Maps of Music

Hail to the Thief (2003)

Where the lyrics of Hail to the Thief take you, and where it was really made.

The title plays on a US presidential anthem, yet the band later said the album was never completely finished.

Key places

Two weeks of live takes in Hollywood (2003)

Recording site Ocean Way Recording — Radiohead moved to Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood in September 2002 and recorded most of the album there in two weeks. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Late sessions at the Oxfordshire studio (2003)

Recording site Radiohead studio (Oxfordshire) — Additional recording and mixing took place at the band's studio in Oxfordshire, England, in late 2002 and early 2003, and the location is given at city level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hail to the Thief: sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead
• Released 9 June 2003 by Parlophone internationally; Capitol Records in the US on 10 June
• Last album released under Radiohead's record contract with EMI
• Follows the more electronic Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001)
• Title is a play on the American presidential anthem 'Hail to the Chief'
• Debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number three on the US Billboard 200
• Promoted with the singles 'There, There', 'Go to Sleep' and '2 + 2 = 5'

Background

• Kid A and Amnesiac were recorded simultaneously and moved the band from guitar-led rock to electronic style
• Radiohead wanted to work more spontaneously, combining electronic and rock music
• In early 2002 Thom Yorke sent bandmates demo CDs titled The Gloaming, Episcoval and Hold Your Prize
• Songs such as 'I Will' had been tried for the earlier albums but the results did not satisfy the band
• Lyrics were written in response to the election of George W. Bush and the unfolding war on terror
• Yorke took phrases from political discourse and combined them with fairy tales and children's literature
• An unfinished version of the album leaked online on 30 March 2003, ten weeks before release

Recording

• In September 2002 the band moved to Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, Los Angeles
• Most of the album was recorded in two weeks, focusing on live takes rather than overdubs
• Producer Nigel Godrich was their longtime collaborator
• Additional recording and mixing took place at their Oxfordshire studio in late 2002 and early 2003
• Godrich estimated that a third of the album comprises rough mixes from the Los Angeles sessions

Cover

• Artwork was created by Stanley Donwood, who joined the band during the Hollywood recording
• The cover is a roadmap of Hollywood, with words taken from roadside advertising in Los Angeles

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985.
• The members met while attending Abingdon School, a private boys' school in Abingdon.
• The band was first called On a Friday, and signed to EMI in December 1991 under the name Radiohead.

Members

• Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards), Colin Greenwood (bass), Ed O'Brien (guitar, backing vocals), Philip Selway (drums).
• Nigel Godrich (producer) and Stanley Donwood (cover artist) have worked with the band since 1994.

Career

• Debut album Pablo Honey (1993); The Bends (1995); OK Computer (1997) is considered a landmark record.
• Kid A (2000) marked a dramatic change in style, incorporating electronic music, jazz and krautrock.
• In Rainbows (2007) was self-released as a pay-what-you-want download.
• Over 30 million albums sold by 2011; six Grammy Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Received positive reviews; Metacritic score of 85 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim
• Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph called it a major work by major artists at the height of their powers
• Chris Ott of Pitchfork named it the week's Best New Music
• Ethan Brown of the New York critic circle said it is not a protest album, which is why it works
• Andy Kellman of AllMusic found its impact substantial despite feeling like a bunch of songs
• James Oldham of NME called it a good rather than great record
• Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said it was not a bad record but not startlingly fresh

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone named it the 89th-best album of the 2000s in 2010
• GQ named it the eighth-best Radiohead album in 2025
• Yorke later said he would change the playlist; O'Brien said the album should have been cut to ten songs
• Godrich called it his least favourite of the band's albums while finding it charming
• Selway described it in 2023 as a bridge between Kid A, Amnesiac and In Rainbows

Records

• UK Albums Chart number one, 14 weeks on chart, 114,320 copies in first week
• US Billboard 200 number three, 300,000 copies in first week, more than any previous Radiohead album
• Over one million copies sold in the US by 2008
• Certified platinum in the UK and Canada, gold in several countries
• Fifth consecutive Radiohead album nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys
• Won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Non-Classical Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• An unfinished version of the album leaked online on 30 March 2003, and EMI decided against moving the release date earlier to combat it.
• Yorke asked Bagpuss creator Oliver Postgate to make the music video for 'There, There', but he declined as he was retired, so Chris Hopewell made a stop-motion video.
• 'There, There' was rerecorded in the Oxfordshire studio, and Yorke was so relieved to have captured it that he wept.
• The alternative titles 'Little Man Being Erased', 'The Boney King of Nowhere' and 'Snakes and Ladders' were inspired by Victorian playbills for moralistic songs played in music halls.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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