Happy Cycling - Revision history

Aris: Details + formatting

2026-07-06T01:45:22Z

Details + formatting

Fredd-E at 20:47, 5 July 2026

2026-07-05T20:47:42Z

Rd1994: /* Samples / Lyrics */

2026-07-05T18:23:44Z

‎Samples / Lyrics

EnumeratedEntity: Added suspected sample source for the "stretching rope" sound

2026-06-01T23:10:16Z

Added suspected sample source for the "stretching rope" sound

Rd1994: /* Samples / Lyrics */

2026-04-27T08:46:04Z

‎Samples / Lyrics

Fredd-E at 22:25, 18 January 2026

2026-01-18T22:25:24Z

Mr udders: grammar fix

2026-01-18T21:37:17Z

grammar fix

Fredd-E: wikipedia links

2026-01-18T21:34:15Z

wikipedia links

Mr udders: Removed video widget for AFOT happy cycling

2026-01-18T15:15:00Z

Removed video widget for AFOT happy cycling

Mr udders: Fixed John Peel links

2026-01-18T15:14:07Z

Fixed John Peel links

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-"[[Happy Cycling]]" redirects here.
+''"[[Happy Cycling]]" redirects here.'' <br>
+''For the earlier composition which appears on [[Old Tunes Vol. 1]], see "[[Happy Cycling (A Few Old Tunes)]]".''
@@ Line 7: / Line 6: @@
 | name=Happy Cycling
 | runtime=7:56 ([[MHTRTC]] and [[Peel Session]] EP) <br> 7:01 (original [[Peel Session|John Peel broadcast]] - "Bad Day") <br> 7:27 ([[Live @ Warp10]]) <br> 7:55 ([[Live @ ATP]])
-| appearson=[[MHTRTC]]<br>[[Peel Session]]<br>[[Live @ Warp10]] <br> [[Live @ ATP]]
+| appearson=[[Music Has the Right to Children]] (1998) <br> [[Peel Session]] (1999) <br> [[Live @ Warp10]] (1999) <br> [[Live @ ATP]] (2001)
-| next=[[Olson (Version 3)]] <small>(Peel Session)</small>
+| next= n/a <small>(Music Has the Right to Children)</small> <br> [[Olson (Version 3)]] <small>(Peel Session)</small>
-| prev=[[Aquarius (Version 3)]] <small>(Peel Session)</small>
+| prev=[[One Very Important Thought]] <small>(Music Has the Right to Children)</small> <br> [[Aquarius (Version 3)]] <small>(Peel Session)</small>
 }}
-[[Happy Cycling]] is a track by [[Boards of Canada]] which originally appeared as a bonus track on the US [[Matadorrecords.com|Matador]] release of ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' in 1998, and was later included on all copies of the album from 2004 onwards. The same recording of the track also appears on [[Boards of Canada]]'s 1999 ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP.
+[[Happy Cycling]] is a song by [[Boards of Canada]]. It originally appeared as a bonus track on the [[Matadorrecords.com|Matador]] release of the duo's debut studio album, ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]''. It has appeared on all reissues from 2004 onwards. The same recording of the track also appears on the ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP.

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 | name=Happy Cycling
 | runtime=7:56 ([[MHTRTC]] and [[Peel Session]] EP) <br> 7:01 (original [[Peel Session|John Peel broadcast]] - "Bad Day") <br> 7:27 ([[Live @ Warp10]]) <br> 7:55 ([[Live @ ATP]])
-| appearson=[[MHTRTC]]<br>[[Peel Session]]<br>[[Live @ Warp10]] <br> [[Live @ ATP]]}}
+| appearson=[[MHTRTC]]<br>[[Peel Session]]<br>[[Live @ Warp10]] <br> [[Live @ ATP]]
 [[Happy Cycling]] is a track by [[Boards of Canada]] which originally appeared as a bonus track on the US [[Matadorrecords.com|Matador]] release of ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' in 1998, and was later included on all copies of the album from 2004 onwards. The same recording of the track also appears on [[Boards of Canada]]'s 1999 ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP.

