"La Tristesse Durera" is the second single to be released from the gold selling album Gold Against the Soul

Gold Against the Soul

Gold Against the Soul is the second album by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers released on June 14, 1993.All lyrics were written by Nicky Wire and Richey James Edwards, all music was written by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore.-Album overview:...

by the Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band 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...

. It was released on 26 July 1993 and reached number 22 in UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 charts on 31 July 1993.
The song's title is taken from the last words of Vincent Van Gogh, loosely translated as "the sadness endures". However, the lyrics are written from the perspective of a war veteran, containing the line "wheeled out once a year, a cenotaph souvenir" and tracking the bathetic

Bathos

Bathos is an abrupt transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect. While often unintended, bathos may be used deliberately to produce a humorous effect. If bathos is overt, it may be described as Burlesque or mock-heroic...

 progress of the former soldier's war medal: "It sells at market stalls/ Parades Milan catwalks".

The B-side, "Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman is a fictional character, the antihero and narrator of the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, and its film adaptation. He has also briefly appeared in other Ellis novels.-Biography and profile:...

", is a 'tribute' to the American Psycho

American Psycho

American Psycho is a psychological thriller and satirical novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by the protagonist, serial killer and Manhattan businessman Patrick Bateman. The book's graphic violence and sexual content generated a great deal of...

character. "La Tristesse Durera" also made an appearance as track number four on Forever Delayed

Forever Delayed

Forever Delayed is a greatest hits album by the Manic Street Preachers, released in October 2002. The album included three singles which had never appeared on earlier albums , the latter being one of the band's two UK #1 hits, along with "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next." Several...

(28 October 2002), the Manics' greatest hits album, which entered the UK album chart at number 4 on 9 November 2002

CD

1. "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" (7" version)
2. "Patrick Bateman"
3. "What's My Name" (live The Clash
   The Clash
   The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
   
    cover at Cambridge Junction, 20 October 1992)
4. "Slash 'n' Burn
   Slash 'N' Burn
   "Slash 'n' Burn" was released by the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers on March 16, 1992 and was the fourth single to be released from the band's debut album, Generation Terrorists....
   
   " (live at Norwich UEA, 21 October 1992)

12"

1. "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" (album version)
2. "Patrick Bateman"
3. "Repeat" (live in Norwich
   Norwich
   Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
   
   , 21 October 1992)
4. "Tennessee (I Get Low)"