Pyramid Song

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This article is about the Radiohead song. For the Jake Zyrus song, see Pyramid (song). For the Frank Ocean song, see Pyramids (song).

"Pyramid Song"
Radiohead pyramidsong.jpg
Single by Radiohead
from the album Amnesiac
Released21 May 2001 (2001-05-21)
Recorded1999–2000
GenreArt rock
Length4:51
Label
Songwriter(s)Radiohead
Producer(s)
Radiohead singles chronology
"No Surprises"
(1998) 		"Pyramid Song"
(2001) 		"I Might Be Wrong"
(2001)
Music video
"Pyramid Song" on YouTube

"Pyramid Song" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Amnesiac (2001). It features piano, strings, a "shuffling" rhythm, and lyrics inspired by the Egyptian underworld. Its animated music video was directed by London-based team Shynola.[1]

Radiohead's first single since "No Surprises" (1998), "Pyramid Song" reached the top 10 on seven national charts. It was ranked one of the best tracks of the decade by Rolling Stone, the NME and Pitchfork.

Recording[]

Following the tour for Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), songwriter Thom Yorke bought a house in Cornwall and spent his time walking the cliffs and drawing, restricting his musical activity to playing his new grand piano.[2] He wrote "Pyramid Song" and "Everything In Its Right Place" in the same week.[3] For "Everything In Its Right Place", he programmed his playing into a synthesiser, but found that "Pyramid Song" sounded better untreated.[3] He said of the composition: "The chords I'm playing involve lots of black notes. You think you're being really clever playing them but they're really simple."[3]

Yorke said "Pyramid Song" was inspired by the song "Freedom" by jazz musician Charles Mingus, first released on the 1962 album The Complete Town Hall Concert. One version of "Pyramid Song" included similar handclaps, but, according to Yorke, "our claps sounded really naff, so I quickly erased them".[3] The lyrics were inspired by an exhibition of ancient Egyptian underworld art Yorke attended while Radiohead were recording in Copenhagen,[4] and ideas of cyclical time found in Buddhism and discussed by Stephen Hawking.[4]

The string section, arranged by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, was performed by the Orchestra of St John's in Dorchester Abbey, a 12th-century church about five miles from Radiohead's studio in Oxfordshire.[5] Greenwood instructed the players to swing in the style of jazz musicians.[6]

Drummer Philip Selway said the song "ran counter to what had come before in Radiohead in lots of ways ... The constituent parts are all quite simple, but I think the way that they then blend gives real depth to the song."[7] In a 2001 Rolling Stone interview, guitarist Ed O'Brien said he felt "Pyramid Song" was Radiohead's best work.[5]

Composition[]

"Pyramid Song" is an art rock song,[8] with elements of jazz, classical and krautrock.[9] According to journalist Alex Ross, Yorke's piano chords are "laced with suspended tones" and "hang mysteriously in the air, somewhere between serenity and sadness".[10] The strings play glissando harmonics and Selway plays a "shuffling" rhythm.[10]

Commercial performance[]

"Pyramid Song" was Radiohead's first single in three years,[11] after none were released from their previous studio album Kid A (2000).[5] It peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart,[12] and NME named it their "single of the week".[13] It reached number one in Portugal,[14] number two in Canada,[15] number three in Norway,[16] number six in Finland[17] and Italy,[18] and number 10 in Ireland.[19] It also charted well in Australia,[20] France,[21] and the Netherlands.[22] On the Eurochart Hot 100, it debuted and peaked at number 13.[23]

Reception[]

Guardian critic Alexis Petridis described "Pyramid Song" as "a beautiful, intricately wrought mesh of complex time signatures, keening vocals, elegiac strings and subtly disturbing audio effects".[24] Rolling Stone placed it at number 94 on their list of the "100 Best Songs of the Decade", writing that it "might be [Yorke's] most blissful recorded moment".[25] In October 2011, NME placed the song at number 131 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years", calling it a "ghostly hymn of stunning beauty".[26] Pitchfork named it the 59th best track of the 2000s, describing it as "an absolutely singular track in a catalog with no shortage of standouts".[27] In 2020, the Guardian named it the fourth-best Radiohead song, writing: "Lyrics alluding to Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, piano seemingly exhumed from ancient civilisation and a newly spiritual Yorke, swimming with 'black-eyed angels' and a shoal of exes towards some nebulous afterlife. Torture for some; otherwise, cult-making."[28]

