"2HB" is a song written by

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

and first recorded by

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...

for their 1972 debut album, ''

''. Ferry also recorded a version for his 1976 solo album, '' Let's Stick Together''. The title is a dedication to the film star

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

("2HB" = "To Humphrey Bogart"). In particular, the song references the Bogart classic ''

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

''. The instrumentation on the Roxy Music recording is dominated by Ferry's Hohner Pianet N electric piano and features an Andy Mackay sax solo—based on the melody of " As Time Goes By", a song featured prominently in ''Casablanca''—that is treated with tape echo effects by Brian Eno.

Covers and references

This song was covered for the 1998 film '' Velvet Goldmine'' by the supergroup The Venus in Furs, made up of Bernard Butler, Clune,

Jonny Greenwood Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Radiohead, and has composed numerous film scores. He has been named one of the greatest guitarists by numer ...

, Paul Kimble, Andy Mackay, and

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...

. Ferry covered his own song on his 1976 solo album '' Let's Stick Together''. The English band Madness recorded a tribute song, "4BF" ("for

"), on their 1988 album '' The Madness''. The early

Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

song " 4JG" ("for J. G. Ballard") was also inspired by "2HB". Julia Holter a Los Angeles-based composer/multi-instrumentalist released a stripped-down version of "2HB" on her album "Maria" released in 2014.

Personnel

* Andy MacKay –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

– vocals, Hohner Pianet N *

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

– tape echo effects *

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801 and Quiet Sun. ...

– guitar * Graham Simpson – bass guitar * Paul Thompson – drums

References

Roxy Music songs 1972 songs Songs written by Bryan Ferry Cultural depictions of Humphrey Bogart {{1970s-rock-song-stub