"The Everlasting" is a song by Manic Street Preachers

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 a single on November 30, 1998, the second single to be released from the 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 :...

. All three members of the band - 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 :...

, 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:...

 and 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:...

 - share the writing credits. Nicky Wire borrowed the title

Title

A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...

, "The Everlasting", from a poem by his brother Patrick Jones

Patrick Jones

Patrick Jones is a Welsh poet, playwright and filmmaker. His work is often in collaboration with the rock band Manic Street Preachers; his brother, Nicky Wire, is their bassist.-Biography:...

, after spending some time trying to think of something similar to Blur

Blur (band)

Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...

's "The Universal" or Joy Division

Joy Division

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...

's "The Eternal".

CD single number one included "Black Holes for the Young" - a duet with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...

 which is a criticism of 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...

 culture - and "Valley Boy", a song which criticizes the European Union. A second CD single featured remixes of "The Everlasting" - "Deadly Avenger Mix" and "Stealth Sonic Orchestra Mix".

The promotional video that accompanied the song was censored because it contained people on fire. The original version was considered insensitive as the release of the single coincided with the well publicised inquest into the death of a man who had burnt alive. Two versions of the video were therefore produced - one with computer generated flames, one without. The video was filmed at Euston railway station

Euston railway station

Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...

 in London.

The single reached #11 on the UK Single Charts, breaking their run of consecutive top ten hits.

CD single #1 (UK)

Epic 666593 2

1. "The Everlasting" – 6:11
2. "Black Holes for the Young" (Ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor) – 4:11
3. "Valley Boy" – 5:10

CD single #2 (UK)

Epic 666686 5

1. "The Everlasting" – 6:09
2. "The Everlasting" (Deadly Avenger Mix) – 5:40
3. "The Everlasting" (Stealth Sonic Orchestra Remix) – 5:12

CD single (EU)

Epic EPC 666593 1

1. "The Everlasting" – 6:11
2. "Black Holes for the Young" (Ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor) – 4:11

CD single (Australia)

Epic 6668542

1. "The Everlasting"
2. "Black Holes for the Young" (Ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
3. "Valley Boy"
4. "The Everlasting" (Deadly Avenger's Psalm)
5. "The Everlasting" (Steath Sonic Orchestra Remix)

12" vinyl single

UK: Sony XPR3297

Side one

1. "The Everlasting" (Deadly Avenger's Psalm 315) – 5:40
2. "The Everlasting" (Deadly Avenger's Psalm 315 Instrumental) – 5:40

Side two

1. "The Everlasting" (Deadly Avenger's 69th St. Mix) – 4:46
2. "The Everlasting" (Deadly Avenger's 69th St. Instrumental) – 4:51