I Might Be Wrong (song)
Encyclopedia
"I Might Be Wrong" is a song by the English
rock group Radiohead
from their 2001
album
, Amnesiac
.
and Radiohead, with a more electronic
texture, "I Might Be Wrong" is one of the more guitar
-oriented songs on Amnesiac. The song uses a blues
riff
written by Jonny Greenwood
, in Drop D tuning
. The guitar riff has a repetitive and looping quality, partly the result of the slides to reach some notes and the pull-offs.
, it was released as a radio
-only single
in advance of the album. "Pyramid Song
" was the official first single in all other regions, and the "Pyramid Song" video was also released worldwide.
, Italy
, on 19 June 2000, and has become a live favourite. A live version of the song appears on Radiohead's 2001 live album, which is called I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings. It has also often been played in an acoustic version by Thom Yorke. The song was also used in the official commercial ad campaign for the 2002 Winter Olympics
.
, two music videos were produced for it. One, released only on the Internet
, was available during the Amnesiac era on Radiohead's official site, now offline.
The second, directed by Sophie Muller
, shows Thom Yorke
and guitarist Jonny Greenwood
in a dimly lit parking garage playing the song. The video was made available several months after Amnesiac came out. It can also be found on Radiohead's 2004 DVD release The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time
.
, played by John Lurie
) in Season 5 Episode 5 of HBO's TV prison drama Oz
. The song was also featured in the
2001 psychological thriller, Vanilla Sky
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock group Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
from their 2001
2001 in music
See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Amnesiac
Amnesiac
Amnesiac was generally well-received by critics. It was also ranked as one of the best albums of the year by several publications. The Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll ranked it number 6 on their top 10 albums of the year. Alternative Press declared it the #1 album of the year...
.
Musical structure
Although the album version is heavily produced by Nigel GodrichNigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
and Radiohead, with a more electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
texture, "I Might Be Wrong" is one of the more guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
-oriented songs on Amnesiac. The song uses a blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
written by Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
, in Drop D tuning
Drop D tuning
Drop D tuning, also known as DADGBE, is an alternate, or scordatura, form of guitar tuning — specifically, a dropped tuning — in which the lowest string is tuned down from the usual E of standard tuning by one whole step to D.- Uses of drop D tuning :In drop D the three bass strings...
. The guitar riff has a repetitive and looping quality, partly the result of the slides to reach some notes and the pull-offs.
Release
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it was released as a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
-only single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in advance of the album. "Pyramid Song
Pyramid Song
"Pyramid Song" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead. It was the first single from their 2001 album Amnesiac and the first Radiohead single released in over three years, after none were taken from their previous album Kid A....
" was the official first single in all other regions, and the "Pyramid Song" video was also released worldwide.
Live performance
The song was first played live as a set-closer in Villa Reale in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on 19 June 2000, and has become a live favourite. A live version of the song appears on Radiohead's 2001 live album, which is called I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings. It has also often been played in an acoustic version by Thom Yorke. The song was also used in the official commercial ad campaign for the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
.
Music video
Although "I Might Be Wrong" was not released as a single outside of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, two music videos were produced for it. One, released only on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, was available during the Amnesiac era on Radiohead's official site, now offline.
The second, directed by Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
, shows Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
and guitarist Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
in a dimly lit parking garage playing the song. The video was made available several months after Amnesiac came out. It can also be found on Radiohead's 2004 DVD release The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time
The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time
The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time is a collection of twenty-four short films from English alternative rock band Radiohead, directed and edited by Chris Bran, one half of the Vapour Brothers....
.
Use in Popular Media
The introduction is used during a flashback sequence (introducing prisoner 97P528 Greg PendersGreg Penders
-Character Overview:Prisoner 97P528. Convicted May 7, 1997. Criminally negligent homicide. Sentence: 17 years, up for parole in nine.Greg Penders is in Oz for accidentally shooting a man he was initially going to threaten. Mostly harmless, Penders is an inmate who's always trying to take advantage...
, played by John Lurie
John Lurie
John Lurie is an American actor, musician, painter and producer. He is co-founder of The Lounge Lizards, a jazz ensemble. Lurie has acted in 19 films including Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law, composed and performed music for 20 television and film works, and he produced and starred in...
) in Season 5 Episode 5 of HBO's TV prison drama Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
. The song was also featured in the
2001 psychological thriller, Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed, co-produced and co-written by Cameron Crowe. The film is an English-language remake of the 1997 Spanish movie Abre los ojos , the screenplay for which was written by Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil...
.
External links
- I Might Be Wrong lyrics at MTV.com