Conquer the World Wales in the Nineties

The 1990s was a golden age of rock for Wales,

when the likes of Catatonia, Stereophonics and the Manics

rose from obscurity to become the pride of the nation.

It was ambition that got them there.

The thing is, just to get things moving

is to get things changed in Wales.

Get that cultural landscape changed.

The people of Japan wanted to know everything about the Welsh bands

and these things were happening because the music was travelling.

Even though we were saying, Thank The Lord I'm Welsh,

it was almost more universal than that.

When we'd play in Leeds and Birmingham and Glasgow,

people would sing along with, it as well.

This is the story of the stars of Cool Cymru,

who inspired a generation in their drive to conquer the world.

In the '90s, the Manic Street Preachers scored a worldwide hit

with If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next.

Their songs put Wales on the map.

It was a success few would have imagined for a band who grew up in

the aftermath of the miners' strike.

# And if you tolerate this

# Then, your children will be next... #

Yet they were a part of a new generation of musicians,

fired by ambition and raw talent,

who would transform the self-esteem of the nation.

The Manic Street Preachers came from Blackwood in the valleys.

Cousins Sean Moore and James Dean Bradfield composed the music,

while Nicky Wire and Richey Edwards wrote the lyrics to their songs.

# Motown junk... #

We wanted to escape our lives and be more glamorous.

We were incredibly angry.

We had so much energy and we thought,

mixed with some little bit of intellect, as well,

that we, yeah, we were really passionate.

It was the classic notion of us against the world.

Richey Edwards and Nicky Wire

studied politics at Swansea University,

before the band won a major record deal with Columbia.

The Manics' first album, Generation Terrorists, took Britain by storm.

# We're gonna burn your deathmask uniforms... #

They were inspired by the international avant-garde movement,

the Situationists.

Situationism was massively important.

The idea that there's a secret history out there

that things lead you on a path

to a different reality. That was our fight, really,

that there was such a glorious world

of music and culture and connections.

Just the idea that music could be so much more than singing about love.

# You love us. Oh, you love us... #

In Blackwood, like everywhere,

the glamour of Richey and Nicky both challenged and inspired.

The glamour side, and for me in particular, androgyny,

it just felt really comfortable.

And it just felt, after the greyness at times of growing up during

the '80s, we wanted to be larger than life in the way we looked.

So, we did really look like aliens.

And we enjoyed that, you know. We enjoyed that otherness.

We definitely enjoyed that.

In the early '90s,

the Manics were attracting a cult following from all parts of Wales.

Bethan Elfyn grew up in Newtown, Powys.

She went on to be a Radio 1 DJ.

The first time I saw them was around '92 and it was just this incredible,

huge room with hundreds of people, wearing their fur coats.

And that gig, I'll never forget,

I'd borrowed my grandmother's fur coat to go down.

Thankfully, I didn't have to give it back.

I loved the glam and I think I was really interested in breaking rules,

breaking boundaries, but in the same way,

it was about kind of respecting the difference and respecting something

really other and, "I'm not going to conform to society,

"I'm going to do my own thing."

For over 20 years, the growth of bands that sang in Welsh,

like Y Cyrff, were celebrated by those involved in battling

to save the language.

Anhrefn from Bangor were passionate advocates who blazed a trail across

Europe with their Welsh-only gigs.

Bassist Rhys Mwyn also put his energy into managing

a new bilingual band,

formed by Y Cyrff's Mark Roberts and Cerys Matthews - Catatonia.

# O'are seddau gwag

# Daw'are lleni I fynu byth eto

# Yn araf deg... #

It was the magnetic charisma of Cerys that caught

the manager's attention.

Cerys, I think, was the first time that a Welsh-language band,

or partly Welsh-language band, had that glamour.

It was transient pop.

It was sexy and disposable,

it was all those things that Richard Hamilton talked about, you know,

with pop-art culture.

And Catatonia went tick, tick, tick. It's all those things.

Absolutely pop.

Just so cool.

# Take a little while before you speak out... #

Catatonia and Cerys is probably

the first time that you have that

absolute glamour and swagger, hand-in-hand with Welsh culture.

# Now his intentions unfold. They're not what they seem... #

But as Catatonia started to become successful,

many in the Welsh language movement

were disappointed the band's new songs were in English only.

I never saw the transition,

swapping to predominantly English-language songs,

as selling out.

They'd made their decision That's where they were going to go.

The effect it has on the Welsh language scene is different,

cos it now suggests to everybody - success equals singing in English.

# Cos we ain't got school in the morning... #

The Ankst record label caused further controversy when it started

releasing bilingual songs by its artists.

