HIGH AND DRY
Released: February 1995
Length: 4:15
Disc: The Bends | High And Dry single | High And Dry Live Package
Tablature: Guitar | Bass | Drum
High And Dry UK Video
High And Dry US Video

Other Versions:
Live @ Rock City - The Bends - Pinkpop
Cover by Transient/Mike Moore - Plastic Mutations Tribute LP

Originally written two years before The Bends when they were recording Pablo Honey, the song started out life over a stolen Soul II Soul rhythm. They then decided to do a version of it. They had just had a new skin put on their bass drum, so Phil was messing about with it, and that is how the drum beat came up. Thom played the opening bit acoustic, for a laugh, and everyone thought it sounded like Rod Stewart. Bits got recorded and added, but it soon got discarded pretty quickly.

About the time that they were recording The Bends, someone found it again, and they were surprised at how well it fitted in. They then put it on the album, after trying to re-record it and finding they just couldn't improve it. The album version is the original demo version, just remixed. This song is one of the only occasions on which it was not all recorded together - as the band came in separately, and recorded their own sections before it was all put together.

Thom has frequently dedicated this song to the 'older people, who don't like loud music'. There are two videos for this song - one for the release in the UK featuring the band in a desert, and one for release in the USA with a story revolving around a Pulp Fiction-esque diner.

Two jumps in a week
I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you boy?
Flying on your motorcycle
Watching all the ground beneath you drop
You'd kill yourself for recognition
Kill yourself to never, ever stop
You broke another mirror
You're turning into something you are not

Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry

Drying up in conversation
You'll be the one who cannot talk
All your insides fall to pieces
You just sit there wishing you could still make love
They're the ones who'll hate you
When you think you've got the world all sussed out
They're the ones who'll spit on you
You'll be the one screaming out

Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry

Oh, it's the best thing that you ever had
The best thing that you ever, ever had
It's the best thing that you ever had
The best thing you have had has gone away

Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high
Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry
Colin Greenwood "Over 2 years old now... Ah! So young, pure and innocent then - now I'm just old, pure and innocent! Damn!" - Colin
Phil Selway
"One from the vaults. Proof that demos are generally the best versions of songs." - Phil

Ed O'Brien "I really don't remember the day that this was recorded with our sound engineer, Jim. All I do know is that we arranged the song before we went into the studio, but it ended up sounding great!" - Ed
Thom Yorke
"An accident. Just like evil kenevil." - Thom
Jonny Greenwood
"This used to sound like soul to soul. A first take demo from ages ago." - Jonny



** How The Band Wrote High And Dry **

Thom: That song was pretty much mine. Originally, I wrote and four-tracked it with a Soul II Soul rhythm underneath, taken off a 12-inch. I honestly don't know now where the lyrics came from. It was something we didn't know what to do with. We did a version in the studio one day, didn't like it, left it. We didn't even listen back to it; we finished it and just said, "This is fucking dreadful."

Ed: It was over two years ago, wasn't it? We recorded it with our sound engineer.

Thom: They'd just put a new skin on the bass drum, and that was the inspiration for the sound. I played the opening bit acoustic, which we thought was hilarious. Colin and Phil laughed, 'cause they thought it wounded like Rod Stewart.

Jonny: I played solo, but that was the same guitar line that Thom had come up with on his four-track.

Ed: "High and Dry" was one of the few tracks we've done where we haven't actually been in the studio at the same time. We weren't really into doing the song, so we all came in, did our seperate parts, and buggered off, and our soundman put it all together.

Thom: Anyway, two years later, someone dug it up and said, "Hey, how 'bout this? It's pretty good." We were quite surprised. It was one of those things where you record something and can't even remember doing it. We had to relearn it all.

Ed: We never did another recording of it. The version on the album is the original demo version, just remixed by Sean and Paul. It's interesting, because at the time we recorded it, it didn't fit in with what we were doing, so we forgot it. But two years on, when we were putting the next album [The Bends] together, it made sense.

Thom: We're still working on it live. The nicest arrangement we've had is the one we just did on Jay Leno, where it just ends on "it's the best thing that you've ever had." I always hated playing that last chorus over again. Actually, it would still be better with that Soul II Soul ryhthm.

Jonny: That's why we buried the song.

Thom: Yeah, cause we couldn't do a convincing Soul II Soul rhythm. Well, we didn't really want to, so we did a dodgy Rod Stewart version and then ditched it.

Jonny: So we're proud of it.

Thom: Yeah, it's all right.
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