Lotus Flower (song)
"Lotus Flower" | |
---|---|
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
Recording
The Radiohead singer,
Composition
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]
Release
"Lotus Flower" was released on Radiohead's eighth studio album,
Reception
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]
Music video
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 performance
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
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 | 20 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[31] | 33 |
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[32] | 41 |
Notes
- ^ "Thom Yorke @ Echoplex, Los Angeles 10/2/09". Stereogum. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
- ^ Sean Michaels (23 March 2011). "Did Radiohead record King of Limbs at Drew Barrymore's house?". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ a b "Radiohead Rock For Haiti at Small Los Angeles Benefit Show". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ a b Luke Lewis (18 February 2012). "Radiohead, 'Lotus Flower' – What Do You Think?". NME. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Jason Gregory (18 February 2012). "Radiohead, The King Of Limbs – First Review". Gigwise. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ a b c Luke Lewis (18 February 2012). "Radiohead, The King of Limbs – First Listen". NME. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Andy Gill (19 February 2012). "First Listen: The King of Limbs". The Independent. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Arnold Pan (21 February 2011). "Radiohead: The King of Limbs". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- .
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ a b Perpetua, Matthew (18 February 2011). "Radiohead Release New Album The King of Limbs One Day Early". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ O'Neal, Sean (6 June 2011). "Radiohead to repackage The King of Limbs again as a vinyl remix series". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- Far Out Magazine. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Jillian Mapes (22 February 2011). "Radiohead, The King of Limbs". Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Nate Chinen (29 September 2011). "Anticorporate Music Personified, In Close-Up, on an Intimate Stage". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Steven Hyden (22 February 2012). "Radiohead: The King of Limbs". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Simon Price (20 February 2011). "Radiohead, The King of Limbs (Ticker Tape/XL)". The Independent. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Powell, Austin (4 March 2011). "Review: Radiohead – The King of Limbs (XL / TBD)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Nominees and Winners". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011. Note: reader must define awards year parameter as 2011.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ a b c Noakes, Tim (12 February 2013). "Splitting atoms with Thom Yorke". Dazed. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ Adam Markovitz. "Dancing Thom Yorke meme meets Lady Gaga, Guns N' Roses, 'Black Swan': Which is your favorite?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Mike Diver (18 February 2011). "Review of Radiohead — The King of Limbs". BBC. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Kevin Jagernauth (18 February 2011). "Watch: Video For Radiohead's 'Lotus Flower' Turns Thom Yorke's Spastic Dancing Into Art". IndieWire. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Ann Lee (18 February 2012). "Radiohead vs Britney Spears: Music video fight club". Metro. Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- Ultratip. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- Ultratip. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Radiohead Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
- ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: New Entries Update". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Radiohead Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ^ "Radiohead Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Radiohead Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2012.