"Lotus Flower" | |
---|---|
Promotional single by Radiohead | |
from the album The King of Limbs | |
Released | 16 February 2011 |
Recorded | 2009–2010 in Los Angeles, California |
Genre | Electropop |
Length | 5:00 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) | Nigel Godrich |
Music video | |
"Lotus Flower" on YouTube |
"Lotus Flower" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their eighth studio album, The King of Limbs (2011). It features Thom Yorke's falsetto over syncopated beats and a synthesiser bassline. Its music video, featuring Yorke's erratic dancing, attracted millions of views and inspired an internet meme.
Though it was not released as a commercial single, "Lotus Flower" entered charts including the UK Singles Chart, the US Alternative Songs chart, and the Billboard Japan Hot 100. It received positive reviews and was nominated for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Music Video at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Radiohead singer, Thom Yorke, debuted a solo version of "Lotus Flower" at the Echoplex in Los Angeles on 2 October 2009, while on tour with his band Atoms for Peace. [1] Like the rest of The King of Limbs, "Lotus Flower" was possibly recorded in the house of the actress Drew Barrymore. [2] On 24 January 2010, Radiohead suspended recording to perform at the Music Box Theater, Hollywood, to raise funds for Oxfam responding to the 2010 Haiti earthquake; at the show, Yorke performed "Lotus Flower" alone on acoustic guitar. [3] The show was released free online in December 2010 as Radiohead for Haiti . [3]
According to NME , "Lotus Flower" combines the electronic instrumentation of Radiohead's album Kid A (2000) with the "sonic warmth" of their album In Rainbows (2007). [4] It features Yorke's "Prince-like" [5] falsetto over syncopated beats and a "propulsive" synthesised bassline. [6] [7] [8] Though the main beat is in common time, the handclaps are in quintuple meter, creating a metric dissonance. [9]
"Lotus Flower" has a more traditional song structure than other songs on The King of Limbs. [10] Luke Lewis of the NME said it was "probably the only song on The King of Limbs with an actual chorus". Lewis speculated that the lyrics are about transcendence, self-effacement and "the magic of losing yourself in music and the senses". [4] [6]
"Lotus Flower" was released on Radiohead's eighth studio album, The King of Limbs (2011). [11] Though it was not released as a commercial single, it entered charts including the UK Singles Chart, the US Alternative Songs chart and the Billboard Japan Hot 100.[ citation needed ] Remixes of "Lotus Flower" by various artists were released later in 2011 and compiled on the album TKOL RMX 1234567. [12] A performance of "Lotus Flower" was included on the 2012 live video The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement . [13]
Billboard [14] and The New York Times praised "Lotus Flower" as the best track on The King of Limbs. [15] The A.V. Club described it as "a sensually slinky come-on that's one remix away from being a dance-floor favourite". [16] The Independent said it was "not exactly a singalong anthem" but "just blank and cryptic enough to sustain various interpretations". [17] NME called it "subtle but powerful", [6] and the Austin Chronicle called it "a commanding piece of modern electro-pop". [18] It was nominated for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. [19]
Radiohead released a music video for "Lotus Flower" on their YouTube channel on February 18, 2011. [11] It was directed by Garth Jennings and choreographed by Wayne McGregor, and features black-and-white footage of Yorke dancing erratically. [20] Yorke said of the video: [21]
I'm never confident about how I look, but I'm always into being shocking and visually interesting ... I was deeply uncomfortable with the "Lotus Flower" video. I did the whole thing, it was such a crack, and then they showed me the rushes the next day and I was like, "This ain't going out." It was like paparazzi footage of me naked or something. It was fucked up. But if it's a risk that's probably a good thing.
By 2013, the video had been viewed over 20 million times. [21] It sparked the "Dancing Thom Yorke" internet meme, whereby people replaced the video's audio or edited the visuals, [22] and led to the hashtag "#thomdance" trending on Twitter. [23] Yorke said about the response: "It's a massive kick. That's what everybody wants. If it's something you've worked at and it goes over the edge like that then that's great." [21]
IndieWire wrote that Jennings had turned Yorke's "spastic" dancing into art that it was "bizarrely compelling ... with Yorke's flailing, curiously spellbinding limbs as the main attraction". [24] Metro praised Yorke's performance, writing that "somehow, even though he seems to be a mass of tangled limbs in the grip of an attack of some sort, it works", but criticised the video set as "sparse to say the least". [25] The video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. [19]
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
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Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [26] | 15 |
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) [27] | 16 |
Japan (Japan Hot 100) [28] | 53 |
UK Singles Chart (Official Charts Company) [29] | 165 |
US Adult Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [30] | 20 |
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [31] | 33 |
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [32] | 41 |
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. They comprise Thom Yorke ; brothers Jonny Greenwood and Colin Greenwood (bass); Ed O'Brien ; and Philip Selway. They have worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Radiohead's experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock.
Kid A is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 2 October 2000 by Parlophone. It was recorded with their producer, Nigel Godrich, in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
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Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released on 9 June 2003 through Parlophone internationally and a day later through Capitol Records in the United States. It was the last album released under Radiohead's record contract with EMI, the parent company of Parlophone and Capitol.
Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been described by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.
Dan Rickwood, known professionally as Stanley Donwood, is an English artist and writer. Since 1994, he has created all the artwork for the rock band Radiohead with their singer, Thom Yorke, plus Yorke's other projects, including Atoms for Peace and the Smile. He also creates artwork for Glastonbury Festival and has published books of writing.
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Radiohead for Haiti is a live video of Radiohead's concert in Hollywood on 24 January 2010. The concert raised money for Oxfam responding to the 2010 Haiti earthquake that month. Footage of the performance was recorded by audience members and edited by a fan; Radiohead allowed the video to be released online to raise money for Oxfam.
The King of Limbs is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was self-released on 18 February 2011 as a download, followed by a physical release on 28 March through XL Recordings internationally and TBD Records in North America.
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TKOL RMX 1234567 is a remix album of songs from the album The King of Limbs (2011) by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released on 16 September 2011 in Japan and on 10 October 2011 internationally by XL Recordings.
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