Emyr Glyn Williams was the co-founder of Ankst Records,

based in Penygroes, Caernarfon.

At the very beginning, I would say Ankst were almost

totally exclusively a Welsh language record label.

We didn't have to reckon with this question of bilingualism

or English until the early '90s,

when a new generation of bands and individuals came up.

So, basically, young groups like Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were naturally

bilingual and if we were going to work with them,

it was going to have to be on their terms, not our terms.

# She dried her eyes and cried La-la-la-la-la-la... #

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci,

from Carmarthen, included Euros Childs and his sister, Megan.

Many of their songs were in English or Welsh, or a mixture of the two.

The thing about music is that it connects with people and I would say

the one band that did that most out of all the Ankst bands we worked

with was Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and they did it without fanfare.

They found their audience the minute they started releasing records.

They were incredibly talented. An exquisite group, in fact.

# Scattered across the floor... #

Ankst was one of hundreds of independent record labels

fighting hard for its artists.

Emyr Glyn Williams made this video to promote the Gorkys' album,

Bwyd Time.

Success for him was a hit in the UK indie charts.

When the Gorkys hit number one, with their Bwyd Time, it was almost,

the feeling I had was, like, well, that we deserved it.

I just thought, "We're a successful record company now,

"more people are buying this record in all the indie stores in Britain

"than any other record by any other label."

So, you know,

all that hard work does pay off

and it stayed number one for a long time.

Whether a small indie or an American giant,

record labels were keen to promote their artists around the world.

Every country was a market for selling music,

as increasingly in the '90s,

differences in language ceased to be a problem.

Ambitious bands from Wales suddenly found themselves idolised in far-off

lands, singing in English or Welsh.

The Japan thing was particularly interesting with the Welsh bands,

because the people of Japan wanted to know everything

about the culture,

and they learned the language. There was suddenly an interest in Welsh.

It was really interesting that these things were happening

because the music was travelling.

The Gorkys in particular had a cult and passionate following, due to the

psychedelic nature of their music and I was just incredibly proud

of a band doing that from Carmarthen to the world.

# If fingers were xylophones

# Then, I could play a tune on your fingers... #

The Manic Street Preachers became hugely popular in the Far East.

In Japan, particularly,

they found a strong link with one of their most endearing anthems of the

early 1990s, Motorcycle Emptiness.

# Culture sucks down words

# Itemise loathing and feed yourself smiles... #

Motorcycle Emptiness was that,

sort of, broad-sweep, cinematic loneliness.

And it felt like that mixture of the melancholia of Wales,

that sort of being drenched in the rain, feeling alone,

but in a comfortable kind of way.

And there was a kind of emotional connection with Japan, in terms of

the sad, melancholy, the neon loneliness of the lyrics.

It just seemed to translate,

and when we got to Japan and just, sort of,

walked the streets in the rain, nothing felt more fitting than

hearing Motorcycle Emptiness on the radio,

which you did, everywhere you went.

# Motorcycle emptiness

# Under neon loneliness

# Motorcycle emptiness... #

# Feels like I'm standing in a timeless dream... #

In 1996,

Donna Lewis from Cardiff conquered America with a ballad she wrote in

a day, I Love You Always Forever.

It became one of the most popular songs ever charted,

reaching over 100 million airplays on American radio.

Donna's success story began when she sent out demos of her song

to record companies in the UK.

Then, to her surprise, months later,

she was told Atlantic Records in New York were trying to contact her.

I mean, it was so surreal.

I'd been doing the piano bars for years, trying to get a record deal,

and suddenly, somebody from Atlantic calls. I thought,

"Is this for real?"

I mean, it was like a fairytale.

So they flew me over and I had to perform I Love You Always Forever

in Doug Morris' office, who was the head of Atlantic at that time.

And I'm thinking, "Well, this is where I've got to

"pull myself together!"

So I sang two songs and, you know, at the end, he said,

"Congratulations, we'd like to offer you a record deal."

# I love you always forever

# Near and far, closer together

# Everywhere I will be with you... #

Donna was a seasoned musician, with a degree at the Royal Welsh College

of Music and Drama. She perfected her voice and songwriting skills,

working piano bars across Europe.

But inspiration for her hit came in a rush.

I had the intro and I remember, when I wrote the chorus I Love You Always

Forever, I actually thought to myself, "Oh, my God,

"that's such a nursery rhyme.

"I can't... I've got to change that.

"It's not cool." You know?

And then... And then, it just didn't work any other way,

so I kept it like that.

And, lyrically, I was inspired...

I was reading a bunch of HE Bates novels at the time and I was reading

For The Love Of Lydia and so I was inspired just to write

like a love song.

