Hail to the Thief cover art

  Studio Album · No. 6

Hail to the Thief Songwriting Credits by Radiohead

2003 Parlophone 14 tracks 57 min

Produced by Nigel Godrich, Radiohead  ·  Engineered by Nigel Godrich, Darrell Thorp

Parlophone Alternative RockArt RockExperimental Rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 14 of 14 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 14 / 14 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 14 tracks with documented writers, by whether Radiohead carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
14 trackswritten by Radiohead 0 tracksoutside writers
Radiohead's roles on this album

Share of the 14 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

14
Tracks
5
Lyricists
2
Producers
1.1 million
US Copies Sold
2003
Released

Awards & Recognition 2

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (2004)
Best Alternative Music Album (2004, Nominated)
Data Insight

Every song on Hail to the Thief is credited collectively to Radiohead's five members rather than to individual writers, consistent with the band's longstanding practice. Nigel Godrich produced and engineered the album alongside engineer Darrell Thorp, and the two won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for their work. The record paired the electronic experimentation of Kid A and Amnesiac with a return to live-band guitar and rock arrangements. Recorded largely in two-week sessions in Los Angeles, it leaned on spontaneity rather than the studio reconstruction of the previous two albums.

Radiohead's sixth studio album, released June 9, 2003. Recorded quickly in Los Angeles and described by the band as a return to guitar-driven rock fused with the electronic palette they had developed since Kid A, Hail to the Thief is the band's longest album at 14 tracks and 56 minutes. Each track carries an alternative parenthetical subtitle in addition to its primary name. The album's political charge, released in the lead-up to the Iraq War, is more explicit than on any prior Radiohead release. All songs are credited collectively to Radiohead.

Track Listing & Credits 14 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
2 + 2 = 5 #15
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
2
Sit Down. Stand Up.
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
3
Sail to the Moon
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
4
Backdrifts
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
5
Go to Sleep #12
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
6
Where I End and You Begin
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
7
We Suck Young Blood
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
8
The Gloaming
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
9
There, There
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
10
I Will
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
11
A Punchup at a Wedding
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
12
Myxomatosis
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
13
Scatterbrain
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
14
A Wolf at the Door
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 7 contributors

More from Radiohead

Frequently Asked Questions Hail to the Thief

Did Radiohead write Hail to the Thief themselves?
Yes. All fourteen tracks on Hail to the Thief are credited collectively to the five members of Radiohead: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway. The band shares songwriting credit equally across its entire discography.
What chart position did There There reach?
'There There,' the album's lead single, reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, the band's highest-charting single from the album. It is driven by layered drums played by multiple band members and a building guitar arrangement.
Did 2 + 2 = 5 chart in the UK?
Yes. '2 + 2 = 5' was released as a single and reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. The song opens the album and takes its title from a phrase associated with George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.
How does Hail to the Thief differ from Kid A and Amnesiac?
Hail to the Thief brought back live-band rock arrangements and guitars while keeping some of the electronic textures of the previous two albums. It was recorded quickly in mostly two-week sessions, favoring spontaneity over the heavy studio processing of Kid A and Amnesiac.
Who produced and engineered Hail to the Thief?
Nigel Godrich produced and engineered the album with the band, working alongside engineer Darrell Thorp. Godrich and Thorp won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for their work on it.
Did Hail to the Thief win any Grammy Awards?
Yes. The album won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, awarded to Nigel Godrich and Darrell Thorp. It was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, the band's fifth consecutive nomination in that category.
What does the title Hail to the Thief refer to?
The title is a politically charged phrase that was used by protesters in reference to the disputed 2000 US presidential election. Thom Yorke has said the album's mood reflected anxieties of the period, though he resisted labeling it a straightforward political record.

Sources