Released 19 November 1982 Length 4:46 | Format 7" single, 12" single | |
B-side "Monument"
"The Thin Wall (Live)" Recorded 1982 at AIR Studios in London Genre Synthpop, post-punk, new wave | ||
"Hymn" is a 1982 song from Ultravox's sixth studio album Quartet. Released as the album's second single, it reached #11 on the British Top 40 singles chart and the Top 10 in Germany and Switzerland.
Contents
History
The song was written by Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure and produced by George Martin. The cover art depicts certain symbols of Freemasonry, most notably the compass and the square.
Lyrically, the song describes a time of corruption, in which "all that's good will fall from grace" and "Different words [...] have other meaning"; the protagonist expresses his worldy ambitions for "power and glory" in phrases from Bible ("the storybook"), especially The Lord's Prayer.
In line with this theme, the music video depicts a diabolical figure seducing four men seeking either fame, power or glory.
7" version
- "Hymn" [single edit] – 4:24
- "Monument" – 3:16
12" version
- "Hymn" – 5:46
- "Monument" – 3:16
- "The Thin Wall (Live)" – 5:54
Covers
The song has been covered by numerous acts including Magna Charta (1990), Cabballero (1994), Cosmo (1994), German electro project Music Instructor (1995), Supporters (1997), The Stunned Guys (1998), Edguy (1998), DJ Jaxx (2000), 4 Clubbers (2002) Gigi D'Agostino (2003), Lunatica (2004), Tina Cousins (2004), Polish DJ Psychophaze (2005), Mägo de Oz (under the name "Mañana Empieza Hoy") (2005), Raz Ohara (2005), Age Pee (2006), Trancemission (2006), Parasytic (2008), PROXIMITY (2010), Kirlian Camera (2011) and Mägo de Oz again (2013)