2 + 2 = 5 (song)

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"2 + 2 = 5"
Single by Radiohead
from the album Hail to the Thief
Released 17 November 2003
Format CD, DVD
Genre Alternative rock
Length 3:21
Label Parlophone
Producer Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
Radiohead singles chronology
"Go to Sleep"
(2003)		 "2 + 2 = 5"
(2003)		 "Jigsaw Falling into Place"
(2008)
Hail to the Thief track listing
"2 + 2 = 5" (The Lukewarm.)
(1)		 "Sit Down. Stand Up." (Snakes & Ladders)
(2)

"2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the third and last single from their sixth album Hail to the Thief in 2003. The song reached number 15 on the UK singles chart.[1]

Contents

[edit] Lyrics and background

The song's title recalls the symbol of unreality from George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.[2] In the book, inhabitants of an authoritarian future state are made to engage in doublethink, replacing their own conscience and beliefs with those imposed from above. At the end of the novel, the protagonist's individuality is demolished, as he avows that two and two are, in fact, five.

With the lyrics "All hail to the thief, but I'm not" and "Don't question my authority" there have been repeated suggestions from many musical critics that the song is based on the controversial election of George W. Bush in 2000. The band have strenuously denied this, saying in one interview, "It would be too easy for us to insult George Bush".[3]

Hail to the Thief lists subtitles, or alternative titles, for each of its songs. The alternative title for "2 + 2 = 5", whose lyrics also include the album's title, is "The Lukewarm.". Singer Thom Yorke has mentioned it as a reference to the works of Dante.[4]

[edit] Musical structure

At the beginning of the song, the listener hears guitarist Jonny Greenwood plugging his guitar in and saying 'We're on.', and lead vocalist Thom Yorke is heard saying "That's a nice way to start, Jonny...".

The song is made of four sections. The first section is written in 7/8 time and features guitar arpeggios in drop D tuning played by Jonny Greenwood and muted handpops done by Ed O'Brien who picked the strings near the bridge of the guitar. It also features use of drum machine and falsetto sung by Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien in harmony and a faint hi-hat drum beat can be heard.

The second section is written in common time and contains fingerpicked lead guitar by Jonny Greenwood and lightly strummed power chords by Ed O'Brien. It still continues the faint hi-hat pulse but without a drum machine and Thom and Ed O'Brien sing an octave apart with Thom singing in falsetto.

The third section is played more aggressively and Colin Greenwood's bass guitar and Thom Yorke's guitar come in. In the third section, Thom shouts and the power chords played are significantly louder. Phil Selway starts playing brutally on the drums rather than just a ticking hi-hat. Jonny still continues his lead guitar part.

The fourth section is based around a rhythmic guitar riff played by Thom, Ed and Jonny and features synthesizers and a brief guitar solo played by Jonny Greenwood. Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien's singing is a mix of falsetto and aggressive shouting. The song comes to a sudden stop as the ending.

[edit] Track listings

Promotional single
CD CDRDJ6623
  1. "2 + 2 = 5" - 3:21
12" 12RDJWL6623
  1. "Sktterbrain" (Four Tet remix)
  2. "Remyxomatosis" (Christian Vogel RMX)
Single
CD one CDR6623
  1. "2 + 2 = 5" - 3:21
  2. "Remyxomatosis" (Christian Vogel RMX) - 5:07
  3. "There There" (first demo) - 7:43
CD two CDRS6623
  1. "2 + 2 = 5" - 3:21
  2. "Skttrbrain" (Four Tet remix) - 4:26
  3. "I Will" (Los Angeles version) - 2:14
DVD DVDR6623
  1. "2 + 2 = 5" - 3:21
  2. "Sit Down Stand Up" (Ed Holdsworth's video)
  3. "The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time" (excerpt)

[edit] Other information

The Fourplay Electric String Quartet covered the song on their 2006 album Now to the Future.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "UK Top 40 Chart Archive". http://www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 2006-10-02. 
  2. ^ Greenplastic.com Song Information
  3. ^ radiohead lyrics & tabs
  4. ^ "Thom Yorke on ‘Hail To The Thief’". XFM online. http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=6459. Retrieved 2006-10-29. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Radiohead
Colin Greenwood · Jonny Greenwood · Ed O'Brien · Phil Selway · Thom Yorke
Studio albums
Demos and EPs
Compilations
Singles
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