Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Holy Grail (Hunters and Collectors song)

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Released
  
March 1993 (1993-03)

Genre
  
Pub rock

Label
  
Mushroom

Format
  
CD

Length
  
3:50

Recorded
  
1991-92 Festival Studios, Sydney

"Holy Grail" is a song performed by the Australian band Hunters & Collectors on their 1992 album Cut. With lyrics referring to popular Holy Grail mythology, the song is an anthemic single inspired by Napoleon's march to Russia in 1812, but also referencing the Hunters and Collectors' flagging attempts to "crack" the American market.

Contents

Singer Mark Seymour said, "With the lyrics, I'd been reading a Jeanette Winterson novel, "The Passion". It was a story about Napoleon's chef when he invaded Russia. The army was destroyed by the weather. It's a story about survival. It's a really powerful book and somehow I drew this analogy between the idea of this guy managing to survive this incredible ordeal and Hunters and Collectors making this excruciating record."

The song has since become an Australian rules football anthem, particularly with the reference to the Premiership Cup and the AFL Grand Final. Channel Ten used the song to open and close its AFL broadcasts between 2002 and 2006. Seymour performed the song as part of the AFL Grand Final's pre-match entertainment in 1998, 2002 and 2009 and half-time entertainment in 2013. This song was used for many years as the theme song of the Queensland Bulls cricket team in the quest for the Sheffield Shield, its own "Holy Grail". It was also featured as the theme song to the Australian rugby league movie Footy Legends.

In 2013 a cover version of "Holy Grail" by The Rubens appeared on the tribute album, Crucible – The Songs of Hunters & Collectors.

Track listing

All tracks written by Mark Seymour, Jeremy Smith, Doug Falconer, John Archer, Barry Palmer, Michael Waters, Robert Miles, John Howard.

All tracks written by Mark Seymour, Jeremy Smith, Doug Falconer, John Archer, Barry Palmer, Michael Waters, Robert Miles, John Howard.

Personnel

Credited to:

Hunters & Collectors members
  • John Archer – bass guitar
  • Doug Falconer – drums
  • John 'Jack' Howard – trumpet
  • Robert Miles – live sound, art director
  • Barry Palmer - lead guitar
  • Mark Seymour – vocals, guitar
  • Jeremy Smith – French horn
  • Michael Waters – trombone, keyboards
  • Recording details
  • Producer – Don Gehman ("Holy Grail")
  • Associate Producer/mixing – Rick Will ("Holy Grail")
  • Assistant mixing – Lori Fumer ("Holy Grail")
  • Engineer/recording – Gary Cranston (tracks 2-5)
  • Remixing – Tony Espie
  • Studios – Festival Studios, Sydney (recording); The Grey Room; Larabee Studios, Los Angeles (mixing) ("Holy Grail")
  • MMM Studios, Melbourne (recording/engineering); Platinum Studios, Melbourne (remixing) (tracks 2-5)
  • References

    Holy Grail (Hunters & Collectors song) Wikipedia