These Are My Twisted Words
"These Are My Twisted Words" | ||||
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Single by Radiohead | ||||
Released | 17 August 2009 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:31 | |||
Label | Self-released | |||
Songwriter(s) | Radiohead | |||
Producer(s) | Nigel Godrich | |||
Radiohead singles chronology | ||||
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"These Are My Twisted Words" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead. It was leaked via BitTorrent on 12 August 2009, possibly by the band, and released on 17 August as a free download from the Radiohead website.
Release[]
On 12 August 2009, "These Are My Twisted Words" appeared unannounced on What.CD, a BitTorrent tracker.[1] A text file included in the torrent file contained ASCII art, a cryptic poem and a reference to a release date of 17 August.[2] Commentators including the Guardian and Rolling Stone speculated that Radiohead had leaked the song themselves, following the unconventional pay-what-you-want release of their album In Rainbows (2007).[3][4]
On 17 August, Radiohead released "These Are My Twisted Words" as a free download from their website and as a torrent file hosted by Mininova.[5] The download included several pieces of artwork by Yorke and longtime Radiohead collaborator Stanley Donwood, with the suggestion to print them on tracing paper and put them "in an order that pleases you".[5] Radiohead performed the song on their 2012 King of Limbs tour.[1]
Composition[]
"These Are My Twisted Words" opens with a beat from drummer Philip Selway before Thom Yorke's vocal enters.[6][7] Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone noted a krautrock influence and likened the song to the In Rainbows track "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi".[4] Bill Bradley of Vanity Fair said it had a "signature eerie Radiohead sound".[8] Matthew Schnipper of The Fader described it as a "simple song" with "a plodding, stubborn forward spirit".[7]
Reception[]
Brian Parks of PopMatters gave "These Are My Twisted Words" seven out of ten, describing it as "the most recent in a long line of unconventionally beautiful songs for which Radiohead is renowned".[9] Bradley of Vanity Fair wrote that "all the converted" would like the song.[8] Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork, however, wrote that its "nauseous guitars, featherweight motorik beat and vaguely whiny lyrics almost read as parody" and concluded that it "isn't as enticing as its method of distribution".[6] In 2016, Rolling Stone included it on its list of "20 Insanely Great Radiohead Songs Only Hardcore Fans Know".[1]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "20 Insanely Great Radiohead Songs Only Hardcore Fans Know". Rolling Stone. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ Hoffman, Harrison (13 August 2009). "Did Radiohead just leak the first song from their new EP?". CNET. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
- ^ Sean Michaels (14 August 2009). "Was the new Radiohead song leaked by the band?". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kreps, Daniel (13 August 2009). "New Radiohead Song 'These Are My Twisted Words' Leaks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Greenwood, Jonny (17 August 2009). "These Are My Twisted Words". Dead Air Space (radiohead.com). Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Dombal, Ryan (24 August 2009). "Radiohead - 'These Are My Twisted Words'". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Schnipper, Matthew (17 August 2009). "Radiohead, "These Are My Twisted Words" MP3". The Fader. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bradley, Bill. "New Radiohead MP3: "These Are My Twisted Words"". The Hive. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
- ^ Brian Parks (24 August 2009). "Radiohead - "These Are My Twisted Words" (stream)". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
External links[]
- Radiohead songs
- 2009 singles
- Song recordings produced by Nigel Godrich
- Songs written by Thom Yorke
- Songs written by Colin Greenwood
- Songs written by Jonny Greenwood
- Songs written by Philip Selway
- Songs written by Ed O'Brien
- 2009 songs