Songfacts®:

• "My Father My King" is a 20-minute epic instrumental by Mogwai, originally released as a single in October 2001. The towering composition serves as a companion piece to their album Rock Action and became their signature concert closer.
• The song draws its foundation from Avinu Malkeinu, a sacred Jewish prayer recited during the High Holy Days, particularly Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This ancient prayer, whose title translates to "Our Father, Our King," combines two biblical appellations for God found in the Book of Isaiah. The prayer is traditionally recited during the Ten Days of Repentance and asks for divine forgiveness and blessing.
• None of Mogwai's members are Jewish. The band was introduced to the prayer's melodies by producer Arthur Baker, known for his work with early hip-hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa. Baker tried to produce the track himself, but after two unsuccessful attempts, the band turned to Steve Albini for the final recording.
• Baker first came across Mogwai at All Tomorrow's Parties. "I started becoming friendly with Stuart Braithwaite," he explained to Uncut magazine. "When I was a kid going to temple, there would be this song called Avinu Malkeinu, which is a song for Yom Kippur, their holiest day of the Jewish calendar. And I thought, 'Wow, it's perfect for Mogwai to do. So, I got my Steinberger bass out and recorded the melody and sent the cassette to Stuart, and he was up for the idea. When they played me what they had done, I was blown away."
• Mogwai recorded "Our Father, Our King" over three days at Mayfair Studios in London in August 2001 with Steve Albini. They recorded to analog tape, with Albini employing his characteristic hands-on approach, even splicing the final version from two takes using a razor blade.
• The song is Mogwai distilled: two melodies from the prayer arranged into their signature quiet-LOUD-quiet dynamic. A sticker on the disc describes it as "two parts serenity and one part death metal."
• Live versions often stretch well past the 20-minute mark, the longest clocking in at 28 minutes and 12 seconds at a show in Dallas, Texas, in June 2001. That's about the running time of an entire Ramones album.
• Arthur Baker told Uncut that he caught Mogwai in Brooklyn in April 2025, where they closed, as ever, with "My Father My King." Behind them hung a Palestinian flag, which Baker noted with dry amusement. "Sort of ironic," he said, given the tune's roots.