Nicky Wire Reflects on New Manic Street Preachers’ Morrissey-Inspired Track “Dear Stephen”
Manic Street Preachers’ new track, “Dear Stephen,” has sparked discussion, particularly regarding its possible connection to Morrissey and his 80s heyday. However, bassist Nicky Wire has clarified that the song is more about self-reflection than a plea for Morrissey’s return to his past glory.
The song was inspired by a postcard Morrissey once sent to a teenage Wire, who was unable to attend a Smiths concert due to illness. Wire explained that the track is about his own complex relationship with the past, specifically the formative years between 12 and 18, which had a profound impact on his aesthetic appreciation of music, literature, and film.
Speaking to NME, Nicky Wire shared: “The only moral judgment on this album tends to be about me. The song is about many things and it’s multi-layered. It’s about me critically looking at my own reliance on the past – about why those years were so scorched onto me. It goes for a lot of people, to be honest, but being between 12 and 18, I don’t think I’ve ever shaken them off for the imprint they’ve had on my aesthetic appreciation of music, literature and film. It’s an investigation of that.”
Wire also touched on the significance of the Morrissey postcard, which read, “Get well soon.” While it might seem like a trivial gesture, Wire explained how it had become imbued with deep personal meaning. “It’s about so many different things but mainly about not being able to get out of that, and the amazing comfort and joy it brings. It’s a love letter to my former self as much as it is everything else.”
At 56, Nicky Wire reflected that the songs he has written for the new album are somewhat more melancholic compared to those penned by the band’s frontman, James Dean Bradfield. “Albums are a reflection of where your mind is at – certainly in the Manics’ world. Sometimes you have to let that honesty out,” Wire said. “I just went off myself a bit, but I always find myself to be my most dependable source of inspiration. I’m starting to lose that – but that’s different to the lyrics from James; his three songs have more of a sense of optimism to them.”
