PJ Harvey Let England Shake Andrew Marr Show 18th April 2010

[Flippaarn]

Love it and love Polly but...Doesn't the autoharp sound false to the background music?

[asongsinger]

tune it or quit playin'!

[newoldtymer]

total career suicide somehow changed into total resuscitation. what a feat!

.

[xxJonSnowxx]

@TheLexyboy

She's angry? What the hell does she have to be angry about? She's been a performer for 20 years, made a ton of money, has a shitload of fans - SHE'S ANGRY?

[gibbo909]

@xxJonSnowxx Gordon Brown was in there, that would make me angry

[Uktrayf]

@xxJonSnowxx uh, issues and shit.

[eggyumyum]

really love this raw version of the song!

[TheLexyboy]

re: all the negative comments

My girlfriend is a much bigger Pj fan than me, and she was seriously unimpressed by the new direction. I had to almost twist her arm to go to the live show at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

But by the end of the show she was totally converted!

Pj's still as angry, just far more measured.......

[50FootQueenie1]

she seriously looks about 20 years old:)

[formidableinc]

I don't understand why there are so much delete/hidden comments on this video. Looks like it's not possible to have a calm conversation about this song, this performance, and about the new style of pj harvey...

[frutiloom]

PJ can predict the futur 8-/

[Mobyish]

Check out her Jools Holland set & stick your negative comments up your tight a*ses

[alinametal]

my birthday is on 18th of april!! xD

[biennialist]

proven genius. sublime. prime minister of great britain there having to listen to it too. indictment of all imperialism, harkening to previous adventures in afghanistan and disaster mayhem etc... amazing!

[daveated]

Andrew Marr is a Kant.

Pj on the other hand is a fantastic person!

[kimowasabe]

tune that auto harp Polly! or atleast amp it and distort the crap out of it for a my bloody valentine groove (great performance sung in the belly of the beast tho-so much heart and courage to do that wow)

[mokkshaa]

@kimowasabe So in other words, you want her to sound like a run-of-the-mill musician. Hmm. I suppose you think you can stand on that stage and sound better, then? That's funny, because I've never heard of you before, so how good could YOU possibly be? Armchair quarterbacks - sheesh.

[Fassy33]

It's called artistic evolution- constant reinvention. This may be her best work!

[MSXXY69]

I love every new sound she evolves into. There are fantastic, outstanding songs on each of her albums. It's great to see someone who stays so raw and brilliant over the decades and uses art as a form of genuine self-exploration and progress. The amount of writers/directors/songwriters/­producers/etc.who play it safe and bore the world after their peak.. There's no point in clinging on to a particular genre once you feel you've exhausted it. The quality of her work never diminished.

[flendurel]

does anyone know the name of the instrument she's playing?

[beppilgrim]

@flendurel autoharp.

[pilgim]

@beppilgrim

do you support argyle?

[beppilgrim]

@pilgim ??

[pilgim]

@beppilgrim

yes?

[williartman]

She is a genius!! This is one of the best album of the history of the rock . I love it

[delboy74]

Not just a great voice but an innovative artiste!!

[vfalcon79]

nowadays, artists do everything to be cool.

she has to do NOTHING to be cool: just to be herself.

[martianboy]

Yeah - fantastic new album, rave reviews, so those who doubted should eat their own poo!!

[MrPlattle]

She is a treasure. Those who doubted, egg on face.

[bollockface]

Fuckin A

[eggyumyum]

brilliance!!!!

[nisto95]

I fucking love this woman.

[gilipollasizzonac]

secondo me la stiamo perdendo

[sterile7]

i thought i was an atheist ,but, after listening to the last pj harvey album, i think that i am a pj harvey-ist. amen

[hrantgird]

not the best quality but the singing the song in front of the prime minister... RESPECT

[81506860]

that's an incredible good song (and it's playing in my head since days ..)

