Radiohead- Burn the Witch

'Burn the Witch' is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 3 May 2016 as the lead single from their ninth studio album A Moon Shaped Pool (2016). Radiohead developed the song for over a decade, first working on it during the sessions for their fourth album, Kid A (2000). It features a string selection playing col Legno Battuto, producing a percussive sound, arranged by Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood. 'Burn the Witch' was accompanied by a stop-motion animated music video that pays homepage to the 1960s British children's television programme Camberwick Green and the 1973 British horror film The Wicker Man. Some critics interpreted the lyrics and video as a warning against group-think and authoritarianism. The song received positive reviews and was nominated for Best Rock song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

A Moon Shaped Pool is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released digitally on the 8th of May 2016. CD and LP releases followed in June 2016 through XL Recordings. Radiohead promoted A Moon Shaped Pool a week before its release with the singles 'Burn The Witch' and 'Daydreaming', accompanied by music videos.A world tour began in May 2016 and resumed in March 2017, with headline performances at festivals including Glastonbury and Coachella. A Moon Shaped Pool was acclaimed by critics and appeared in many publications' list of the years best albums. It was the fifth Radiohead album to be nominated for the Mercury Prize, and nominated for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Song (for 'Burn The Witch') at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. It topped charts in several countries, becoming Radiohead's sixth number-one album in the UK and a bestseller on Vinyl. It was certified gold in the Uk on the 24th June 2016. 

The 'Burn The Witch' music video was directed by Chris Hopewell, who previously directed the animated video for Radiohead's 2003 single 'There There'. It uses stop-motion animation in the style of the Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley series of the 1960s English children's television programme (also known as the Trumpton Trilogy). The video was produced and finished in 14 days and released on YouTube one week later on 3rd May 2016. The video homages the 1973 horror film 'The Wicker Man' and depicts the mob rule in a rural community. An Inspector is greeted by a ton Mayor and invited to see a series of unsettling sights, culminating in the unveiling of the Wicker Man. The mayor urges the Inspector to climb into the Wicker Man, whereupon he is locked inside as a human sacrifice and The Wicker Man is set on fire. As the flames gather, the townspeople turn their back and wave goodbye to the camera. After the song ends, the Inspector escapes among the trees.

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British mystery horror film directed by Robin Hardy. centred on  Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) who arrives on the small Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the report of a missing child. A conservative Christian, the policeman observes the residents' frivolous sexual displays and strange pagan rituals, particularly the temptations of Willow (Britt Ekland), daughter of the island magistrate, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). The more sergeant Howie learns about the islanders' strange practices, the closer he gets to tracking down the missing child.



Trumptonshire is a fictional county created by Gordon Murray, in which the Trumptonshire Trilogy of Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley are located. According to Murray, the tree communities are based on real locations one and a half miles from each other at the corners of an equilateral triangle. The Trumptonshire Trilogy was first shown on the BBC from January to March 1967. The action takes place in the imaginary then of Trumpton, although all the characters are settings are new, the styles of the programme follows the pattern established by Camberwick Green, in which domestic problems are cheerfully resolved by the end of the show, leaving the last minute or so for the fire brigade to come and play the episode out. The Fire brigade is perhaps Truman's most-recognised feature.