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About

Genius Annotation

Mike Oldfield wrote this song inspired by his grandfather, who took part in World War I.

According to the stories told about his grandfather he was a completely different guy prior to the war. The conditions of war greatly affected him as a person and how he raised his kids.

Oldfield visited museums that had World War I memorabilia and felt that the dismal feeling still lingered around.

Notably, this song has been used by videogame producer Hideo Kojima and the gaming company Konami in the E3 2014 Trailer for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, as it is possible to see below. Due to the fact that Mike Oldfield’s Man on the Rocks album came out in the same year, many fans have been drawn to think that the song had been written for the game, but it is not true. The song has been chosen by Kojima due to his appreciation of Oldfield’s work.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Mike Oldfield say about "Nuclear"?
Genius Answer

When interviewed by The Daily Telegraph, Mike Oldfield clarified the background and the motives that pushed him to write the song about his grandfather:

I never knew him, so I hired a company to find out about him. It turned out he was a great character before the war but came home a very different man. My mum was one of ten or eleven kids and all the children born after the war had problems like hers. I wanted to see if I could spread my senses in the place he was. I travelled around Ypres and the battlefield museums and I saw the graves of his regiment: the Royal Munster Fusiliers. And I could feel it. Still there. It’s a blessing and a curse for those of us who have this extra sensitivity.”

Credits
Featuring
Written By
Recorded At
Mike Oldfield's home studio, Nassau, New Providence, the Bahamas; The Village, Los Angeles, California; Battery Studios, Willesden, Brent, Greater London, England
Release Date
March 3, 2014
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