[BELL12366]

i love pj. didnt listen to this one just yet, but i am getting the feeling that everybody's lost their head lately - first Radiohead with their bizzar album, and now PJ...

[autoharp101]

News for you negative clowns, the vote is overwhelmingly Thumbs Up. You are out of the loop, cranky posers.

[soundscratch]

she's like a beautiful keening widow mourning in this album. it's a masterpiece

[JDGRROM]

Why did she remove Constantinople from album variant??? Without this part song losts something.

[datenschleuder2000]

@JDGRROM

that's true i missed it also!

[bobbydylanio]

what is that awful little out of tune box she's strumming away at?

[Kennsysmith]

@bobbydylanio It's called an autoharp

[borbetomagus]

@bobbydylanio 'Istanbul (not Constantinople)' by the Four Lads --

/watch?v=vankaSlfSr0

Just be glad it wasn't this guy's cover version --

/watch?v=INsPozNccsc

:)

[Bilararas13]

she is very brave and i love her, LET ENGLAND SHAKE is a masterpiece

WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU TO COME AGAIN

YOUR FANS FROM GREECE

[tonymilw]

terrible

[DoctorMeatDic]

The Constantinople sample I can only guess refers to the state England finds itself now as an ally of the US, and no longer an independent state and nation, with it's English Rose and it's strawberries and cream former image now gone. Since the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and it is now a Warring Nation, as the US has, is and will always be.

"You can't go back to Constantinople"

She is a brave woman and I am filled with admiration for her and this album.

[Kalgari]

Anyone have any idea of any significance of the "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" sample?

Just as a guess, perhaps because the original song states the name of Istanbul being no-one else's business but the people who live there (i.e. stay out of where you're not wanted)?

Course it could just be because she liked the sample.

[leevioutrageous]

pah, there was a time when music was good, pj harvey= cowboy musician

[callergrim]

I love it!

[bubblepopelictric]

haunting album.......in a good way.

[Hortaltera]

Am I correct when assuming that the "Constantinople Song" was used as some sort of sample in the final song?

[Skavb]

@Hortaltera just the melody was adapted by a xylophone

[Hortaltera]

@Skavb Thanks

[graxxor]

This version has far more power than the album version. Love it. Isn't it amazing how you can get used to something? First time I heard it, I thought, WFT... Now I'm like... Bring it on girl!

[myrtletickner]

and gordon brown looks on...priceless!

[erhancer]

pj harvey wearing ann demeulemeester. love both!

[ivamichalo]

man she is the legend ..she can do whatever!!!! Excellent !

[sandwichescornertv]

30 people need a good shake

[archaist]

I remember a White Chalk-era interview where she said, anytime she writes a song she asks herself, "have I already done this?" And if so, she scraps it. I wouldn't believe it from anyone other than her.

[Sweetforthesoul]

The new album is amazing.

So awesome that the PM was their when she played this song..

[Sweetforthesoul]

The new album is amazing.

[donmanguno]

people like this?

[jella11]

Wow this sounds like crap

[dubpsychosis88]

I prefer this version to her album version...

[jazzanobg]

Great artists evolve.

Fantastic.

[cza1971]

Listen to the album version on Let England Shake released this week. Awesome.

[leopard2a7]

Oh my God and this is suppose to be a good singer and good music? Even my cat jumped from the balcony.

Now I believe there is a chance for me to be a superstar.

Never say never :)

[bobbelibob]

@leopard2a7 Haha, go ahead and try. Maybe you're the next Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Waits or Patti Smith. Who knows?

[irishmangiant]

What must Gordon Brown have been thinking.... Frankly I don't care, but it must have been WTF!

[3LARI]

@irishmangiant Its either WTF or PJ FTW IMO!

[ragnare]

@irishmangiant

Probably the same thing a gazelle thinks when it sees a jet flying over-head

[oldbikerbear]

That's just noise.

[constantinastehlik72]

i did not enjoy the rhythm system of this presentation.....what is the time signature? it seems very random????

