Released in 1991
Written by Paul McCartney • Carl Davis
Last updated on July 9, 2019
Album This song officially appears on the Liverpool Oratorio Official album.
Timeline This song was officially released in 1991
Officially appears on Liverpool Oratorio
Officially appears on Liverpool Oratorio
War - Oh Will It All End Here?
Officially appears on Liverpool Oratorio
War - Mother and Father Holding Their Child
Officially appears on Liverpool Oratorio
“The Air Raid Siren Slices Through…” is the third track of the first movement – entitled “War” – of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio, released in 1991.
I: WAR. 1942. A world at war. Sirens sound as bombs fall over Liverpool and despairing couples shelter underground. Amid the blaze and the chaos of an air raid, a child is born. And there is hope.
“Liverpool Oratorio” liner notes
SHANTY
The air raid siren slices through
A night in 1942.
A couple sheltering in the gloom
Know all too well this waiting room
For often they have in the past
Been huddled close against the blast
Of doodle bugs and bombs galore,
They can't put up with any more.
So it was that I was born
Into this world one summer morning
And breaking through this brand new day
I hear the sound of warning.
CHORUS
(War, Ah)
Official album • Released in 1991
2:09 • Live • L1
Paul McCartney : Executive producer Eddie Klein : Additional engineer John Timperley : Balance engineer Carl Davis : Orchestra conductor Peter Mew : Additional engineer, Editor John Fraser : Producer Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra : Orchestra Nic Raine : Assistant to carl davis Martin Astle : Additional engineer Tom Leader : Additional engineer, Editor Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir : Choir Choristers of Liverpool Cathedral : Choir Ian Tracey : Chorus master and master of the choriste Jerry Hadley : Tenor
Concert From the concert in Liverpool, United Kingdom on Jun 28, 1991
Selections from Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio
Official album • Released in 1992
2:09 • Live • L1
Paul McCartney : Executive producer Eddie Klein : Additional engineer John Timperley : Balance engineer Carl Davis : Orchestra conductor Peter Mew : Additional engineer, Editor John Fraser : Producer Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra : Orchestra Nic Raine : Assistant to carl davis Martin Astle : Additional engineer Tom Leader : Additional engineer, Editor Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir : Choir Choristers of Liverpool Cathedral : Choir Ian Tracey : Chorus master and master of the choriste Jerry Hadley : Tenor
Concert From the concert in Liverpool, United Kingdom on Jun 28, 1991
“War - The Air Raid Siren Slices Through...” has been played in 6 concerts.
Jul 27, 2024 • Part of Liverpool Oratorio
Jul 21, 2024 • Part of Liverpool Oratorio
Jul 20, 2024 • Part of Liverpool Oratorio
Jul 18, 2024 • Part of Liverpool Oratorio
Liverpool • Liverpool Cathedral • United Kingdom
Jun 29, 1991 • Part of Liverpool Oratorio
See all concerts where “War - The Air Raid Siren Slices Through...” has been played
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012
This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.
The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.
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