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 :(Interviewer's voice): ''"... to tell us about backwards masking ??? and the [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|Electric Light Orchestra]]. A whole crowd of ... got all ... because they thought that if ... but, when it was hand-spun backwards on a turntable, and it said something like 'Christ is inferno'. Anyway, it was enough to ... cause some problems for [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|ELO]] and [[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]] in particular."''
 :([[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]]'s voice): ''"It is absolutely ...don't ask why I said that. It didn't say anything, anything of the sort. And uhm, that was total...in fact, it was a mistake, isn't it. Because anyone who can write a song played forwards and have it say something else backwards has got to be some kind of genius, and that I ain't! I was upset at first by the accusations, you know, but now, but now I would find them funny ... we're totally innocent of all those claims ... and we're all God-fearing chaps!"''<ref>[[File:Happy-cycling-elo-backmask.mp3]]</ref><ref>http://www.elodiscovery.com/interviews/1983-jeff-lynne-rockline.mp3</ref>
 == Original John Peel Broadcast ("Bad Day") ==

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 :(Interviewer's voice): ''"... to tell us about backwards masking ??? and the [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|Electric Light Orchestra]]. A whole crowd of ... got all ... because they thought that if ... but, when it was hand-spun backwards on a turntable, and it said something like 'Christ is inferno'. Anyway, it was enough to ... cause some problems for [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|ELO]] and [[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]] in particular."''
 :([[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]]'s voice): ''"It is absolutely ...don't ask why I said that. It didn't say anything, anything of the sort. And uhm, that was total...in fact, it was a mistake, isn't it. Because anyone who can write a song played forwards and have it say something else backwards has got to be some kind of genius, and that I ain't! I was upset at first by the accusations, you know, but now, but now I would find them funny ... we're totally innocent of all those claims ... and we're all God-fearing chaps!"''<ref>[[File:Happy-cycling-elo-backmask.mp3]]</ref><ref>http://www.elodiscovery.com/interviews/1983-jeff-lynne-rockline.mp3</ref>
 == Original John Peel Broadcast ("Bad Day") ==

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 === Samples / Lyrics ===
 * The bass drum beat and dissonant note heard at the beginning and throughout the song are sampled from [[wikipedia:Pink Floyd|Pink Floyd]]'s "Heart Beat, Pig Meat"<ref>{{#ev:youtube|AGLX5CglVGY|480||||start=15|false}}</ref> at 0:15. This sample can be heard better in "[[Bad Day]]".
-* The eerie choir heard throughout much of "[[Happy Cycling]]" is sampled from [[wikipedia:Norman Jewison|Norman Jewison]]'s [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/ Jesus Christ Superstar], specifically "[https://youtu.be/nAL0Y0PxJFc?t=64 The Crucifixion]" from roughly 1:04. <ref>{{#ev:youtube|nAL0Y0PxJFc|480||||start=64|false}}</ref>
+* The eerie choir heard throughout much of "[[Happy Cycling]]" is sampled from [[wikipedia:Norman Jewison|Norman Jewison]]'s [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/ Jesus Christ Superstar], specifically "[https://youtu.be/nAL0Y0PxJFc?t=64 The Crucifixion]" from roughly 1:04. The sample has also been reversed. This can be heard best in the version performed at ATP. <ref>{{#ev:youtube|nAL0Y0PxJFc|480||||start=64|false}}</ref>
 * The bird calls are sampled from "[[wikipedia:Vangelis|Vangelis]] - [[wikipedia:La Fête sauvage|La Fête sauvage]]". There is also a sound like a man singing, rather faint and tinny. Sample starts at 2:43.<ref>http://www.twoism.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13680</ref><ref>{{#ev:youtube|4d6T-6fNAiM|480||||start=162|false}}</ref>
 *  The backmasked vocals beginning at 6:25 are of an interview with [[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]] of the [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|Electric Light Orchestra]] on "[[wikipedia:Rockline|Rockline]]" hosted by Bob Coburn on 27 June 1983<ref>http://www.elodiscovery.com/Jeff-Lynne-Electric-Light-Orchestra-Interviews2.html</ref>. The subject is [[wikipedia:Electric Light Orchestra|ELO]]'s supposed use of backmasking on their song "[[wikipedia:Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra song)|Eldorado]]" from the [[wikipedia:Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra album)|album of the same name]], and the controversy thereof.  Though the vocals are occasionally difficult to understand when reversed, the following transcript is relatively complete:

