These Are My Twisted Words
Encyclopedia
"These Are My Twisted Words" is a song by the English alternative rock
band Radiohead
. It was officially released on 17 August 2009, as a free download
from the band's website.
via BitTorrent. A text file accompanying the leaked track contained a cryptic poem, reference to a release date of 17 August, and multiple uses of the phrase "Wall of Ice". The file also featured ASCII art
, which resembled that later officially released by the band. Fan speculation subsequently centred on the possibility that an EP entitled Wall of Ice would be released on 17 August. Instead, on that date, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood
posted a note on the band's blog Dead Air Space
announcing that "These Are My Twisted Words" was available free from the website as a standalone download or a torrent hosted by Mininova
, free of charge. The download came with various artwork pictures by Stanley Donwood
and Thom Yorke
to be printed on tracing paper
and put "in an order that pleases you." Nowhere did the band acknowledge the initial leak of the song, and the meaning and authorship of the poem and other references in the leaked song's text file remain a mystery. Some have speculated that, for reasons unknown, the band leaked the song itself, following the unconventional self-release of their album, In Rainbows
.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band 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...
. It was officially released on 17 August 2009, as a free download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
from the band's website.
Release
On 12 August 2009, the song was leakedInternet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
via BitTorrent. A text file accompanying the leaked track contained a cryptic poem, reference to a release date of 17 August, and multiple uses of the phrase "Wall of Ice". The file also featured ASCII art
ASCII art
ASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and ASCII compliant character sets with proprietary extended characters...
, which resembled that later officially released by the band. Fan speculation subsequently centred on the possibility that an EP entitled Wall of Ice would be released on 17 August. Instead, on that date, Radiohead 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,...
posted a note on the band's blog Dead Air Space
Dead air space
Dead air space may refer to:*Dead Air Space, a blog maintained by the members of the band Radiohead*The spaces between panes of glass in insulated glazing...
announcing that "These Are My Twisted Words" was available free from the website as a standalone download or a torrent hosted by Mininova
Mininova
Mininova is a website offering BitTorrent downloads. Mininova was once one of the largest sites offering torrents of copyrighted material, but in November 2009, following legal action in the Dutch courts, the site operators deleted all torrent files uploaded by regular users including torrents that...
, free of charge. The download came with various artwork pictures by Stanley Donwood
Stanley Donwood
Stanley Donwood is the pen name of English artist Dan Rickwood. Donwood is known for his close association with the British rock group Radiohead, having created all their album and poster art...
and 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...
to be printed on tracing paper
Tracing paper
Tracing paper is a type of translucent paper. It is made by immersing uncut and unloaded paper of good quality in sulphuric acid for a few seconds. The acid converts some of the cellulose into amyloid form having a gelatinous and impermeable character. When the treated paper is thoroughly washed...
and put "in an order that pleases you." Nowhere did the band acknowledge the initial leak of the song, and the meaning and authorship of the poem and other references in the leaked song's text file remain a mystery. Some have speculated that, for reasons unknown, the band leaked the song itself, following the unconventional self-release of their 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...
.