There, There by Radiohead Song Info
Released on May 26, 2003 as the first single from Hail to the Thief, “There There” describes the human struggle against the evil forces of temptation that vie to lead us astray. The song is marked by the heavy use of tom-tom drums throughout – played by both Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien, in addition to Phil Selway – and murky, reverb-laden guitars. Over the course of a relatively long 5 minutes, the track builds to a loud crescendo topped with a distorted guitar riff. The beat and intensity of the song have made it a crowd favorite at the band’s live performances. By the time it was finished, Thom felt it was the best thing they’ve ever recorded. The track recieved a mention in Tommy Orange’s namesake 2018 novel “There There” to portray character Dene Oxendene’s lack of trust for his own thoughts in Chapter 2, representing the Native American loss of identity. The book was not named after this track, however, but after a quote by Gertrude Stein instead. "There There" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, featured on their album Hail to the Thief (2003) and released prior to the album as its first single. "There There" reached number four in the UK Singles Chart and number one in Canada. It also received moderate airplay from US modern rock stations and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance, making it the band's most successful single on the radio since "Optimistic" in 2000. On Hail to the Thief the song, like others, is given a subtitle: "The Boney King of Nowhere".
