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Happy Cycling is the name of two unrelated musical compositions by Boards of Canada: an earlier piece appearing on A Few Old Tunes, and a later composition which forms the basis of all tracks named "Happy Cycling" on Boards of Canada's general releases and known live recordings.
Difference between revisions of "Happy Cycling"
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{{Infobox Song| | {{Infobox Song| | ||
| name=Happy Cycling | | name=Happy Cycling | ||
| − | | runtime=1:49 ([[A Few Old Tunes|AFOT]]) <br> 7:51 ([[MHTRTC]]) <br> 7:56 ([[Peel Session]]) <br> 7:27 ([[Live @ Warp10]]) <br> 7:55 ([[All Tomorrow's Parties|ATP] | + | | runtime=1:49 ([[A Few Old Tunes|AFOT]]) <br> 7:51 ([[MHTRTC]]) <br> 7:56 ([[Peel Session]]) <br> 7:27 ([[Live @ Warp10]]) <br> 7:55 ([[All Tomorrow's Parties|ATP]]) |
| − | | appearson=[[A Few Old Tunes|AFOT]]<br>[[MHTRTC]]<br>[[Peel Session]]<br>[[Live @ Warp10]] <br> [[All Tomorrow's Parties|ATP]] | + | | appearson=[[A Few Old Tunes|AFOT]]<br>[[MHTRTC]]<br>[[Peel Session]]<br>[[Live @ Warp10]] <br> [[All Tomorrow's Parties|ATP]]}} |
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| + | [[Happy Cycling]] is the name of two unrelated musical compositions by [[Boards of Canada]]: an earlier piece appearing on ''[[A Few Old Tunes]]'', and a later composition which forms the basis of all tracks named "[[Happy Cycling]]" on [[Boards of Canada]]'s [[Discography|general releases]] and known [[Discography#Live_Bootlegs|live recordings]]. | ||
== Comments == | == Comments == | ||
| − | [ | + | * [Alex D] - There is an electronic music company called [http://www.cycling74.com/ cycling 74], who make MAX/MSP among other things; and it could just possibly be a reference to that. |
| − | + | *[Mark S] - Many have suspected the title as being a reference to Albert Hofmann's trip on LSD known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_LSD Bicycle Day]. | |
| − | + | *[Forfy] - The ''[[Peel Session]]'' version was used in season two, episode twelve of Six Feet Under. | |
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| − | * | ||
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| − | :(Interviewer's voice): ''"... to tell us about backwards masking ??? and the 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 ELO and Jeff | + | == Samples / Lyrics == |
| + | * The bass drum beat and dissonant note heard at the beginning and throughout the song are sampled from 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 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 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: | ||
| + | :(Interviewer's voice): ''"... to tell us about backwards masking ??? and the 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 ELO and Jeff Lynne in particular."'' | ||
| + | :(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> | ||
| − | + | == 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]. | ||
| − | + | == Happy Cycling (A Few Old Tunes) == | |
| + | A different composition, also titled [[Happy Cycling]], appears on ''[[Old Tunes Vol. 1]]''. Despite sharing the same title as the later composition, there do not appear to be any musical similarities between the two tracks. It seems likely that [[Boards of Canada]] simply liked the title of the earlier composition and re-used it for the later one, and it is important to note that the earlier composition has never been officially released and was not intended to be publicly available. | ||
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| − | + | == Videos == | |
| + | {{#widget:YouTube|id=MEFSU7WeZt0}} | ||
| + | {{#widget:YouTube|id=4YmiCRB4qyg}} | ||
| + | {{#widget:YouTube|id=ua12L3-96rE}} | ||
| + | {{#widget:YouTube|id=IxT26A82f7g}} | ||
| + | {{#widget:YouTube|id=ggjkljLrtJI}} | ||
== External Links == | == External Links == | ||
| − | * | + | *[[wikipedia:Backmasking]] |
| − | *[ | + | *[[wikipedia:Electric_light_orchestra Electric]] |
| − | + | *[[wikipedia:Jeff_Lynne]] | |
| − | *[ | ||
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*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/ Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar"] on IMDB | *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070239/ Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar"] on IMDB | ||
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| + | == References == | ||
| + | <references /> | ||
[[Category: Released tracks]] | [[Category: Released tracks]] | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Old Tunes Vol. 1 tracks]] |
[[Category: Music Has the Right to Children tracks]] | [[Category: Music Has the Right to Children tracks]] | ||
[[Category: Peel Session tracks]] | [[Category: Peel Session tracks]] | ||
[[Category: Live @ Warp10 tracks]] | [[Category: Live @ Warp10 tracks]] | ||
[[Category: All Tomorrow's Parties tracks]] | [[Category: All Tomorrow's Parties tracks]] | ||
Latest revision as of 13:13, 31 March 2025
| Happy Cycling | |
|---|---|
| Running time | 1:49 (AFOT) 7:51 (MHTRTC) 7:56 (Peel Session) 7:27 (Live @ Warp10) 7:55 (ATP) |
| Appears on | AFOT MHTRTC Peel Session Live @ Warp10 ATP |
Contents
[hide]Comments[edit]
- [Alex D] - There is an electronic music company called cycling 74, who make MAX/MSP among other things; and it could just possibly be a reference to that.
- [Mark S] - Many have suspected the title as being a reference to Albert Hofmann's trip on LSD known as Bicycle Day.
- [Forfy] - The Peel Session version was used in season two, episode twelve of Six Feet Under.
Samples / Lyrics[edit]
- The bass drum beat and dissonant note heard at the beginning and throughout the song are sampled from Pink Floyd's "Heart Beat, Pig Meat"[1] at 0:15. This sample can be heard better in "Bad Day".
- The eerie choir heard throughout much of Happy Cycling is sampled from Norman Jewison's Jesus Christ Superstar, specifically "The Crucifixion" from roughly 1:04. [2]
- The bird calls are sampled from "Vangelis - La Fête sauvage". There is also a sound like a man singing, rather faint and tinny. Sample starts at 2:43.[3][4]
- The backmasked vocals beginning at 6:25 are of an interview with Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra on "Rockline" hosted by Bob Coburn on 27 June 1983[5]. The subject is ELO's supposed use of backmasking on their song "Eldorado" from the 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:
- (Interviewer's voice): "... to tell us about backwards masking ??? and the 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 ELO and Jeff Lynne in particular."
- (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!"[6][7]
Trivia[edit]
- A shorter version of the recent one also appears in Kid Loco's DJ-Kicks.
Happy Cycling (A Few Old Tunes)[edit]
A different composition, also titled Happy Cycling, appears on Old Tunes Vol. 1. Despite sharing the same title as the later composition, there do not appear to be any musical similarities between the two tracks. It seems likely that Boards of Canada simply liked the title of the earlier composition and re-used it for the later one, and it is important to note that the earlier composition has never been officially released and was not intended to be publicly available.
Videos[edit]
External Links[edit]
- wikipedia:Backmasking
- wikipedia:Electric_light_orchestra Electric
- wikipedia:Jeff_Lynne
- Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar" on IMDB