[ekmclive]

Why is it that most of the comments that praise the song and the album have been removed due to negativity. Is there someone out there deliberately silencing positive feedback????

[carpediem8611]

Not only is the version fantastic but she is singing it live in front of Gordon Brown! Remember him? The man accused of ill-equipping our British forces in Afghanistan. Gives the words she is singing a new resonance I feel. Her new album is the best stuff she has done since Stories from the city. She is quite brilliant.

[BodeVanLot]

@TheWheels777 I like how it sounds. You could do a lot worse, as far as listenability goes, than Let England Shake. To each their own, though. I'm glad you can appreciate what it's trying to say.

[echelonize1]

this time i cant understand what she s saying... -smell smell poppy. would you love me now?

[JdonaldA]

Absolutely terrible... glad i only have one of her nine albums.

[sydferret]

one of my favorite persons, and i set the bar very high.

[Junkyardette]

Not Bjork, but maybe a lil Lady Gaga resemblance for the outfit.

[kortexsirvasil]

@Junkyardette Except unlike Gaga, Harvey has class (well, at least in the recent years).

[LucidaFlex]

The crown is all that matters.

[MrAlexrawwwr]

@Deryntia I worry that too!

[brother0161]

well, all, you "can't go back." let her move on.

[xtc340]

And next on the ridiculous samples show, is Julian Lloyd Webber playing Bach's Air in G vs. The Sex Pistols. Weird doesn't mean good.

[youpumpertube]

The new album IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!!! I LOVE YOU, PEEJ!!!!!!

[TinaBolesPL]

On the album the loop has gone , Why did she take it out. Was best thing. The song hasn't gone new places. Put for back for the shows at Troxy PJ! or we're walking out

[sonnetland]

Oh dear. PJ is such an overindulged little thing. Sounds like a tipsy aunt.

[mokkshaa]

@sonnetland I see. And what critically acclaimed albums have you released lately?

[oldangelmidnight]

I love that she's playing through a Vox and an Orange.

[kidanthony1138]

its an amazing song

[ekmclive]

Why do people insult her for taking a different stance? She says in interviews that with each album she doesn't want to repeat herself. Also regarding the tuning of the autoharp, she deliberately makes it slightly of in tune to make it moodier, i personally think its a great song.

[lucasboden]

I think her goal is to make white men in suits cringe.

[taniwha9]

@lucasboden nah. Men aged 35-54 are the group she is the most popular with.

[weirdo033]

@taniwha9 funny because I'm a 20 year old woman.

[taniwha9]

@weirdo033 and so?

[taniwha9]

@lucasboden nah. males aged 35-54 are actually her base audience

[JonnyBoyMach2]

Wow - the entire 'constantinople' loop appears to be just for these live performances. Doesn't appear in the album version (for those of you who hate it).

[jrjrloreto]

@JonnyBoyMach2 i love the loop!

[MrUponthyuponwhat]

what a lot of poo, that contraption she is using is not even in tune, she tried to hit and missed, badly.

[SlowNews]

Has anybody noticed that PJ is performing the song a semitone down from the sample? 'Constantinople' is in Fminor while 'Let England Shake' is in Eminor. Maybe this was intentional but it does chafe a little bit.

[janotosinnumeros]

@SlowNews That's exactly what I was thinking, I didn't know the tones that they're in, but I noticed they're in different tone, and i don't know if I really like that, although it's interesting...I think what I would like better is if 'Constantinople' fades out once she starts singing

[montecarlostar]

what kind of shit is this? I remember when she still rocked... *sigh*

[rrrick1000]

WOW! She needs help, she has lost the magic she use to have, i was hoping she would loose all the horrid John Parish crap and go back to writing good songs. But no, i was a huge fan could not wait for her new albums, i thought her first 4 were great and all different. Sad.