Track listings[]

Personnel[]

Adapted from the Amnesiac liner notes.[34]

Radiohead[]

Additional musicians[]

Technical personnel[]

  • Nigel Godrich – production, engineering
  • Radiohead – production
  • Gerard Navarro – engineering assistance
  • Graeme Stewart – engineering assistance
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering

Artwork[]

Charts[]

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 21 May 2001 (2001-05-21) CD Parlophone [44]
Australia 28 May 2001 (2001-05-28) [45]

References[]

  1. ^ "Production Notes" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 113 no. 24. 16 June 2001. p. 85. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  2. ^ Naokes, Tim (12 February 2012). "Splitting atoms with Thom Yorke". Dazed. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Kent, Nick (June 2001). "Happy now?". Mojo. Bauer. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Greenwood, Colin; O'Brien, Ed (25 January 2001). "Interview with Ed & Colin". Ground Zero (Interview). Interviewed by Chris Douridas. KCRW.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Radiohead Warm Up with Amnesiac". Rolling Stone. 21 May 2001. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Radiohead Revealed: The Inside Story of the Year's Most Important Album". Melody Maker. 29 March 2000. Archived from the original on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2007.
  7. ^ Langham, Matt (4 February 2015). "DiS Meets Radiohead's Philip Selway: "If it means something to some people then that is success"". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  8. ^ "The 35 Greatest Concerts of the Last 35 Years". Spin. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  9. ^ Gallucci, Michael (20 March 2019). "The Best Song From Every Radiohead Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Ross, Alex (21 August 2001). "The Searchers: Radiohead's unquiet revolution". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 25 May 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  11. ^ "CD of the week: Radiohead: Amnesiac". The Guardian. 1 June 2001. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  13. ^ Kessler, Ted. "Radiohead: Pyramid Song: This is our favourite Radiohead single in recent memory..." NME.com. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19 no. 25. 16 June 2001. p. 9. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "Radiohead Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "Norwegiancharts.com – Radiohead – Pyramid Song". VG-lista. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Radiohead: Pyramid Song" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Italiancharts.com – Radiohead – Pyramid Song". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pyramid Song". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b "Australian-charts.com – Radiohead – Pyramid Song". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lescharts.com – Radiohead – Pyramid Song" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 2001" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19 no. 24. 9 June 2001. p. 9. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  24. ^ Petridis, Alexis (1 July 2001). "CD of the week: Radiohead: Amnesiac". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  25. ^ "Mary J. Blige, 'Family Affair' - 100 Best Songs of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  26. ^ "NME's 150 Top Tracks of the 2000s". NME. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  27. ^ "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 100-51". Pitchfork. 19 August 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  28. ^ Monroe, Jazz (23 January 2020). "Radiohead's 40 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  29. ^ Pyramid Song (UK CD1 liner notes). Radiohead. Parlophone. 2001. CDSFHEIT 45102.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ Pyramid Song (UK CD2 liner notes). Radiohead. Parlophone. 2001. CDFHEIT 45102.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. ^ Pyramid Song (UK & French 12-inch single vinyl disc). Radiohead. Parlophone. 2001. 12FHEIT 45102.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ Pyramid Song (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Radiohead. Parlophone. 2001. ICPN 7243 879357 2 3.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ^ Pyramid Song (Japanese CD single liner notes). Radiohead. Parlophone. 2001. TOCP-61053.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ Amnesiac (booklet). Radiohead. Parlophone. 2001.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Radiohead – Pyramid Song" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  36. ^ "Ultratop.be – Radiohead – Pyramid Song" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  37. ^ "Ultratop.be – Radiohead – Pyramid Song" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  38. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Radiohead – Pyramid Song" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  39. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Radiohead – Pyramid Song" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  41. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Radiohead – Pyramid Song". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Radiohead – Pyramid Song". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  43. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  44. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting May 21, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 May 2001. p. 25. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  45. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th May 2001" (PDF). ARIA. 28 May 2001. p. 24. Retrieved 14 August 2021.

External links[]

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