The National Anthem
Song
Thom Yorke...Greenwood handling lead), and piano (including Rhodes piano, especially on Kid A). He also plays bass guitar on occasion (the bass line for "The National Anthem" was recorded by him) as well as drums; during the 2006 and 2008 tours he performed... In this article: Thom Yorke, Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood, Jack Black, Velvet Goldmine, R.E.M., The Eraser, Kid A, Mercury Prize, and Venus in Furs |
-
PopMatters | October 25, 2009
Thom Yorke: 5 October 2009-Los Angeles, CA (Review)
...good bass line. He was 16 when he wrote the riff for "The National Anthem" and played it when recorded for Kid A. On his solo album, The Eraser, the bass propelled songs forward and provided a melodic counterpoint to his vocals. Once shock...
In this article: Thom Yorke, Flea, Radiohead, The Eraser, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, Producer, Black Swan, and Analyse
-
Guardian Unlimited | June 24, 2008
Radiohead, Victoria Park, London Music The Guardian
...for a week, howling, jumping and dancing with glee. Kid A's The National Anthem enlivens the downbeat mood, its spooky synths and club beats working in tandem with a dazzling lightshow. Yorke jolts and shakes violently, feeling his way...
In this article: Radiohead, Thom Yorke, In Rainbows, Just, Jonny Greenwood, Antagonism, Dog, The Guardian, Nude, and Bodysnatchers
-
Subtraction | October 04, 2009
Pitchfork: Twenty Best Albums of the '00s
...textures and Thom Yorke's warped voice-- all these other ideas feel secondary. Instead, I get lost in the dissonant horn blasts of "The National Anthem" and hypnotized between the play of the drones and the hissy beats in "Idioteque"; I...
In this article: Kid A, Person Pitch, Funeral, Pitchfork, Discovery, Wilco, Jeff Tweedy, Radiohead, Isaac Brock, and Daft Punk
-
Ultimate Guitar | April 27, 2009
Radiohead: England (London), June 24, 2008 [Reviews]
...15 years. With the sound of obscure radio stations, the unmistakeable bass-line of The National Anthem kicked in, the impressive L.E.D beams and video screens soon turned into a maze of red lines as Yorke grunted away incoherently. // 9
In this article: Radiohead, London, Thom Yorke, Creep, OK Computer, Planet Telex, Jonny Greenwood, England, Victoria Park, and Pyramid Song
-
Wikipedia | October 29, 2009
Kid A
The footage shocked some viewers who expected rock songs, with Jonny Greenwood playing electronic instruments, the in-house brass band improvising over "The National Anthem", and Yorke dancing spasmodically and stuttering in "Idioteque."
In this article: Kid A, Thom Yorke, Radiohead, Stanley Donwood, Jonny Greenwood, OK Computer, Idioteque, Ed O'Brien, Talking Heads, and Can
-
Wikipedia | October 22, 2009
The National Anthem
The National Anthem is thought to have been previously attempted at recording sessions in 1994 and 1997, but according to Radiohead member Colin Greenwood, the band decided it was "too good to use it as a b-side for OK Computer singles".
In this article: Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Kid A, Spiritualized, Just, Olivier Messiaen, and Ed O'Brien
-
L.A. Times - Music News | August 26, 2008
Live: Radiohead at the Hollywood Bowl
...the band's artiest ambitions. Whether bowing his guitar on "Pyramid Song" or triggering shards of sampled dialogue on "The National Anthem," he fulfilled his role as the group's ultimate music geek. If Greenwood represents Radiohead's...
In this article: Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Hollywood Bowl, Ed O'Brien, In Rainbows, Pyramid Song, and Paranoid Android
Trends
Loading...
More on The National Anthem
Description from Wikipedia:
"The National Anthem" is a song by the band Radiohead, the third track from the album Kid A (2000). The song is moored to a repetitive bassline, has a processed electronic production, and develops in a direction influenced by jazz.
In the album recording, the bass is played by lead singer Thom Yorke, who wrote the riff at age 16. The song is thought to have been previously attempted at recording sessions in 1994 and 1997, but according to Colin Greenwood, the band decided it was "too good to use it as a b-side for OK Computer singles".
The free jazz-style brass section featured in this song creates a soundscape of chaos, and has been described as "a brass band marching into a brick wall" by one reviewer. In the recording sessions, band members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood conducted the session musicians as best they could, though Yorke lacks formal musical training, telling them to 'go crazy' with their instruments as if they were caught in a traffic jam. It should be noted that although the recording sounds chaotic, each instrument is soloing to the riff.
The jazz style arrangement was apparently influenced by Charles Mingus, one of Thom's favorite composers, while the song also features an Ondes Martenot, played by Jonny Greenwood. That early electronic instrument was picked up by Jonny for several songs on Kid A and subsequent albums, inspired by the music of Olivier Messiaen which makes much use of it. Some also found "The National Anthem" reminiscent of the contemporary work of fellow UK bands Primal Scream and Spiritualized, with whom Radiohead had toured in 1998.
- Name:
- The National Anthem
- Release Date:
- October 02, 2000
- Produced by:
- Nigel Godrich and Radiohead
- Recorded By:
- Radiohead
- Length:
- 5:51
- Record Label:
- From Album:
- Kid A
Explore everything named The National Anthem...