"Harvest Home" is the debut

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

of the Scottish band

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scot ...

. It was first released as a single in 1982 and included on the band's debut album '' The Crossing''.

Debut release

In early 1982, a newly formed Big Country declined a trade agreement with the

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

label but later signed a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with Mercury-Phonogram Records. The band went to London to begin work on their upcoming debut album. Late that year, they issued "Harvest Home". Despite missing a place in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, the band shortly after found themselves supporting

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

heavyweights

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

, on their sell-out farewell tour.

Critical praise

In their album review of ''The Crossing'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' said that the "bagpipelike single-string riffs on such crackling tracks as" the "grandly martial Harvest Home are a nonstop, spine-tingling delight."

Music video

At the beginning of the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, the members of the band are shown having a picnic together in the bushes. They later abandon the picnic area and enter a large building. Their musical instruments are inside, and the band walk in and start playing their instruments inside this building. Towards the end of the video, lead vocalist

Stuart Adamson William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...

puts down his instrument and starts dancing.

References

External links

Harvest Home song
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvest Home (song) 1982 debut singles Big Country songs Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Songs written by Stuart Adamson Songs written by Mark Brzezicki Songs written by Tony Butler (musician) Songs written by Bruce Watson (guitarist) 1982 songs Mercury Records singles