15 Step

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"15 Step"
Song by Radiohead
from the album In Rainbows
ReleasedOctober 10, 2007 (2007-10-10)
Genre
Length3:57
Label
YouTube

"15 Step" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the opening track on their seventh studio album, In Rainbows (2007). Produced by Nigel Godrich, the song was written in 2005 during a "mad rhythm experiment". The song received acclaim from music critics, who praised its blend of electronic and rock elements.

The animated music video for "15 Step" was released in 2008, after its storyboard won a contest sponsored by the band.

Background

Thom Yorke performing "15 Step" in 2009 in São Paulo, Brazil

"15 Step" was developed in 2005, when Radiohead was experimenting with odd rhythms. The singer, Thom Yorke, arranged the song on his laptop,[1] inspired by the "clapping groove" of "Fuck the Pain Away" (2000) by Peaches.[2][3]

On March 8, 2006, Radiohead teased the song ahead of their tour later that year through a picture posted to their blog. During the tour, "15 Step" was debuted in their first performance at Copenhagen, and was played in all 28 of the subsequent 2006 stops.[4]

Lyrics and composition

"15 Step" features syncopated drumming and a "smooth" guitar line.[5][6] The song is written in 5
4 time,[7] with a "stuttering" pattern played on a drum machine.[8][9] "15 Step" begins with a 40-second "mulched-up" drum introduction reminiscent of songs on Kid A,[6] before a "blissful" guitar line and a bass line reminiscent of "Airbag" on OK Computer enter.[2][10] This bass and guitar line "reveals" that the song is in the Dorian mode, until it changes to a minor key at the 1:38 mark.[11][12]

Lyrically, "15 Step" speaks of disillusionment and deception, delivered by Yorke's "tuneful" falsetto.[13] The lyric "15 steps, then a sheer drop" is thought to be a reference to being hung at a gallows.[14] The dark lyrics are subverted by the sound of cheering children, recorded by Godrich and the bassist, Colin Greenwood, at the Matrix Music School & Arts Centre in Oxford.[1][15]

Music video

In March 2008, TBD Records partnered with Aniboom to host a music video-creation contest, whereby people could submit a storyboard set to a song from In Rainbows for the chance to produce a full-length video.[16] Radiohead selected a storyboard set to "15 Step" produced by Hideyuki Kota (credited as Kota Totori) as one of four winners,[17][18] and an adapted music video was subsequently released to Radiohead's YouTube channel on December 2, 2008.[19]

Reception

"15 Step" received positive reviews. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard included it in his list of the 15 most essential Radiohead songs, noting how it was "one of their more successful marriages of electronic and rock music".[20] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine similarly noted how the blended electronic and rock elements of "15 Step" made the song "one of the band's best hybrids".[21] In 2017, Consequence named "15 Step" the band's 22nd-greatest song, writing that it "wastes no time winning listeners over".[13] In 2019, Vulture named it the 44th-greatest.[22]

"15 Step" has been called one of the most positive Radiohead songs. A review for the BBC called the song "astoundingly uplifting",[23] while Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker noted how Yorke would "dance across the stage in a happy jig" while performing "15 Step" live.[9] A 2017 data analysis study conducted by Charles Thompson concluded that "15 Step" was the happiest Radiohead song.[14][24]

Live performances

Radiohead performed a "rousing" rendition of "15 Step" at the 2009 Grammy Awards, accompanied by 36 members of the USC Trojan Marching Band.[25][26] The performance was identified as one of the highlights of the show, with Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly saying that it took an "already good song and turn[ed] it into a jubilant, slightly menacing masterpiece".[27] The performance has been called one of the greatest Grammy performances of all time.[28][29][30]

A performance of "15 Step" was included in the 2008 video album In Rainbows – From the Basement.[31] "15 Step" also appeared in the 2008 film Twilight at the end credits.[32][33]

Personnel

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[34] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Doyle, Tom (April 2008). "The Complete Radiohead". Q (92)
  2. ^
    EMAP
    . pp. 74–77.
  3. ^ Golsen, Tyler (October 19, 2023). "The Radiohead song born out of a "mad rhythm experiment"". Far Out. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  4. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (October 9, 2007). "Pitchfork's Guide to Radiohead's In Rainbows". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Radiohead new album: 'In Rainbows' track by track". NME. October 10, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Pytlik, Mark (October 15, 2007). "Radiohead: In Rainbows Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Fishko, Sara (September 26, 2008). "Playing Five Beats To The Measure". NPR. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (February 8, 2009). ""15 Step," Radiohead". Time. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Frere-Jones, Sasha (June 18, 2006). "Fine Tuning". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  10. ^ "Every Radiohead Album Ranked From Worst to Best". Consequence. October 7, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  11. JSTOR 24045402 – via JSTOR
    .
  12. ^ Kivel, Adam (January 4, 2010). "Wait, You've Never Heard: Radiohead's In Rainbows". Consequence. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Gerber, Justin; Caffrey, Dan; Cocoran, Nina; Barry, Sean (June 28, 2017). "Ranking: Every Radiohead Song from Worst to Best". Consequence. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Romano, Aja (March 2, 2017). "Radiohead and sadness: a data analysis". Vox. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Petridis, Alexis (October 10, 2007). "Radiohead's In Rainbows - a five-star review". The Guardian. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  16. ^ Learmonth, Michael (March 17, 2008). "Make Radiohead Video, Get Paid (A Little)". Business Insider. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Kreps, Daniel (August 11, 2008). "Radiohead Picks Four Winners For Animation Contest". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Michaels, Sean (August 12, 2008). "Radiohead quadruple Aniboom winners". The Guardian. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  19. ^ "Radiohead - 15 Step - by Kota Totori". YouTube. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  20. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (March 28, 2019). "Radiohead For Dummies: 15 Songs To Know For The Rock Hall Inductees". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  21. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (October 13, 2007). "Review: Radiohead, In Rainbows". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  22. ^ Hogan, Marc (March 28, 2019). "I Might Be Wrong: Every Radiohead Song, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  23. ^ Jones, Chris (2007). "Review of Radiohead - In Rainbows". BBC. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  24. Far Out
    . Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  25. ^ "Radiohead". Grammy.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  26. ^ Pastorek, Whitney (February 7, 2009). "Grammy Rehearsals, Day Three: Radiohead, Carrie Underwood, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and some dude named Stevie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  27. ^ "Radiohead impress at the Grammys with USC marching band". NME. February 9, 2009.
  28. ^ Sheffield, Rob (February 6, 2023). "The 30 Greatest Grammy Performances of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  29. Far Out
    . Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  30. ^ "10 Best GRAMMY Performances, 2000-2013". Billboard. January 22, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  31. Far Out
    . June 26, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  32. ^ Michaels, Sean (July 20, 2009). "Radiohead's Thom Yorke for Twilight sequel soundtrack?". The Guardian. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  33. ^ Dowd, Rachel (January 12, 2021). "The 'Twilight' account just settled the debate on the soundtrack's best song". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  34. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Radiohead – 15 Step". Music Canada.
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