Donna's hit came from her first album,

aptly titled with a Welsh phrase - Now, In A Minute.

But it was her ethereal chug-along ballad that Americans

loved to hear on the radio.

And then suddenly, Donna Lewis from Cardiff found herself on prime-time

American TV.

What number is it now?

Well, I think it is still number one on the airplay chart.

Our next guest has taken the music world by storm with her new CD,

Now, In A Minute. Here to perform her hit single, I Love You Always

Forever, please welcome Donna Lewis!

That was daunting and I was nervous, of course,

because I had to sing the song.

They loved hearing me speak and, you know, they'd say,

"Where are you from?"

And I'd say "Wales" and often they'd go... "So, where is that?"

So, it was fun, you know, the great thing about Rosie O'Donnell, I mean,

she knew I was from Wales and I think she asked me,

"Can I say something in Welsh?"

Sut ydych chi heddiw?

Sut ydych chi heddiw?

She said, "What the hell is that?"

-You know, it was...

-So...

And I taught her a little bit of Welsh, so it was good to do that.

It was an amazing time.

I mean, I think for anybody that's been doing music for a long time,

trying to get success and, suddenly, you have this song and this record

that is top of the charts all over the world, you know.

We just toured everywhere and everybody knew the song.

It was amazing.

And I had so many more things I wanted to do in music,

so it was brilliant, because it gave me the opportunity

to do those things.

Donna Lewis followed up her success

in America with a top-five hit in Britain.

Meanwhile, something was stirring in the valleys again.

Three friends from Cwmaman were gearing up to sign a major recording

contract for their band, the Stereophonics.

# I get camping eyes in the final hour

# Last minute shoppers picking cauliflower

# The fuss they make, you'd swear they were buying a car... #

In May 1996, the music business was embroiled in a bidding war before

millionaire Richard Branson won the day for his new label, V2.

It was a perfect launch for a band

with great songs, played with passion.

# There's no mistake, I smell that smell

# It's that time of year again

# I can taste the air... #

The Stereophonics were not alone in attracting the attention

of big London-based labels.

Warner Brothers snapped up Catatonia.

This meant changes for the band,

like the signing of guitarist Owen Powell.

It was a dream come true for me because they were a signed band.

They had a record deal,

and they were a really good band and I really liked them.

I really liked what they did and I'd seen some

of the first gigs that Catatonia ever did

and been a huge fan of theirs from day one.

More bilingual bands made the move to bigger labels.

The Super Furry Animals joined Creation Records and soon found

themselves on network TV.

And despite their success with Ankst, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

signed to Fontana.

The Manic Street Preachers' third album, The Holy Bible,

received critical acclaim.

But it covered a dark period in the band's personal lives,

that culminated with the disappearance of lyricist

Richey Edwards. His abandoned car was found at the Severn Bridge.

The likely suicide left the three remaining musicians

in the bleakest of times.

Then, Nicky Wire wrote the lyrics to a song he called A Design For Life.

I think that's the song that saved the band, really.

Because it felt like one of the best songs we'd ever written.

It did actually feel like a natural force.

We'd had such an odd career already, where we'd been up like that

and then, Holy Bible was a critical hit, but hadn't sold anything.

So we'd already experienced massive highs and lows.

But with Design For Life, we just felt it's now or never.

The song was a massive hit and a huge boost to the band's popularity

in Britain and abroad.

Then, in February 1997, the album it came from, Everything Must Go,

was voted Best Album at the Brit Awards.

Winning the Brits, especially with Everything Must Go,

it did really feel at that point that it was just such a brilliant

atmosphere for Welsh music.

At that point, just rediscovering my inner self and my inner core,

really, and the things that I felt had made me.

So I put the Welsh flag round my shoulder, just because

those things just became really important to me,

you know. In a simple way,

just having a flag on the amp at the Brit Awards

just was nailing that home, really.

By June 1998, with sales of their debut album going platinum,

the Stereophonics were playing to over 20,000 fans at Cardiff Castle

and Welsh pride was soaring.

This next song is dedicated to Catatonia, Super Furry Animals,

Manic Street Preachers,

the cast from Twin Town, Pobol y Cwm,

anybody that's doing anything for Wales, because it's about time.

CHEERING

# Get camping eyes in the final hour... #

The surge in Welsh bands hitting the mainstream at the same time

was unprecedented.

It wasn't long before the media coined a phrase for it, Cool Cymru.

# Cheaper still down the street... #

You know, when you look at all this period,

the obvious thing is Cymru became cool and Cool Cymru is far better

than what we were before, which was uncool Cymru.

So we flipped the whole cultural language.

It's now cool. It gives Wales a confidence and a sense of being,

and unites people.

# Surrounded by the stock he bought last week... #

For me, I actually thought it was a great thing because these bands have

got huge anthems and everybody's belting it out in the crowd

and it's something that I think Welsh people want to have

that experience. It's the expression of being part of something.

# More life in a tramp's vest Ba-ba-ba-ba. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Catatonia achieved the success they craved when their second album,

International Velvet, reached number one in May 1998.

It catapulted the band and Cerys Matthews to stardom.

# It's all over the front page You give me road rage

# Racing through the best days

# It's up to you, boy You're driving me crazy... #

Spent an awful lot of the time in the studio

making International Velvet,

and then, as it gradually went up the charts and got to number one,

it did feel like everything changed, but at the same time,

everything was the same, because we were still the same people.

There were a lot more people at the concerts,

which is really gratifying,

because that's what you get into it for.

It's to know that people are buying your records

and coming to the shows.

And singing all the words to your songs. That was a new one for us.

# You should be making it easy on yourself... #

Catatonia played before 20,000 adoring fans at Margam Park,

Port Talbot, in May 1999.

# Racing through the best days

# It's up to you, boy

# You're driving me crazy... #

But though their records were hardly bilingual any more,

the band did not forget its roots and wrote the title track

to International Velvet in Welsh and English.

It became one of Catatonia's most endearing anthems

in Wales and beyond.

-CROWD:

-# Every day when I wake up

# I thank the Lord I'm Welsh... #

Mark Roberts came up with the line,

"Every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord I'm Welsh",

but then thought it would be a really nice...really nice trick

to sort of have the verses which are in Welsh being...

not critical of the Welsh language but saying,

"What a sleepy little nation we are.

You know, the first line, I think is, "Deffrwch Cymru cysglyd,"

"gwlad y gan."

"Wake up little Wales, land of song."

And so the verses are, sort of, poking fun at ourselves, saying,

"Look how backwards in coming forwards we are.

"How slow, how old-fashioned."

And then, you've got that nice contrast of singing,

"Every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord I'm Welsh."

So, I thought that was quite a nice little trick.

It's light-hearted and it's quite funny, as well.

It soon took off. Welsh people loved it and then what became a real

surprise was that when we'd play in Leeds and Birmingham and Glasgow,

people would sing along with it, as well.

So, it's almost as if, even though we were saying,

"Thank the Lord I'm Welsh," it was almost more universal than that.

CROWD SINGS

-# La-la-la-la...

-Every day when I wake up...#

I think we did go out of our way to make a point about our Welshness.

We are capable of doing lots of things.

We are capable of being a great country,

so with a bit more self-confidence, we could do something really good,

something really great.

# Thank the Lord I'm Welsh. #

All right, Cardiff!

We are Manic Street Preachers! You Stole The Sun From My Heart!

On the last night of the '90s,

the Manic Street Preachers staged the biggest concert in Wales,

at the Millennium Stadium.

While 66,000 fans packed the Manic Millennium,

the event was broadcast around the world.

# Drinking water to stay thin

# Or is it to purify?

# I love you all the same... #

The Manics hit worldwide success with their album,

This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours.

It sold over three million copies,

a remarkable achievement for a band

from a mining community in the valleys.

# I love you all the same

# But you stole the sun from my heart

# You stole the sun from my heart... #

This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is undoubtedly, lyrically,

our most Welsh album.

You know, the title comes from an Aneurin Bevan speech that he made

in the open air in Tredegar.

It translated a lot of ideas that I never thought could be

popular, really, like the Spanish Civil War,

the poetry of RS Thomas, you know, the drowning of a village.

I think people got out of us more the politics,

but without us growing up where we did in Wales,

that wouldn't have been there

and we wouldn't have been the band we were.

# Then, your children will be next... #

In the '90s, Welsh musicians were idolised by a young generation

searching for a new identity. But global success also helped

to reinforce their own sense of Welshness.

Just that alchemy of a few of us at the same time,

it just gave you a warm feeling

travelling throughout the world, then,

that feeling that you were taking something with you.

And it wasn't a sort of flag-waving nationalism or anything like that.

It was just feeling comfortable in your own skin.

That's how it felt to me, really, that we know who we are.

The Manic Millennium was a fitting climax to a decade in which

a diversity of gifted musicians

transformed the morale of the nation.

Through their endeavour, they conquered the world and gave Wales

a belief in itself, as never before.

Next week, we meet men and women who overcame extreme personal challenges

and changed their lives for good.