2HB
Encyclopedia
"2HB" is a song written by Bryan Ferry
and included on Roxy Music
's eponymous debut album. He also recorded a version for his 1976 solo album Let's Stick Together
.
The title is a pun
- the song is not in fact about the European nomenclature of pencil
leads, but actually dedicated to Hollywood film star Humphrey Bogart
. ("2HB" = "to Humphrey Bogart".) In particular, it references the Bogart classic Casablanca
.
The song is gentle and mellow in tone, evoking a smoky cabaret atmosphere and classic black-and-white films.
The instrumentation on the Roxy Music recording is dominated by Ferry's Hohner Pianet N
electric piano, and features a sax solo in the middle where MacKay's playing is treated with tape echo effects by Brian Eno.
by supergroup The Venus in Furs, made up of Bernard Butler
, Clune, Jonny Greenwood
, Paul Kimble, Andy MacKay
, and Thom Yorke
.
English band Madness
made a tribute song 4BF (for Bryan Ferry
) on their album The Madness
. The early Human League
song 4JG
(for J. G. Ballard
) was also inspired by 2HB.
Andy MacKay's sax solo is based on the melody of "As Time Goes By
", the song which is featured prominently in the movie Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart on whom the song is based.
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
and included on Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
's eponymous debut album. He also recorded a version for his 1976 solo album Let's Stick Together
Let's Stick Together
Let's Stick Together is a 1976 album by Bryan Ferry. His third solo release, it was his first following the disbandment of Roxy Music earlier in the year. Unlike Ferry’s two previous solo recordings, Let’s Stick Together was not a dedicated album project, instead being made up of material released...
.
The title is a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
- the song is not in fact about the European nomenclature of pencil
Pencil
A pencil is a writing implement or art medium usually constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing. The case prevents the core from breaking, and also from marking the user’s hand during use....
leads, but actually dedicated to Hollywood film star Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
. ("2HB" = "to Humphrey Bogart".) In particular, it references the Bogart classic Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
.
The song is gentle and mellow in tone, evoking a smoky cabaret atmosphere and classic black-and-white films.
The instrumentation on the Roxy Music recording is dominated by Ferry's Hohner Pianet N
Pianet
thumb|Hohner Pianet TThe Pianet was a series of electric pianos built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany from the 1960s to the 1970s. The designer of the early Pianet models was Ernst Zacharias, basing the mechanism closely on a 1920s design by Lloyd Loar...
electric piano, and features a sax solo in the middle where MacKay's playing is treated with tape echo effects by Brian Eno.
Covers and references
This song was covered for the film Velvet GoldmineVelvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 British/American drama film directed and co-written by Todd Haynes. The film tells the story of a pop star based mainly on David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' character and is set in Britain during the days of glam rock in the early 1970s.Sandy Powell received another Academy...
by supergroup The Venus in Furs, made up of Bernard Butler
Bernard Butler
Bernard Joseph Butler is an English musician and record producer. He first emerged in the early Britpop era with Suede. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation, as well as one of Britain's most original and influential guitarists...
, Clune, Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
, Paul Kimble, Andy MacKay
Andy Mackay
Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
, and Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
.
English band Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
made a tribute song 4BF (for Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
) on their album The Madness
The Madness (album)
The Madness is a self-titled album by the British band The Madness. In 1988, after the breakup of the original Madness, four of the original members recreated the band, adding "The" to its name...
. The early Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
song 4JG
The Golden Hour of the Future
The Golden Hour of the Future is a compilation album of recordings made by the electronic band The Future and early recordings by the original line-up of The Human League....
(for J. G. Ballard
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
) was also inspired by 2HB.
Andy MacKay's sax solo is based on the melody of "As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By
As Time Goes By is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One from 1992 to 2005. Starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, it follows the relationship between two former lovers who meet unexpectedly after not having been in contact for 38 years....
", the song which is featured prominently in the movie Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart on whom the song is based.
Song Musicians
- Andy MacKayAndy MackayAndrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
— tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
. - Bryan FerryBryan FerryBryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
— vocals, Hohner Pianet NPianetthumb|Hohner Pianet TThe Pianet was a series of electric pianos built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany from the 1960s to the 1970s. The designer of the early Pianet models was Ernst Zacharias, basing the mechanism closely on a 1920s design by Lloyd Loar...
. - Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
— tape echo effects - Graham Simpson — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Paul ThompsonPaul Thompson (musician)Paul Thompson is the drummer for Roxy Music from 1971 to 1980 and from 2001 onwards.In between those stints with Roxy Music, he was drummer in the Oi! band, Angelic Upstarts and the American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde...
— Drums