Listen: PJ Harvey's New Song 'Written On The Forehead'

Written On The Forehead by pjharvey

The first track from PJ Harvey's forthcoming LP Let England Shake was posted on her website today. Entitled "Written On The Forehead," the song is a haunting ballad that samples what sounds like a mid-century spiritual song with a refrain of "Let It Burn." The disc, produced by Flood (U2, Smashing Pumpkins) at a 19th-century church in Dorset England, is Harvey's first release since 2007s White Chalk. She plans on supporting it with a tour that kicks off around the LP's February release date.

PJ Harvey: The Rolling Stone Interview

Last April Harvey went on British television to perform the title track, which is written around a sample of the Four Lads' 1953 hit "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)." See that performance below.

Here's the complete track listing for Let England Shake.

"Let England Shake"
"The Last Living Rose"
"The Glorious Land"
"The Words That Maketh Murder"
"All and Everyone"
"On Battleship Hill"
"England"
"In the Dark Places"
"Bitter Branches"
"Hanging in the Wire"
"Written on the Forehead"
"The Colour of the Earth"

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

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