[DoctorMeatDic]

@rrrick1000 YOU FUCKING STUPID CUNT. KEEP YOUR KNOBHEAD OPINIONS TO YOURSELF OR YOUR GETTING A FEW SLAPS

[BurtKocaine]

@rrrick1000 As I'm sure you know, PJ always strives to make every new album totally different from the last.

She said her greatest fear was to replicate something she has done before.

How does she need help?

I think the Magic you say she has lost are the great memories you have of her early work.

What I mean is that Artist and audience often grow in opposite directions (Kings of leon and Arctic Monkeys are other good examples) but this doesnt mean their more modern stuff is bad in comparison

[rrrick1000]

@BurtKocaine -I am with you on your two first points. I am a singer in a band and the main songwriter, i also do a radio show once a week ( i very often play a pj song from all her albums ) but this doesn't mean nothing , i am like anybody else, there are times were some songs or any other form of art will rub you the wrong way, or you jst don't like it. Iggy once said that he can't take it when he hears a crap song on the radio, he takes it like a personal attack on his life. Unlike--part 1.

[rrrick1000]

@BurtKocaine -I am with you on your two first points. I am a singer in a band and the main songwriter, i also do a radio show once a week ( i very often play a pj song from all her albums ) but this doesn't mean nothing , i am like anybody else, there are times were some songs or any other form of art will rub you the wrong way, or you just don't like it. Iggy once said that he can't take it when he hears a crap song on the radio, he takes it like a personal attack on his life. Unlike-part 1.

[BurtKocaine]

@rrrick1000 to continue, I'm not saying Your taste in music has become shit just because you dont apreciate her new stuff, i just find it hard to understand how someone who loved her first 4 albums can feel this way.

it makes me sad :(

[mdeschain]

@rrrick1000 first negative opinion i've heard about this album... there's a first time for everything i guess

[powerdp]

this song has changed a lot since the broadcast, love the new ending.

[toujoursjuste]

Yeah, this is crazy. I hope all her music is not like this.

[CircusOfHeaven]

i love PJ Harvey but this seems a bit sad and disapointing.

[madsketcher]

PJ, you wacky woman. She's turning into some postmodern avant bag lady

[telecake]

honestly i think pj is a much better artist / singer than bjork.

bjork is interesting but her voice... let's just say it's an "acquired taste" lol

[m1105n]

It really really sounds like Björk what it´s not a bad thing. Does nobody listen "white chalk"?, PJ is changing.

[BiblicalTaz]

@m1105n she changes after every album... each one differs hugely from the previous, thats nothing new. white chalk is one of my favourite albums :P

[DelphiPianoGirl]

Yeah, let's turn the attention to the amazing voice this woman is providing-- not just musically, but politically, as an agent affected by the choices of those in power; a voice that's using its creative beauty, instead of weapons, to be powerful.

[talkdm1]

i hope to be the first one to buy this album.... shes my goddess

[eggyumyum]

its brilliant!

[PlaygroundPolitician]

i love pj. this was a let down.

[marxman00]

I love that some people just don't get it ! Gordon Brown especially . Thanks for your "New World Order" Gordon!

[jackywhite003]

Music for women who have had abortions.

[dirkhoore]

WOW!!!!! Simplemente increíble!!!!!!

[Gandalfstyle]

sorry,... but beside all your nasty and stupid comments, did anybody realize that she is in another key on top of the sampler??...did anybody found it weird? i like her stuff i am just curious.

[JonnyBoyMach2]

@Gandalfstyle That's why I love it. At first it's completely jarring, hearing her sing a key below. Also, the timing is a bit weird, the second bit gets cut short. It almost becomes annoying . . .and then . . . it just adds this layer of tension and worms your way into your brain.

But God, for the last few days I've annoyed everyone. Can't stop singing: "take me back to Constantinople . . ."

[endlessaimless]

@Gandalfstyle ya, its disorientating trying to work out what part to listen to, i wasn't sure if it was out of time. its def a bit off..

