Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Band

Photo: Raph_PH · CC BY 2.0
Active 2000-2014, 2017-present
Origin New York City, New York
Albums 5
Tracks 52
Most frequent collaborator Dave Sitek · 46 tracks
Genres Indie RockGarage RockArt Punk
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 52 of 52 tracks

Who writes Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs?

The three of them together. Four of the five albums credit every track to Yeah Yeah Yeahs with no per-track breakdown, which puts Karen O and Nick Zinner on all 52 tracks and Brian Chase on 47.

By the Numbers

5
Studio Albums
52
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
26
Years Active
15
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 52 / 52 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 52 tracks: how many Yeah Yeah Yeahs wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs has a writing credit100%
100%
Sole author0tracks0%
Co-written52tracks100%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Yeah Yeah Yeahs's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 52 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)100%
Producer44%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 52 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Karen O 2000-present
100%
0%
44%
100%
Nick Zinner 2000-present
100%
100%
44%
100%
Brian Chase 2000-present
90%
90%
44%
100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Yeah Yeah Yeahs's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2003Fever to Tell
2006Show Your Bones
2009It's Blitz!
2013Mosquito
2022Cool It Down
Early · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2000s
Fever to Tell, Show Your Bones +1 more
100%
2010s
Mosquito
100%
2020s
Cool It Down

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Yeah Yeah Yeahs sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Michael Bublé15%
Josh Groban29%
Jennifer Lopez46%
Mario57%
Norah Jones74%
John Legend83%
The White Stripes92%
100%Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Maps
Fever to Tell
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote
Date with the Night
Fever to Tell
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote
Pin
Fever to Tell
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote
Gold Lion
Show Your Bones
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote
Turn Into
Show Your Bones
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote
Zero
It's Blitz!
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote
Heads Will Roll
It's Blitz!
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote
Sacrilege
Mosquito
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek
Co-wrote

Discography 5 albums

All five studio albums. The EPs, including the 2001 self-titled debut EP and Is Is, sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Yeah Yeah Yeahs52 tracks
DS46Dave Sitek, 46 tracks NL19Nick Launay, 19 tracks SE11Squeak E. Clean, 11 tracks JR2Justin Raisen, 2 tracks 2Andrew Wyatt, 2 tracks JM1James Murphy, 1 track SS1Sam Spiegel, 1 track KK1Kool Keith, 1 track PG1Perfume Genius, 1 track E1ESG, 1 track RS1Renee Scroggins, 1 track BG1Bob Gaudio, 1 track PS1Peggy Santiglia, 1 track PF1Peggy Farina, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. DS Dave Sitek · NL Nick Launay · SE Squeak E. Clean · JR Justin Raisen · JM James Murphy

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Four albums in a row carry the same line: all songs written by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, no exceptions and no outside names. That runs from Fever to Tell in 2003 through Mosquito in 2013, 44 tracks with three writers each. Cool It Down in 2022 is the first record to break it out per track, and the moment it does the shape changes: Zinner is on all eight, Karen O on seven, Chase on three, and Dave Sitek takes four. The band credit was hiding a division of labour that only shows up once somebody itemises it.

Quick Facts

  • Karen O and Nick ZinnerAll 52 album tracks
  • Brian Chase47 of the 52
  • Studio albumsFive, from 2003 to 2022
  • Grammy nominationsFour, one for each album bar Mosquito
  • Biggest single"Maps", number 87 on the Hot 100
  • The debutOver one million copies worldwide

Creative Fingerprint

A three-way band credit on four albums running, then one record that itemises it and shows the split was never equal.

The Story

Every Yeah Yeah Yeahs song is credited to the band, which puts Karen O and Nick Zinner on all 52 tracks and Brian Chase on 47.

Frequently Asked Questions Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Who writes Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs?
The three of them together. Four of the five albums credit every track to Yeah Yeah Yeahs with no per-track breakdown, which puts Karen O and Nick Zinner on all 52 tracks and Brian Chase on 47.
Who wrote "Maps"?
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, credited as a band. Fever to Tell names no individual writers on any of its twelve tracks.
How many albums have Yeah Yeah Yeahs released?
Five studio albums, from Fever to Tell in 2003 to Cool It Down in 2022. The EPs, including the 2001 debut EP and Is Is, are counted separately.
What changed on Cool It Down?
It is the first album to credit the tracks individually. Nick Zinner is on all eight, Karen O on seven and Brian Chase on three, with Dave Sitek co-writing four.
What is Karen O's real name?
Karen Lee Orzolek. She has fronted the band since 2000.
Have Yeah Yeah Yeahs won a Grammy?
No. Fever to Tell, Show Your Bones, It's Blitz! and Cool It Down were each nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, in 2004, 2007, 2010 and at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
How well did the debut sell?
Fever to Tell has sold over one million copies worldwide and was certified gold in both the United States and United Kingdom.
Who produced their albums?
Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio worked on the first three and returns as a co-writer on Cool It Down. Nick Launay, James Murphy and Nick Zinner have all produced as well.
Did the band break up?
They stopped after Mosquito in 2013 and returned in 2017, with Cool It Down following in 2022.
Which album charted highest?
It's Blitz! and Mosquito both reached the Billboard 200 top ten. Mosquito entered at number five with 38,000 copies sold in its first week.

Sources

Wikipedia: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Wikipedia: Yeah Yeah Yeahs discography