Halcyon (Orbital song)

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"Halcyon" is a song written and performed by Orbital. In its original form, the song is a melancholy tribute to the addictive sedative Halcion (Triazolam), which the Hartnoll brothers' mother reportedly used. This original form of the song is relatively uncommon; it did not appear on a full-length album until the compilation Work 1989-2002. The music video for "Halcyon" is available on the official Orbital fan site.

A closely related song is "Halcyon + on + on", a slightly more upbeat remix of the original song featuring a backmasked vocal sample by Kirsty Hawkshaw from "It's a Fine Day" by Opus III (1992) (Hawkshaw played the mother who was 'under the influence' in the video, which was shot in the Hartnolls' home). In contrast to the original, the remix is far more widely known, and has featured on several movie soundtracks (most notably Mortal Kombat, Hackers and Mean Girls). This remix's first album appearance was on Orbital's second eponymous album. The title of the remix is inspired by a contemporary advertising slogan used by the Ariston washing machine company ("Ariston + on + on"). Halcyon + on + on is 9 minutes and 24 seconds long.

In live performances, "Halcyon + on + on" was itself frequently remixed with clips from Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name".