To Here Knows When

My Bloody Valentine broke into the mainstream with their 1988 debut studio album, Isn't Anything, released under the Creation Records label.^[1][2] Early in 1989, they began work on their second album, Loveless (1991), which resulted in unproductive months during which the band relocated to 19 different studios.^[3][4] Due to its extensive production time, Kevin Shields and Creation executive Alan McGee agreed to release two extended plays: Glider (1990) and Tremolo (1991).^[5] The latter spawned "To Here Knows When", recorded also in 1991.^[6]

Written by Shields and Bilinda Butcher, "To Here Knows When" is a shoegaze song characterized by heavy effects usage and Shields's distinct glide guitar playing.^[7] In place of a usual bass track, a BBC Radiophonic Workshop record featuring sounds of "a disaster in the distance" and "a nuclear bomb going off" was looped.^[8] As Colm Ó Cíosóig was physically ill and could not perform, a drum machine with delay was used for both versions, which utilized samples from his kit.^[8][9] Two versions of the song appear on Tremolo and Loveless, with its coda being the differentiating factor.^[10]

"To Here Knows When" was released on February 4, 1991 with "Swallow" on its B-side.^[11] A music video for the song was filmed by Angus Cameron.^[12] Upon release, it peaked at number 29 on the UK singles chart, which is their highest entry to date and their only top 40 single.^[13] In 1991, NME's Dave Fedele called "To Here Knows When" the "strangest single" to ever appear on the UK singles chart.^[14]

In a 2008 article on the "weirdest" UK chart hits, Paul Lester of The Guardian describes the song as a notable "how did that get there?!" moment of the 1990s, writing that both it and Underworld's "Born Slippy .NUXX" (1996) "saw strange dance sounds high in the charts".^[15] In 2023, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis ranked it as the band's best song, calling it "strange and strangely beautiful, the rule-breaking musical equivalent of a waking dream. Thirty-two years on, it’s still baffling, magical and unique."^[16]

7" single

1. "To Here Knows When" – 4:44
2. "Swallow" – 3:39

Loveless version

1. "To Here Knows When" – 5:31

All personnel credits adapted from Loveless's liner notes.^[17]

My Bloody Valentine

• Colm Ó Cíosóig – drums, sampler
• Bilinda Butcher – vocals; guitar (credited, does not perform)
• Debbie Googe – bass (credited, does not perform)
• Kevin Shields – guitar, vocals, sampler; bass (uncredited)