[Sweetforthesoul]

It's a hard song to perform on a tv-show.. You kinda need some other songs to make the audience "warm up" a bit.. I love it though :p She got balls ms PJ

[borowczyk76]

I miss Dry and Rid Of Me...

[schwinglow]

@borowczyk76 So listen to them. >=o)

[borowczyk76]

@schwinglow Done and... done! ;) Still miss my 50 foot queenie...

[SynxVII]

I hated it first time i heard it now i love it, cant wait for her album ;]

[Zaetix]

what a great sample

[frutiloom]

ominous black bird

[99DMC]

Fine. She can do anything she wants to do. But I'll never forget her rocken out to Hook, Man-sized, Monsta.

[verkhovensky99]

@99DMC do your self a favor and listen to the album , the whole thing . And then do us a favor and remove your comment from this list , put it in the trash

[retinueofmoons]

AWESOME....I love her, she's always reiventing herself

[friendsofbrookpark]

listen...

[Chris595]

Criticisms bore me

[benski81]

Terrible. Yes, you are allowed to like it....it's just MY opinion, but I won't be available for flame wars, sorry.

[stonesfcr]

at first i was wtf??!!, but now im starting to dig this song, nice chord change at 1:43

pj harvey is one of the few true free artist left today..

[razmataz13drums]

@stonesfcr im with you. at first wasnt sure what to make of it but now i cant get it out of my head. I like it! I had no idea which way she'd turn for this new albumn cos she always does something completely different to her previous work, and this is just cool

[zarni000]

@razmataz13drums

that is so true...it just goes to prove how intelligent she is as a musician.

usually the first time i hear a new work of hers i'm like "what the hell is this supposed to be" but after a few listens I start to see the light and I start to think "what the hell was I thinking questioning PJ's talent"

[stonesfcr]

@zarni000 haha, so true, and for me it means that, if she's not ahead of most of us, she is one of the most fearless..

[SteeRnschNuPPe]

@doctorwhonico: I totally agree.

That´s just a lot of noise! Im so disappointed!!

[sergejg2]

This is the equivalent to music of what that 6 years old girl that supposedly paints abstract art in NYC did to painting. This is just bull s***. What happened to PJ Harvey from the 90s, take me back to the 90s not to constantinopla.

[doctorwhonico]

As a PJ Harvey fan I must say ... CRAP !!

[friendsofbrookpark]

@doctorwhonico "fan"?

a fan indicates:"A fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something."

If you do not like something you are not a "fan". As Chuck D said in "Don't Believe the Hype":

"Back

Caught you lookin' for the same thing

It's a new thing - check out this I bring..."

[monkeywrench666]

I like Polly but...but this really, I don't know what to make of it.

[thecrikster]

WTF...I wasn't expecting that. It almost doesn't work, but it kind of does. Kudos for just being able to stay in time to the sample whilst singing a totally different song over the top.

[marioua18]

“You can’t go back to Constantinoupole" ? :/ ?

[jsog1]

I love PJ, but can't agree on the use of the autoharp. My humble opinion is that it's a lazy instrument.

[razmataz13drums]

@jsog1 i see what you're saying but if something works it works. whether its easier than all the other insruments she plays or not. the thing about PJ is is that she does something different with every albumn. i understand but would you criticise her if she just stuck with the guitar. i mean look at white chalk. she's daring and goes to a new instrument and white chalk is an awesome album

[jsog1]

@razmataz13drums In that point of view I totally agree with you :) I guess I had in mind today's computerized, mecanical and dry sounding music when I wrote that comment.

[arasharfa]

finally a video where noone mentions lady gaga. :D 

[FaultYesteryear]

@arasharfa until now, thanks.

[busted276]

@arasharfa you just did.

[natinhos]

@busted276 LOOOL!

[arasharfa]

@busted276 DUH. of course I know that. and that was the joke.

[taniwha9]

@arasharfa who?