Motorcycle Emptiness

Released by Columbia on 1 June 1992 as the fifth single from Generation Terrorists, it reached number 17 in the UK on 13 June. It spent six weeks in the top 75, a record for the band that they did not beat until "A Design for Life" in 1996. The song was inspired by S. E. Hinton's book Rumble Fish, and the band described the words as an attack on a lifestyle centred on the consumerism that capitalism offers. Some lyrics, including the chorus opening "Under neon loneliness", come from a poem by Patrick Jones, Wire's brother.

Moore said it was something like four songs put together, and Wire called it a real amalgam, with part coming from songs called "Go, Buzz Baby, Go" and "Behave Yourself Baby". Wire said it was the first time the band looked at each other and thought perhaps they could actually do something. Bradfield recalled that producer Steve Brown left him alone in the studio for an hour to find a solo, then came back and told him he was now a guitar god, and that he needed to find his Slash moment.

The video was filmed during a promotional visit to Japan, including Shibuya Crossing. Apollo-440 remixed the song as Stealth Sonic Orchestra, and T-Mobile used it in a 2003 advertising campaign. In 2006 readers of Q voted it the 88th best song ever.