"Halcyon" is a song written and performed by

Orbital Orbital may refer to: Sciences Chemistry and physics * Atomic orbital * Molecular orbital * Hybrid orbital Astronomy and space flight * Orbit ** Earth orbit Medicine and physiology * Orbit (anatomy), also known as the ''orbital bone'' * Orbitof ...

, dedicated to Phil and

Paul Hartnoll Paul Hartnoll (born 19 May 1968) is one of two brothers (the other being Phil Hartnoll) who make up the electronic dance act Orbital. History Hartnoll played in a local band during the mid-1980s, Noddy and the Satellites, featuring avant-garde ...

's mother, who was addicted to the tranquilliser Halcion (

Triazolam Triazolam, sold under the brand name Halcion among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant tranquilizer of the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepine (BZD) derivatives. It possesses pharmacological properti ...

) for many years."Well, we all had this crazy adolescence," explains Phil, tucking into a chilli burrito. "Because my dad was working really hard and was rarely at home while our mum was freaking out on Halcyon (a then-popular prescription tranquiliser)... Don't get me wrong, mum was always very loving and caring. But they prescribed her this drug and she just kept on doubling the dose." It was this which inspired 1992's 'Halcyon' and its video, which depicted bald Kirsty out of Opus III as a snooker-loopy housewife rattling around her suburban semi"
Orbital:Suburban Spacemen
Select Magazine, September 1994. Retrieved 21 July 2014. It was released as ''Radiccio EP'' in the UK and Japan, and as ''Halcyon EP'' in the US.

History

The song features two samples from earlier international hit singles. The first sample is a backmasked vocal sample by

Kirsty Hawkshaw Kirsty Hawkshaw (born 29 March 1969) is an English electronic music vocalist and songwriter. In addition to her work as a solo artist, she is known as the lead vocalist of early 1990s dance group Opus III (band), Opus III, and her collaborative ...

from "

It's a Fine Day "It's a Fine Day" is a song written by English poet and musician Edward Barton (musician), Edward Barton. It was originally recorded a cappella in 1983 by Jane Lancaster as Jane and later by Opus III (band), Opus III, for whom it was a major inte ...

" by Opus III (1992). Ed Barton, the composer of "It's a Fine Day", receives a co-writing credit for the track. The second is a vocal harmonies sample in the song "

Leave It "Leave It" is a song by English rock band Yes. It appears on their 1983 album, ''90125'', and released as its second single, following "Owner of a Lonely Heart". The song peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 3 on the To ...

" from the 1983 album ''

90125 ''90125'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 7 November 1983 by Atco Records. After Yes disbanded in 1981, following the ''Drama'' (1980) tour, bassist Chris Squire, drummer Alan White and Tre ...

'' by the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

. There is no co-writing credit for the Yes sample. The beats were produced by a

Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

TR-909 The Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 909, is a drum machine introduced by Roland Corporation in 1983, succeeding the Roland TR-808, TR-808. It was the first Roland drum machine to use Sampling (music), samples for some sounds, ...

rhythm machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

. This original form of Halcyon is relatively uncommon; it first appeared on the ''Radiccio'' EP, and was only in the U.S. release as a single under its own name. It did not appear on a full-length album until the compilation ''

Work 1989-2002 Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an ani ...

'', and then only in its shorter "single edit". Orbital's second eponymous album includes the track "Halcyon + on + on", a slightly more upbeat and melodic

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

of the original song. In contrast to the original, the remix is far more widely known, and has been featured on several movie soundtracks (most notably '' Mortal Kombat (1995)'', ''

Hackers A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bugs or exploits to break ...

'', ''

CKY2K The ''CKY'' video series is a series of videos produced by Bam Margera and Brandon DiCamillo and other residents of West Chester, Pennsylvania. "CKY" stands for "Camp Kill Yourself". The series was part of the basis for what eventually became ...

'' and ''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. It stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Fey. The film follows Cady Heron (Lohan), a naïve t ...

