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Radiohead – The National Anthem (5:50)

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About This Track

“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.
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Albums featuring this track

  • Kid A
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  • I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
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  • Album Box Set
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  • Kid A (Collector's Edition)
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See all 45 albums

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  • daile

    one of my favorite radiohead songs ever, easily.

    2 hours ago

  • TheShwagShop

    8-) !!!

    Monday afternoon

  • Lajon_

    DAT SAX [2]

    last week

  • sajkoukrulik

    wyjebane w kosmos

    13 days ago

  • thrashdeth

    This woke up my grandparents.

    21 days ago

  • zhelnerovich

    Great Lana Del Rey cover

    last month

  • Ennish

    But in all seriousness, this is one great track. The prominence of the FM Radio on the live versions makes me think that this song is the anthem of some kind of totalitarian society.

    last month

  • Ennish

    DAT BASS [2].

    last month

  • Bodysnatcher94

    Where is the free-form Jazz tag guys?

    last month

  • cvn2nvc

    v Sorry dude, Kid A is brilliant from start to finish.

    last month

  • Metal_Ganon

    While it works well enough as an album, I feel Kid A doesn't have tracks that are consistently great as OK Computer. the really good ones, like this, Optimistic and Morning Bell, are complete masterpieces.

    last month

  • DylanLambries

    DAT SAX

    last month

  • pigeondetective

    BASS

    last month

  • micemusculus

    it made me sick. i love it.

    March 2012

  • bruno_avilar

    saxy

    March 2012

  • Apesapiens

    Easily my favourite Radiohead track.

    March 2012

  • Evacuant

    "This should be the UK's National Anthem. I'd like to see the Queen march out to this." [times infinity]

    February 2012

  • me_araujo

    JAZZ

    February 2012

  • jorgefuzzo

    DAT BASS

    February 2012

  • SequenceC

    <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

    February 2012
See all 597 shouts

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