reception

In a positive review, Mark Beaumont of NME hailed the song's "icy disco beats and chiming spider-hair guitars" and compared it to Depeche Mode, saying "'...Grace of God' is basically 'Enjoy the Silence' with the tune hacked off, but as a half-arsed filler whacked off to flog a greatest hits it reveals not the irrelevant spent force of '...Tolerate This' but rejuvenated musical magpies willing to challenge themselves and their audience again."[4] Drowned in Sound reviewer Steph saw the song as an attempt by the band to "go electronic," similarly comparing it to Depeche Mode and New Order. Though she felt the song lacked "some kind of clarity to cut through the cloying wall of sound," she praised the melody, "glorious wash of sweeping guitars and harsh yet soaring vocals."[5]

Kevin Courtney of The Irish Times wrote that the song "towers above" much of the songs on the band's then-latest album Know Your Enemy (2001),[6] whereas Sputnikmusic reviewer Iai felt it "just doesn't stand up to past glories."[7] Jamie Atkins of Record Collector named the song a highlight of National Treasures – The Complete Singles (2011), calling it "deliciously gloomy and undersung."[8] In a review of the same compilation, Sam Shepherd of Music OMH cited it among the band's best work, calling it "an under appreciated Manics classic."[9]

Track listing

All music written and composed by Nick Jones, James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore.

CD single 1

  1. "There by the Grace of God" – 3:48
  2. "Automatik Teknicolour" – 3:37
  3. "It's All Gone" – 4:05
  4. "There by the Grace of God" (video)

CD single 2

  1. "There by the Grace of God"
  2. "Unstoppable Salvation" – 2:54
  3. "Happy Ending" – 3:29

DVD

  1. "There by the Grace of God" (video)
  2. "There by the Grace of God" (Saint Etienne mix) – 5:07
  3. "There by the Grace of God" (Starecase mix) – 4:55
  4. Multimedia

Charts
Chart (2002) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 6[3]
The Official Finnish Charts 9

References
  1. Power, Martin (17 October 2010). Manic Street Preachers. Omnibus Press.
  2. "Reviews – For Records Released on 14 October 2002" (PDF). Music Week. 5 October 2002. p. 9. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  3. "Manic Street Preachers | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  4. Beaumont, Mark. "NME Reviews – Manic Street Preachers: There by the Grace of God | NME.com". NME. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. "Manic Street Preachers There by the Grace of God". Drowned in Sound. 14 October 2002. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  6. Courtney, Kevin (6 December 2002). "Irish Times writers review Michelle Shocked at the Ambassador, Opera Gala at the NCH and The Manic Street Preachers at the Point". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  7. "Manic Street Preachers Forever Delayed". Sputnikmusic. 14 January 2005. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  8. Atkins, Jamie (2011). "MANIC STREET PREACHERS - NATIONAL TREASURES: THE COMPLETE SINGLES". Record Collector. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  9. Shepherd, Sam (29 October 2011). "Manic Street Preachers – National Treasures". Music OMH. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
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