House of Cards (Radiohead song)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"House of Cards"
Promotional single by Radiohead
from the album In Rainbows
A-side"Bodysnatchers"
ReleasedApril 6, 2008 (radio)
Recorded2005–2007
GenreArt rock
Length5:28
Label
Songwriter(s)
YouTube

"House of Cards" is a song by the English rock band

promotional single
.

The music video, directed by

Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Rock Song and Best Music Video
.

Writing

"House of Cards"
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The Radiohead singer, Thom Yorke, first performed "House of Cards" in an acoustic rendition at the 2005 Trade Justice rally in London.[1] According to the bassist, Colin Greenwood, an early version had a bass riff in the style of R.E.M.[2] Yorke and the drummer, Philip Selway, reworked the song with the rhythm on the final version.[2]

Yorke described "House of Cards" as "mellow and summery", and likened it to the 1968 instrumental "

greenhouse gases.[5]

Music video

The "House of Cards" music video was directed by James Frost.[6] Instead of traditional cameras, it was made with motion capture technology developed by Geometric Informatics and lidar technology developed by Velodyne Lidar.[7] This produced "contoured 3D versions of Yorke's face, like the computer simulation of a mountain range", and "ghostly exteriors and indoor party shots".[8] The Guardian described the video as "spectral, dazzling and eerie",[8] and The Quietus said it had a "haunting hyper-futuristic aspect".[9]

Yorke wrote on Radiohead's website: "It was a strange experience, sitting in front of a laser in the dark, then emailing back and forth with James the director as he sat in front of computers for a whole month with the amazing technicians who processed the data ... But it says something about the song and came out better than I had dared hope."[10] He was interested in using technology in unintended ways, and liked the idea of turning human beings into "mathematical points ... and how strangely emotional it ended up being".[8] Frost said it was "a direct reflection of where we are in society. Everything is [computer] data. Everything around us is data-driven in some shape or form. We are so reliant on it that it seems like our lives are digital."[11]

The data used to make the video was released as

Processing code.[11][12] Radiohead collaborated with Google to host a making-of documentary and selection of rendered scenes.[8]

Release

"House of Cards" was released on Radiohead's seventh album,

promotional single.[citation needed] At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Rock Song and Best Music Video.[13] A performance of "House of Cards" was included on the 2008 live video In Rainbows – From the Basement.[14]

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
US
Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15]
 24

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United States[17] April 6, 2008 Modern rock radio ATO, TBD

References

  1. ISBN 9781458471475
    .
  2. ^ a b "Radiohead". Pitchfork. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  3. EMAP
    . pp. 74–77.
  4. ^ Binelli, Mark (7 February 2008). "The Future According to Radiohead". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  5. ^ Gregory, Jason. "Thom Yorke Criticises George Bush In Special TV Appearance | Gigwise". gigwise.com. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  6. ^ "Radiohead make new video – without cameras". NME. London. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  7. ^ Nye, Calley (14 July 2008). "Radiohead partners with Google for music video launch". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  8. ^
    ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  9. ^ Samways, Dean (14 July 2008). "Radiohead get laser treatment". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  10. ^ "New Radiohead video available to download". NME. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b Chacksfield, Marc (17 July 2008). "Radiohead embrace open source". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  12. ^ Steuer, Eric (14 July 2008). "Radiohead's 'House of Cards' video data published under Creative Commons license". Creative Commons. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  13. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original
    on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  14. Far Out Magazine
    . 26 June 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Radiohead Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Radiohead – House of Cards". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ "R&R Going For Adds: Alternative (Week Of: April 6, 2008)". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
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