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 == Original John Peel Broadcast ("Bad Day") ==
-This version (sometimes referred to as "Bad Day") was recorded live for [[Boards of Canada]]'s [[wikipedia:List_of_Peel_Sessions|Peel Session]] on July 21st 1998. It differs from the studio version in a number of ways including a different outro, and has a generally rougher sound compared to the studio version. It also lacks the backmasked Jeff Lynne interview sample present in the studio version. When [[Boards of Canada]] released the ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP in 1999, the original broadcast version of [[Happy Cycling]] was replaced by the studio version, allegedly due to [[Boards of Canada]] being dissatisfied with their performance of the track, hence the nickname "Bad Day". Although it has never been officially released it is widely available online.
+This version (sometimes referred to as "Bad Day") was recorded live for [[Boards of Canada]]'s [[wikipedia:List_of_Peel_Sessions|Peel Session]] on July 21st 1998. It differs from the studio version in a number of ways including a different outro, and has a generally rougher sound compared to the studio version. It also lacks the backmasked [[wikipedia:Jeff Lynne|Jeff Lynne]] interview sample present in the studio version. When [[Boards of Canada]] released the ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP in 1999, the original broadcast version of [[Happy Cycling]] was replaced by the studio version, allegedly due to [[Boards of Canada]] being dissatisfied with their performance of the track, hence the nickname "Bad Day". Although it has never been officially released it is widely available online.
 {{#widget:YouTube|id=C_7oHpihs-c}}
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 == Live @ ATP ==
-[[Happy Cycling]] was also performed live by [[Boards of Canada]] during [[Live @ ATP|their set]] at the [[wikipedia:All_Tomorrow%27s_Parties_(festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties]] festival on 7th April 2001. This version differs substantially from the other versions. While it starts similarly to the [[Live @ Warp10]] version, the second half of the ATP version is structured differently, with the bassline for the second part entering 16 bars before the main synth melody does. The main melody also uses a different synth lead sound to all other versions.
+[[Happy Cycling]] was also performed live by [[Boards of Canada]] during [[Live @ ATP|their set]] at the [[wikipedia:All_Tomorrow%27s_Parties_(festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties]] festival on April 7th 2001. This version differs substantially from the other versions. While it starts similarly to the ''[[Live @ Warp10]]'' version, the second half of the ATP version is structured differently, with the bassline for the second part entering 16 bars before the main synth melody does. The main melody also uses a different synth lead sound to all other versions.
 {{#widget:YouTube|id=4KOQO90w1uY}}
 == Trivia ==
-*A shorter version of the recent one also appears in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ-Kicks:_Kid_Loco Kid Loco's DJ-Kicks].
+*A shorter version of the recent one also appears in ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ-Kicks:_Kid_Loco Kid Loco's DJ-Kicks]''.
-*Another shorter (mixed) version appears in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Underground_024:_Reykjavik Nick Warren - Global Underground 024: Reykjavik].
+*Another shorter (mixed) version appears in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Underground_024:_Reykjavik Nick Warren - Global Underground 024: Reykjavik]''.
 == Videos ==

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 == Videos ==
 {{#widget:YouTube|id=MEFSU7WeZt0}}
 {{#widget:YouTube|id=ua12L3-96rE}}
 {{#widget:YouTube|id=IxT26A82f7g}}

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 == Studio Version ==
-The studio version of [[Happy Cycling]] was first released on the US [[Matadorrecords.com|Matador]] release of ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' in 1998. It was later included on [[Boards of Canada]]'s ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP in 1999, replacing the live version of the track that [[Boards of Canada]] performed during their appearance on [[John Peel]]'s radio programme in 1998.
+The studio version of [[Happy Cycling]] was first released on the US [[Matadorrecords.com|Matador]] release of ''[[Music Has the Right to Children]]'' in 1998. It was later included on [[Boards of Canada]]'s ''[[Peel Session]]'' EP in 1999, replacing the live version of the track that [[Boards of Canada]] performed during their appearance on [[John Peel (radio programme)|John Peel's radio programme]] in 1998.
 === Samples / Lyrics ===
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 == Live @ Warp10 ==
-[[Boards of Canada]] performed [[Happy Cycling]] live during [[Live @ Warp10|their performance at Warp's 10th anniversary party]] on November 5th 1999. This version differs somewhat from the other versions, but for the most part is just a more polished performance of the version broadcast on [[John Peel]], although the intro is different, starting with the droning choir sample on its own before the drums enter.
+[[Boards of Canada]] performed [[Happy Cycling]] live during [[Live @ Warp10|their performance at Warp's 10th anniversary party]] on November 5th 1999. This version differs somewhat from the other versions, but for the most part is just a more polished performance of the version broadcast on [[John Peel (radio programme)|John Peel]], although the intro is different, starting with the droning choir sample on its own before the drums enter.
 {{#widget:YouTube|id=PjFlWBBiM9k}}