"When Under Ether" is a song written by PJ Harvey for her album ''

White Chalk ''White Chalk'' is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter and musician PJ Harvey, released on 24 September 2007 on Island Records. Work on the album started in 2006, with producer Flood and John Parish, who also worked on her ...

'' (2007). It was released as the album's first single in September 2007. This song was #32 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007 and reached number 101 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Release

"When Under Ether" was released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

for ''White Chalk'' on 17 September 2007, in both digital download and limited edition 7" vinyl formats. The b-side is "Wait", a song which Harvey composed and recorded in 1988, rumoured to be one of her first recordings.

Composition

Harvey wrote "When Under Ether" and produced it along with

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

and

John Parish John Parish (born 11 April 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. Parish is best known for his work with singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. He has also worked with such artists as Eels, Aldous Harding, Tracy Chapm ...

. It is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

() and composed in the key of F minor. Throughout the course of the song, Harvey's vocal range spans over one octave from C₄-A♭₄. Like the majority of songs that appear on ''White Chalk'', "When Under Ether" was written and performed on the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, which is a departure from prior PJ Harvey albums. It is also similar to the other tracks in that it is short in length and sung in a higher register than expected. Musically, the song is quite sparse, centering on Harvey's vocals – which have an airy, otherworldly quality to them – and a subtle, repetitive piano melody. According to critic Joshua Klein, "the simple repetitive pattern that gently drives 'When Under Ether' drips with menace." Drums, autoharp, and organ accompany the main components of the song and are low in the mix. The lyrics and the title quote

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National B ...

's ''Four Quartets'' (East Coker- movement number III) which seems to be a prominent influence on some other songs from the album (for example "The Mountains"). Eliot's words are " ..Or when, under ether, the mind is conscious but conscious of nothing - I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope"; the theme of that section of the poem is about the feelings of the traveler. East Coker is a small village in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

not far from

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...

, where P. J. Harvey was born. The lyrics may indicate something as innocent as a dream dissolving into the clouds under

diethyl ether Diethyl ether, or simply ether, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula , sometimes abbreviated as (see Pseudoelement symbols). It is a colourless, highly volatile, sweet-smelling ("ethereal odour"), extremely flammable li ...

intoxication, but while one critic takes the song as an account of a "harrowing" birth under archaic medical conditions, some critics such as Heather PharesPhares, Heather (2008). PJ Harvey: ''White Chalk''"Review", '' AllMusicGuide.com''. Retrieved 9 June 2008. hint that they "quite possibly" refer to "

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

, since unwanted children are some of the many broken family ties that haunt the album". However, when asked directly during an interview in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Harvey replied, "That's obviously what you hear, but for me it's not actually tied to anything specific, like an abortion. These aren't just words. They're songs. They inhabit themselves, really".

Track listings

;UK 7" single (1747513) #"When Under Ether" – 2:25 #"Wait" – 2:17 ;US promotional CD (N/A) #"When Under Ether" – 2:25 #"Wait" – 2:17 #Interviews – 14:32 ;EU promotional CD (WHENCDPRO1) #"When Under Ether" – 2:25

Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from the album's liner notes. ;Musicians * PJ Harvey – vocals, piano, acoustic guitar *

– drums, acoustic guitar *

Eric Drew Feldman Eric Drew Feldman (born April 16, 1955) is an American musician. Feldman has worked with Captain Beefheart, Fear, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies, dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy, Reid Paley, C ...

– keyboards ;Technical personnel *

– producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

, mixing *John Parish – producer, mixing *PJ Harvey – producer, mixing, additional engineer *Catherine Marks – assistant engineer *Andrew Savors – assistant engineer *Ali Chant – additional engineer *John Dent – mastering ;Design personnel * Maria Mochnacz – artwork, photography

Charts

References