Morning Bell
| "Morning Bell" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
| "Morning Bell" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Morning Bell" is the ninth track on the Radiohead album Kid A (2000), also found in another version on Amnesiac (2001). The song is linked to the previous song ("Idioteque") on the album by a transition. The sampled electronic sounds of "Idioteque" continue as they are absorbed into the beat of "Morning Bell."
Two versions
According to Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, the song went through many stages, and the Amnesiac version was actually the first to be written, before being "lost" and then suddenly remembered again, leading to the other version. Both versions were committed to tape during the same period of recording sessions in 1999–2000 (along with the rest of the material on both albums). However, the Kid A version was released first and is better known. It also forms the basis for the song's live performances.
Driven by electric piano chords played on a Rhodes, "Morning Bell" as it appears on Kid A is in a 10/8 time signature, with beats 9 and 10 played by snare drum fills. A programmed drum machine is used in the album version, but in live concerts the tense pattern is played by drummer Phil Selway.
In contrast, the Amnesiac version (officially identified as "Morning Bell/Amnesiac") is based in common time, features desolate acoustic orchestration (including organ) and no audible percussion. This version is also one minute and fifteen seconds shorter and lacks the climactic ending, however, the rest of the lyrics are unchanged.
The song
Thom Yorke, who wrote the song, said in an interview that the lyrics were 'extremely violent'[1]. The song contains lines like 'cut the kids in half', in contrast to its quiet yet hypnotic melody. Benefiting from the Dada method of cut-up poetry, "Morning Bell" has been taken as a typical example of Radiohead's cryptic style on Kid A, privileging atmosphere and sound over literal sense.[2]
"Cut the kids in half" references verse 3:25 of book 1 Kings in the Bible, in which two women are fighting over custody of a baby and the wise King Solomon is asked to adjudicate. He proposes a fair solution: that the child be cut in two and one half be given to each woman. Shocked by the cold logic of such a proposal, the real mother attempts to save her baby's life by saying she would rather have the baby be alive with the other woman than be cut in half. King Solomon sees that she is the real mother and gives her her baby.
The band has described Kid A and Amnesiac as two very distinct albums, although products of the same recording sessions, with "Morning Bell" providing an intentional link. When asked about the relationship, if any, between Kid A and Amnesiac, bassist Colin Greenwood described the albums themselves as "twins, separated at birth."[3]
Other versions
"Morning Bell" has been covered by ?uestlove of hip-hop collective The Roots. His smooth version appeared on a 2006 tribute compilation. A modern jazz version also appears on Chris Potter's 2006 release, Underground. Furthermore, the song has also been covered on numerous occasions by mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile.