Nude (song)
Encyclopedia
"Nude" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead
, appearing as the third track on their 2007 album In Rainbows
. The song was released as the second single
from In Rainbows on 31 March 2008. "Nude" was written in 1997
, and the band began to perform it live soon after. However, a recording was not included on any Radiohead album until 10 years later. In April 2008 "Nude" became their most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100
since "Creep" in 1993.
that would eventually produce OK Computer
, Radiohead's third LP. Though this recording was originally hailed as a "great success" by members of the band, they eventually soured towards it. A few more attempts were made to record "Nude" for inclusion on OK Computer, but the album did not feature the song. The earliest known recordings of the song are sound checks from the OK Computer tour, recorded during September 1997. They feature a slightly different chord progression in the chorus and a different vocal melody, along with some different lyrics. The first time fans were treated to a live performance of the song was during the OK Computer tour on January 23, 1998 in Tokyo, Japan, when Thom Yorke delivered a solo acoustic rendition as an encore. On March 29, 1998, at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas, Texas, Radiohead debuted a full-band arrangement of "Nude" that featured Thom Yorke on Fender Rhodes and guitarist Jonny Greenwood
on Hammond organ
(or, more precisely, the Hammond XB-2, a Hammond synth, which can also be heard on early live versions of "Paranoid Android" and "Let Down"). It became known as "Big Ideas", with the parenthetical "(Don't Get Any)" often added. Apparently this title was at the suggestion of fans, as the song officially had no title yet, but appeared on some setlists as "Nude" or "Neut". In the 1998 documentary Meeting People is Easy
, singer Thom Yorke
joked to journalist Matt Pinfield
that the full title was actually supposed to be "Your Home Is At Risk If You Do Not Keep Up Repayments". A typical version of the song from this period is heard near the close of that film, in a live performance (from April 17, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City) and sound check. Bootlegs of performances of "Nude" from 1998 are highly valued by Radiohead fans. The extant recordings from this period are:
After 1998, the band initially planned the track for their next album Kid A
(2000
), but scrapped efforts to record it; the song did not appear on the band's next two albums, either. During this period, it was performed only rarely, notably on request at a 2002 concert in Salamanca
, but usually by Yorke in solo acoustic versions. Band members professed admiration for the song but said they had not figured out the best way to approach it in the studio.
In 2005, the band began new recording sessions with Mark Stent
and posted a list of songs they were working on, including the now-officially titled "Nude", on their blog
, Dead Air Space. This was confirmed in early 2006, when the band revealed that they had been recording "Nude" with a string quartet
, and that a new string arrangement had been written by Jonny Greenwood. In June 2006, Yorke and Greenwood said in interviews that the song was effectively finished and on tape in a version they were very satisfied with, barring minor adjustments. After their tour, the band returned to the studio in autumn 2006 to continue recording sessions, this time without Stent, but with their longtime producer Nigel Godrich
. On the band's summer 2006 tour to introduce their new material, the new version of "Nude" was played at nearly every concert. Yet the finished version of the song on In Rainbows differs from any previous version, as although it retains most of its lyrics, it replaces its organ
or keyboard-driven state with a dub
-influenced bass line and rhythm. The chorus is now picked on electric guitar, and the song features Yorke's vocal of the original Hammond organ melody at the end of the song.
To promote the release of the single, the band began a competition for fans to create their own remix
es of the song, from the individual tracks
of guitar, drums, bass, vocals and strings. These were made available to download, via iTunes, on April 1, 2008, with all entries available to listen to at the remix website. A music video for the song, featuring all band members in slow motion, was made by comedian Adam Buxton
and director Garth Jennings
for their "Scotch Mist" webcast.
The main strings section and vocal accompaniment is a musical palindrome.
The song was also used in Skins as the menu music on the second series DVD.
" by reaching number 21 on the UK Singles Chart
. The song also charted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100
, making it the band's second-ever top 40 hit after the number 34 placement of "Creep" in 1993. "Nude" was the first-ever Radiohead song to make the Pop 100. There is some controversy over the US chart placement, because many of the single's sales can be attributed to purchases of individual stems for the remix competition.
CD
and Garth Jennings and originally released as a part of the band's Scotch Mist webcast on December 31, 2007, several months before the song's release as a single. Jennings and Buxton had also directed "Jigsaw Falling Into Place", the previous video, as part of a November 2007 webcast in which they first worked with Radiohead. The "Nude" video is one of the few Radiohead videos to contain footage of the entire band since 1995's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". The video features a Radiohead performance in extreme slow motion, with white feathers filling the screen.
