The track "Love's Sweet Exile" was originally called "Faceless Sense of Void". The principal difference between the two is that the original version does not have the chorus of the recorded version. The melody for the chorus was taken from another unreleased Manic Street Preachers song, "Just Can't Be Happy Without You". The band – James Dean Bradfield in particular – have said that they dislike the version recorded for Generation Terrorists.[4]
Marc Burrows of Drowned in Sound proclaimed the song "easily the most metalGeneration Terrorists gets",[2] illustrating it to be a "trad-metal monster" embellished by "Bradfield's most over-the-top solo".[2] Sam Shepard of MusicOHM alluded to the track's "glam metal stylings",[1] while Martin Power drew comparisons to "the work of a prog metal band".[3]
Release
"Love's Sweet Exile" was released on 28 October 1991 by record label Columbia.[5] The single reached number 26 in the UK Singles Chart on 9 November 1991,[6] making it the band's highest charting single at that point.
The CD and standard 12-inch included "Democracy Coma" (which was an album track on the U.S. version of the debut album). There was also a limited gatefold 12-inch with a bonus live version of "Stay Beautiful".
Re-release
The track was re-worked and re-released as "Love's Sweet Exile (Acoustic Blue Version)" on 10 October 2011 as announced via the band's website.[7] The song is available as a digital download from Amazon.
Music video
The video for the song directed by W.I.Z. is notable for its homoerotic imagery.[8]Nicky Wire and Richey James Edwards are apparently naked while in close contact with each other, while Bradfield is also apparently naked, with an archery target drawn on his chest. The clip was also the first of many by the band to feature a favoured literary quote on screen. In this case, a piece of text credited to Albert Camus heralds the song; "And then came human beings. They wanted to cling, but there was nothing to cling to".
