Radiohead's 'Burn the Witch' factsheet

 Radiohead’s ‘Burn the Witch’ 

Directed by Chris Hopewell, the music video depicts a government official sent to inspect the strange goings-on in a small village, where he’s burned alive in a giant wooden statue.  

 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 

The claymation contains bold and highly saturated colours as well as being set in a small friendly looking town with people wearing traditional folk clothes. All these components create the scenery which may be found in a children’s show. It is believed to have been inspired by Bob Bura and John Hardwick, creators of the classic children’s TV show, ‘Trumpton.’  

The music video is also highly inspired and pays homage to Robin Hardy’s 1973 ‘The Wickerman.’ 

facts about the song: 

• The origins of this song date back to 2003's Hail to The Thief when the phrase "burn the witch" appeared in the cover art of that album's booklet. The lyrics were reportedly finished a couple of years later and snippets were teased during 2006 and 2008 Radiohead concert.  

• The disturbing lyrics appear to be about the policing by authority figures of group discussion and the persecution of a dissenter. The warning against groupthink places the song in the same Orwellian category as the Hail to the Thief tracks "2+2=5" and “Myxomatosis”  

• The video is a comment on Europe's refugee crisis. Animator Virpi Kettu, who worked alongside Chris Hopewell on the project, told Billboard magazine the "blaming of different people... the blaming of Muslims and the negativity" is something she understood that Radiohead wanted to tackle with the clip. 

• Queens of the Stone Age recorded a song in 2005 with the same title. Their track was based on the late seventeenth century Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, where nineteen people accused of witchcraft were hanged. 

• Johnny Greenwood told NPR how the group recorded the track. "This song was one of the rare chances of getting our hands on an unfinished song, so we could put strings on right at the beginning," he said. "Usually strings are an afterthought, decoration on the end of a song. I've been saying for years; wouldn't it be great to start with strings." 

 

(Facts from Burn The Witch by Radiohead - Songfacts)