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Concept
Harry Patch (In Memory Of)
Summary
"Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead. The song is a tribute to the British supercentenarian Harry Patch, the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches during World War I. Radiohead self-released it on 5 August 2009 as a downloadable single for £1 from their website, with all proceeds donated to the Royal British Legion. It was rereleased as a single on Remembrance Day 2016, with new artwork by longtime Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood.
Recorded in an abbey shortly before Patch's death, the song consists of Thom Yorke's vocals and a string arrangement composed by Jonny Greenwood, absent of Radiohead's typical mix of rock and electronic instrumentation. The lyrics are from the perspective of a soldier in the First World War, and include modifications of quotations from Patch. While reception to the song was generally positive, with many critics praising the song's message, others criticised it as too sombre. The Patch family voiced their approval of the song's message and the band's charitable use of the proceeds.
According to a post by Yorke on Radiohead's blog Dead Air Space, "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" was inspired by a "very emotional" 2005 interview with Harry Patch on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. Yorke wrote that "The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me." The song was recorded live in an abbey, only a few weeks before Patch died on 25 July 2009, aged 111.
"Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" has no standard rock instrumentation, and instead comprises Yorke's vocals and an orchestral string arrangement composed by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Strings introduce the song with a series of repeated arpeggiated notes, which continue as Yorke's singing begins. There is a bridge described as a "grim, delicately furious peak" halfway through the song. Pitchfork writer Mark Richardson compared the track to Gavin Bryars' 1971 composition Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet and Samuel Barber's 1936 Adagio for Strings.
Official source
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