"Refugees" is the debut single by The Tears, released on April 25, 2005 on Independiente Records. It charted at number 9 on the UK singles chart, which was relatively good considering the lack of success achieved by the previous Suede album, as well as the fact that it was the band's first single. The title track's lyrical content is said by Brett Anderson to have political meaning, regarding his disgust towards the treatment of refugees.
The second single from the debut album, "Lovers," was originally slated to be a b-side to the Refugees single. This was changed after the record label decided it was worthy of being on the album. Anderson claimed that b-side "Southern Rain" was deserving John Murphy of MusicOMH wrote that, "Anderson sounds more inspired than he has done in years and the song itself boasts a gloriously epic feel, worthy of the first Suede album."
Famous quotes containing the word refugees:
“The exile is a singular, whereas refugees tend to be thought of in the mass. Armenian refugees, Jewish refugees, refugees from Franco Spain. But a political leader or artistic figure is an exile. Thomas Mann yesterday, Theodorakis today. Exile is the noble and dignified term, while a refugee is more hapless.... What is implied in these nuances of social standing is the respect we pay to choice. The exile appears to have made a decision, while the refugee is the very image of helplessness.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)