And I Will Kiss

"And I Will Kiss" is a song written by Rick Smith and Karl Hyde[1] of electronic group Underworld for the Isles of Wonder opening ceremony of the 2012 summer Olympics in London, and the fourth track on the official soundtrack.

The title makes reference to a speech given by Caliban in Act 2, Scene 2 of The Tempest by William Shakespeare: I'll show thee every fertile inch o' the island; And I will kiss thy foot.

[4] The track features performances by percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, (with her drum score arranged by Paul Clarvis and Rick Smith); drummers Paul Clarvis, Mike Dolbear, John Randall, Frank Ricotti, Ralph Salmins, Corrina Silvester and Ian Thomas; drum captains Barnaby Archer, Oliver Blake, Daniel Bradley, Rebecca Celebuski, Jason Chowdhury, Jonathan Colgan, Oliver Cox, Fabio de Oliveira, Mike Dolbear, Robert Eckland, Daniel Ellis, Ric Elsworth, David Holmes, Oliver Lowe, Nicola Marangoni, James O’Carroll, Gerard Rundell, Ramon Sherrington, Corrina Silvester, Alex Smith, Owain Williams and Justin Woodward; the 965 Pandemonium Drummers, made up of volunteers.

[5] Rick Smith initially had doubts about using amateur drummers, but drum arranger Paul Clarvis convinced him that every one of them was capable of the job in hand.

[6] The singers were Paul Ayres, Will Balkwill, Zoe Brown, Ronan Busfield, Pete Challis, Mark Connell, Emily Dickens, Kevin Doody, Elizabeth Drury, Ewan Gillies, James Hall, Johnny Herford, Katy Hill, Jimmy Holliday, Eloise Irving, Gareth John, Oliver Jones, Christopher Lowrey, Drew Mason, Philippa Murray, Sean Needham, Robyn Allegra Parton, Catherine Pope, Alison Rose, Domhnall Talbot, Reuben Thomas, Matt Thorpe and Amy Wood, and the vocal chanting at the start of the recording was from selected volunteers from the Pandemonium working men and women.

"[9] The San Francisco Bay Guardian said "At 17 minutes, “And I Will Kiss” provided the backdrop for a shrewdly choreographed performance-art piece, chronicling Britain's historic transition from pastoral wonderland to industrial superpower.

Recalling Peter Gabriel’s similarly high-concept OVO: The Millennium Show, held in London 12 years ago, the spectacle combined elaborate set-design and an extensive cast with a loud and pulsating, yet moody and subdued soundtrack.

Industrialization represented a sense of forward progress, as well as a loss of innocence, for the British people, and Underworld's musical contribution aptly reflected this emotional complexity.