An award winning film by artist James Houston was also used to promote the single. Houston used a collection of vintage computer hardware to recreate the song and posted it online on 4 June 2008. Houston used the audio stems from the Radiohead Remix competition, although his version was never entered. It did gain praise from the band themselves: Colin Greenwood called it "brilliant" on the official Radiohead blog.
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...
, appearing as the third track on their 2007 album In Rainbows
In Rainbows
In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was first released on 10 October 2007 as a digital download self-released, that customers could order for whatever price they saw fit, followed by a standard CD release in most countries during the last week of 2007. The...
. The song was released as the second 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...
from In Rainbows on 31 March 2008. "Nude" was written in 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
, and the band began to perform it live soon after. However, a recording was not included on any Radiohead album until 10 years later. In April 2008 "Nude" became their most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
since "Creep" in 1993.
History
It is not known exactly when Thom Yorke penned "Nude", but a version of the song was recorded during sessions with producer 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...
that would eventually produce OK Computer
OK Computer
OK Computer is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997 on Parlophone in the UK and 1 July 1997 by Capitol Records in the US. It marks a deliberate attempt by the band to move away from the introspective guitar-oriented sound of their previous...
, Radiohead's third LP. Though this recording was originally hailed as a "great success" by members of the band, they eventually soured towards it. A few more attempts were made to record "Nude" for inclusion on OK Computer, but the album did not feature the song. The earliest known recordings of the song are sound checks from the OK Computer tour, recorded during September 1997. They feature a slightly different chord progression in the chorus and a different vocal melody, along with some different lyrics. The first time fans were treated to a live performance of the song was during the OK Computer tour on January 23, 1998 in Tokyo, Japan, when Thom Yorke delivered a solo acoustic rendition as an encore. On March 29, 1998, at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas, Texas, Radiohead debuted a full-band arrangement of "Nude" that featured Thom Yorke on Fender Rhodes 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,...
on Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
(or, more precisely, the Hammond XB-2, a Hammond synth, which can also be heard on early live versions of "Paranoid Android" and "Let Down"). It became known as "Big Ideas", with the parenthetical "(Don't Get Any)" often added. Apparently this title was at the suggestion of fans, as the song officially had no title yet, but appeared on some setlists as "Nude" or "Neut". In the 1998 documentary Meeting People is Easy
Meeting People Is Easy
Meeting People Is Easy, first released on 30 November 1998, is a rockumentary by Grant Gee following British alternative rock band Radiohead on their exhaustive world tour following the success of their 1997 album OK Computer...
, singer 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...
joked to journalist Matt Pinfield
Matt Pinfield
Matt Pinfield is a music personality and TV host, best known for being a video deejay on MTV and VH1. He currently lives in Harrison, New Jersey having previously resided in East Brunswick Township...
that the full title was actually supposed to be "Your Home Is At Risk If You Do Not Keep Up Repayments". A typical version of the song from this period is heard near the close of that film, in a live performance (from April 17, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City) and sound check. Bootlegs of performances of "Nude" from 1998 are highly valued by Radiohead fans. The extant recordings from this period are:
| Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 23, 1998 | Tokyo, Japan | Acoustic; Thom announces "an unreleased song." |
| Mar. 29, 1998 | Dallas, Texas | Jonny's organ breaks down before the final chorus...someone in the audience shouts "Free Bird!" while Thom announces that the song is "fairly new" and "doesn't really have a title." |
| April 2, 1998 | San Francisco, California | Thom: "We're gonna do a new song that doesn't have a title. We might get it wrong." Colin makes some noticeable bass errors during the first and second choruses, but gets it right in the third one. |
| April 13, 1998 | Montreal, Canada | Thom: "This is kind of a new song without a title. This is one for the tape recorder. Don't worry about the record company, just get the tape recorder out..." |
| April 17, 1998 | New York, New York | Thom: "This next one is kind of a new song. I haven't really got a title for it. This is about...believing you're actually wonderful when you know it's not true." |
After 1998, the band initially planned the track for their next album Kid A
Kid A
Kid A is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in October 2000 by the Parlophone label. A commercial success worldwide, Kid A went platinum in its first week of release in the United Kingdom. Despite the lack of an official single or music video as publicity, Kid A...
(2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
), but scrapped efforts to record it; the song did not appear on the band's next two albums, either. During this period, it was performed only rarely, notably on request at a 2002 concert in Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, but usually by Yorke in solo acoustic versions. Band members professed admiration for the song but said they had not figured out the best way to approach it in the studio.
