Atomic Bomb
A love song built on the threat of exploding, and the title track of his 1978 LP.
William Onyeabor, from Atomic Bomb (1978)
- Written by
- William Onyeabor
- Released
- 1978
- Length
- 8:00
- Album
- Atomic Bomb
The title track opens the second side of Atomic Bomb (1978), recorded at the Wilfilms studio in Enugu with the Wilfilms Resident Band. The singer warns that he is going to explode, the backing voices ask if he really means it, and the answer is like an atomic bomb. NPR's Will Hermes judged it unbeatable among late Cold War sexual metaphors.
Live and covers
Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip sang it at the Barbican on 1 April 2014, and it was in every full Atomic Bomb! setlist that year. The song gave the tribute show and its band their name. Hot Chip released their own cover in March 2014, and it opened the WHAT?! remix album that April; John Talabot remixed that cover for a 2015 Record Store Day twelve-inch. The upload in the hypersongs web is the original 1978 recording as compiled on Who Is William Onyeabor?, with an animated video and a short opening composition by Policy.
Covers and versions
- Hot Chip (2014) First track on WHAT?! William Onyeabor Remixed
- Hot Chip, remixed by John Talabot (2015) Record Store Day twelve-inch
More songs by William Onyeabor
Sources
- William Onyeabor: Atomic Bomb (Official Animated Audio), Luaka Bop (2013-12-11)
- William Onyeabor: Atomic Bomb, Discogs
- First Listen: William Onyeabor, Who Is William Onyeabor?, NPR (2013-10-20)
- Hot Chip cover William Onyeabor's Atomic Bomb, Stereogum (2014-03)
- Live report: Who Is William Onyeabor?, The Quietus (2014-04-07)