To Here Knows When
| "To Here Knows When" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by My Bloody Valentine | ||||
| from the album Loveless and the EP Tremolo | ||||
| B-side | "Swallow" | |||
| Released | February 4, 1991 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:44 (EP) 5:31 (Album) | |||
| Label | Creation (UK)
| |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | My Bloody Valentine | |||
| My Bloody Valentine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"To Here Knows When" is a song by Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine. It was released by Creation as the lead single from their sixth EP, Tremolo, in February 1991. A different mix appears on their second studio album, Loveless, which features an alternate ending. It was written by Bilinda Butcher and Kevin Shields, and produced by the band.
Background
My Bloody Valentine broke into the mainstream with their 1988 debut studio album, Isn't Anything, released under the Creation Records label.[1][2] Early in 1989, they began work on their second album, Loveless (1991), which resulted in unproductive months during which the band relocated to 19 different studios.[3][4] Due to its extensive production time, Kevin Shields and Creation executive Alan McGee agreed to release two extended plays: Glider (1990) and Tremolo (1991).[5] The latter spawned "To Here Knows When", recorded also in 1991.[6]
Composition
Written by Shields and Bilinda Butcher, "To Here Knows When" is a shoegaze song characterized by heavy effects usage and Shields's distinct glide guitar playing.[7] In place of a usual bass track, a BBC Radiophonic Workshop record featuring sounds of "a disaster in the distance" and "a nuclear bomb going off" was looped.[8] As Colm Ó Cíosóig was physically ill and could not perform, a drum machine with delay was used for both versions, which utilized samples from his kit.[8][9] Two versions of the song appear on Tremolo and Loveless, with the coda being its differentiating factor.[10]
Release and reception
"To Here Knows When" was released on February 4, 1991 with "Swallow" on its B-side.[11] A music video for the song was filmed by Angus Cameron.[12] Upon release, it peaked at number 29 on the UK singles chart, which is their highest entry to date and their only top 40 single.[13] In 1991, NME's Dave Fedele called "To Here Knows When" the "strangest single" to ever appear on the UK singles chart.[14]
In a 2008 article on the "weirdest" UK chart hits, Paul Lester of The Guardian describes the song as a notable "how did that get there?!" moment of the 1990s, writing that both it and Underworld's "Born Slippy .NUXX" (1996) "saw strange dance sounds high in the charts".[15] In 2023, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis ranked it as the band's best song, calling it "strange and strangely beautiful, the rule-breaking musical equivalent of a waking dream. Thirty-two years on, it’s still baffling, magical and unique."[16]
Track listing
7" single
- "To Here Knows When" – 4:44
- "Swallow" – 3:39
Loveless version
- "To Here Knows When" – 5:31
Personnel
All personnel credits adapted from Loveless's liner notes.[17]
My Bloody Valentine
- Colm Ó Cíosóig – drums, sampler
- Bilinda Butcher – vocals; guitar (credited, does not perform)
- Debbie Googe – bass (credited, does not perform)
- Kevin Shields – guitar, vocals, sampler; bass (uncredited)
Charts
| Chart (1991) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[18] | 29 |
References
Citations
- ^ Barron, Jack (19 November 1988). "Valentine daze". NME. p. 38.
- ^ "Shoegaze music style overview". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
Most shoegaze groups worked off the template My Bloody Valentine established with their early EPs and their first full-length album, Isn't Anything...
- ^ McGonial 2007, p. 41.
- ^ McGonial 2007, p. 43.
- ^ McGonial 2007, p. 44.
- ^ McGonigal 2007, p. 78
- ^ DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 488. ISBN 978-0-634-05548-5.
- ^ a b Tischler, Eric (15 November 2001). "My Bloody Valentine: What are those sounds?". Tape Op. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ McGonigal 2007, p. 72
- ^ "World war skreeeee!". To Here Knows Web. 9 November 1991. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ To Here Knows When (Vinyl). My Bloody Valentine. Creation Records. 1991. CRE 085.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ My Bloody Valentine; Primal Scream; Ride (1992). The Story of Creation (VHS). Warner Reprise Video. 38278-3.
- ^ "To Here Knows When". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Fadele, Dele (9 November 1991). "My Bloody Valentine: Loveless". NME. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ Lester, Paul (11 July 2008). "What's the weirdest chart hit of all time?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 January 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (2 February 2023). "My Bloody Valentine's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ Loveless (CD). My Bloody Valentine. Sony Music Entertainment. 1988. LC 12723.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "My Bloody Valentine". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 February 2026.