''). The title of the remix is inspired by a contemporary advertising slogan used by the Ariston washing machine company ("Ariston + on + on"). "Halcyon + on + on" is somewhat shorter than the original, at 9 minutes and 27 seconds long. The 2018 film '' Teen Spirit'' and its soundtrack album feature an edited version of "Halcyon", retitled "Halcyon Teen Spirit", with added vocal samples by

Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and ...

Halcyon samples

"Halcyon" is one of the mainstays of Orbital's live performances, in which it is frequently remixed with clips from

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female rock bands of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a sol ...

's "

Heaven Is a Place on Earth "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is a single by American singer Belinda Carlisle from her second studio album, '' Heaven on Earth'' (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the song was released as the lead single from the album on Septem ...

" and

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's "

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". A 1999 performance containing these samples appears on the album '' Orbital: Live at Glastonbury 1994–2004''. On occasion (notably the group's 2004 "last ever" performance broadcast on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

) it has also incorporated the chorus of "

I Believe in a Thing Called Love "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a song by English rock band the Darkness, released as the third single from their debut studio album, '' Permission to Land''. When released as a single in September 2003, it peaked at number two on the ...

" by The Darkness. In June 2009, Orbital released a two CD greatest hits compilation '' Orbital 20'', which included a number of new remixes, including a "remodel" of "Halcyon" by

Tom Middleton Tom Middleton (born 18 August 1971) is a British electronic recording artist, sound designer, composer, music producer, remixer and DJ. His solo albums include '' Lifetracks'' (2007), ''Glasstracks'' (2011) and ''Sleep Better'' (2018). Middleto ...

Music video

The song's video featured Opus III singer

playing a typical mother who was 'under the influence' (which was shot in the Hartnolls' home), who begins her chores by washing dishes. As she starts doing the task, it becomes evident that she starts to lose focus and start seeing things. Like pictures of the same person on a plate (when removed by plate the picture starts to get smaller), notices her two sons in unusual places (one dancing on a table; the other inside the cabinet below the sink, then ''in'' the sink), throwing items from her purse into the water and also washes them (including

Barbara Cartland Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) was an English writer who published both contemporary and historical romance novels, the latter set primarily during the Victorian or Edwardian period. Cartland is one of the ...

's novel "Shotgun Wedding"). She discovers a bald person who looks like her and tries to push them back into the sink and as she drains the water she also fights with it by using a bouquet of roses. She then starts dancing in an erratic behaviour before she calms down, and when she turns around she sees ''herself'' coming into the kitchen. The video ends with a definition for Halcyon and Halcyon Days on the screen.

Track listing

1992, ''Radiccio'' (UK release)

; 12", ''Radiccio 1'' # Halcyon (11:07) # The Naked And The Dub (11:51) ; CD, ''Radiccio'' # Halcyon (11:07) # The Naked And The Dead (6:23) # Sunday (7:14) ; CD, ''Radiccio 2'' # Halcyon Edit (3:57) # Halcyon (11:07) # Deeper (6:58)

1992, ''Halcyon'' (US release)

; 12", ''Halcyon'' # Halcyon (11:05) # The Naked And The Dub (11:51) ; CD, ''Halcyon'' # Halcyon (11:07) # The Naked And The Dead (6:23) # The Naked And The Dub (11:51) # Sunday (7:10) # Chime (Radio Edit) (3:15)

1993, ''Radiccio'' (Japan release)

; CD, ''Radiccio'' # Halcyon Edit (3:52) # Halcyon (11:09) # Deeper (6:59) # The Naked And The Dead (6:25) # Sunday (7:13) # The Naked And The Dub (11:53) : Some versions of this CD repeat "The Naked And The Dead" instead of "The Naked And The Dub".

Charts

References

External links

Official website of Orbital
{{authority control 1992 songs Orbital (band) songs Songs about drugs FFRR Records singles Songs written by Paul Hartnoll