In 2005, the band began new recording sessions with Mark Stent
Mark Stent
Mark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
and posted a list of songs they were working on, including the now-officially titled "Nude", on their blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, Dead Air Space. This was confirmed in early 2006, when the band revealed that they had been recording "Nude" with a string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
, and that a new string arrangement had been written by Jonny Greenwood. In June 2006, Yorke and Greenwood said in interviews that the song was effectively finished and on tape in a version they were very satisfied with, barring minor adjustments. After their tour, the band returned to the studio in autumn 2006 to continue recording sessions, this time without Stent, but with their longtime producer Nigel Godrich
Nigel 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...
. On the band's summer 2006 tour to introduce their new material, the new version of "Nude" was played at nearly every concert. Yet the finished version of the song on In Rainbows differs from any previous version, as although it retains most of its lyrics, it replaces its organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
or keyboard-driven state with a dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
-influenced bass line and rhythm. The chorus is now picked on electric guitar, and the song features Yorke's vocal of the original Hammond organ melody at the end of the song.
To promote the release of the single, the band began a competition for fans to create their own remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of the song, from the individual tracks
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
of guitar, drums, bass, vocals and strings. These were made available to download, via iTunes, on April 1, 2008, with all entries available to listen to at the remix website. A music video for the song, featuring all band members in slow motion, was made by comedian Adam Buxton
Adam Buxton
Adam Offord Buxton is an English comedian and actor. With Joe Cornish, he forms one half of the duo Adam and Joe. The pair presented Adam and Joe on BBC 6 Music, whilst Buxton also presents his own show on 6 Music on Sundays, called Adam Buxton's Big Mix Tape, currently on hiatus.-Major work:His...
and director Garth Jennings
Hammer & Tongs
Hammer & Tongs is the pseudonym of promo and film director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, as well as the name of their production company...
for their "Scotch Mist" webcast.
The main strings section and vocal accompaniment is a musical palindrome.
The song was also used in Skins as the menu music on the second series DVD.
Chart performance
Upon its release, "Nude" outperformed its predecessor "Jigsaw Falling into PlaceJigsaw Falling into Place
"Jigsaw Falling into Place" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead and is the penultimate track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the first single from In Rainbows on 14 January 2008, following the album's "standard" physical release on December 31, 2007.-Overview:The...
" by reaching number 21 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The song also charted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, making it the band's second-ever top 40 hit after the number 34 placement of "Creep" in 1993. "Nude" was the first-ever Radiohead song to make the Pop 100. There is some controversy over the US chart placement, because many of the single's sales can be attributed to purchases of individual stems for the remix competition.
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 4 |
| Finland Singlies Chart | 7 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
8 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Mega Single Top 100 The Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales and legal downloads and composed by MegaCharts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 50. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data.The list is... |
8 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 11 |
| Belgium Singles Chart (Flanders) | 12 |
| Belgium Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 16 |
| Ireland Singles Chart | 18 |
| UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
21 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 23 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 25 |
| European Hot 100 | 30 |
| U.S Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
35 |
| U.S Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 |
37 |
| U.S Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot Digital Songs Hot Digital Songs The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of... |
14 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 52 |
| French Singles Chart | 76 |
| European Hot 100 | 30 |
Track listings
7"- "Nude"
- "4 Minute Warning"
CD
- "Nude" - 4:17
- "Down Is the New Up" - 5:00
- "4 Minute Warning" - 4:05
Music video
The official music video for "Nude" was directed by Adam BuxtonAdam Buxton
Adam Offord Buxton is an English comedian and actor. With Joe Cornish, he forms one half of the duo Adam and Joe. The pair presented Adam and Joe on BBC 6 Music, whilst Buxton also presents his own show on 6 Music on Sundays, called Adam Buxton's Big Mix Tape, currently on hiatus.-Major work:His...
and Garth Jennings and originally released as a part of the band's Scotch Mist webcast on December 31, 2007, several months before the song's release as a single. Jennings and Buxton had also directed "Jigsaw Falling Into Place", the previous video, as part of a November 2007 webcast in which they first worked with Radiohead. The "Nude" video is one of the few Radiohead videos to contain footage of the entire band since 1995's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". The video features a Radiohead performance in extreme slow motion, with white feathers filling the screen.
An award winning film by artist James Houston was also used to promote the single. Houston used a collection of vintage computer hardware to recreate the song and posted it online on 4 June 2008. Houston used the audio stems from the Radiohead Remix competition, although his version was never entered. It did gain praise from the band themselves: Colin Greenwood called it "brilliant" on the official Radiohead blog.