Radiohead’s New Track: ” Harry Patch (In Memory Of)


20080815-radiohead




Radiohead have released new song ‘Harry Patch (In Memory Of)’ on download today from their store download.waste.uk.com.

The song has been written in tribute to World War I veteran Harry Patch, who died last month aged 111, he was the last surviving Briton to have fought in the trenches during the war, and had become known as ‘The Last Tommy‘. Born in Somerset in 1898, Patch joined the army in October 1916, and was conscripted as a private to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, serving as an assistant gunner. He served in France in June 1917 and fought at the Battle of Passchendaele. He was injured when a shell exploded in September 1917 and thus returned to England in December 1917.

Radiohead recorded the song during sessions for their new album, with regular cohort Nigel Godrich. Speaking of the sessions a few months ago, bassist Colin Greenwood said: “We’ve just started work last week. It’s really cool and everything is sounding great. It’s early days and it is a bit like having a scrapbook at the moment because everything is up in the air, but it’s good to be back in the studio.”

The lyrics for the new track have been made available on the band’s official website.

Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

“I am the only one that got through
the others died where ever they fell
it was an ambush
they came up from all sides
give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves
i’ve seen devils coming up from the ground
i’ve seen hell upon this earth
the next will be chemical but they will never learn”


Learn More