The National Anthem
Found on: Kid A
Lyrics
Notes
Everyone
Everyone around here
Everyone is so near
It's holding on
It's holding on

Everyone
Everyone is so near
Everyone has got the fear
It's holding on
It's holding on

It's holding on
It's holding on
It's holding on


"The National Anthem," is the album's "Exit Music." Colin's bass line is wildly hypnotic and the pure and utter body of this song forcing attention onto itself and away from Thom's vocals, which are prominently less featured on this album compared to the others. This is not to say that his vocals aren't stunning, but the fact that Yorke's vocals were ProTooled around with (small vocal parts cut and pasted to repeat over and over again), displays the band's interest in concentrating less on the centerpiece of the band and more on the collective entity. The bombarding and escalating brass ensemble on "TNA," first appear almost cliche in it's perfect disorder -- horns of all kinds coming from everywhere in a very discomforting manner -- the cliche ends once Thom screams and begs out "It's holding on!" with as much conviction as possible. That's when you get the idea. That's when you understand that it's the anti-cliche.
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