Album
Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief is Radiohead's sixth studio album, released on 9 June 2003. It followed the electronic experiments of Kid A and Amnesiac, which were built through long studio tinkering. This time the band wanted to work more spontaneously, blending electronics with rock. They recorded most of it in two weeks at Ocean Way in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, favouring live takes over overdubs. It was also the last record under their EMI contract.
Thom Yorke's lyrics respond to George W. Bush's election and the war on terror, mixing phrases from political debate with fairy-tale and children's-book imagery. The title twists the presidential anthem "Hail to the Chief". The album went to number one in the UK and number three in the US, and spawned the singles "There, There", "Go to Sleep" and "2 + 2 = 5". The band later thought it overlong and unfinished, but it makes for a fascinating, restless listen.
Hail to the Thief: tracklist, credits and charts
14 tracks · 56:36Tracklist
- 12 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:19
- 2Sit Down. Stand Up. (Snakes & Ladders.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:20
- 3Sail to the Moon. (Brush the Cobwebs Out of the Sky.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:18
- 4Backdrifts. (Honeymoon Is Over.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke5:23
- 5Go to Sleep. (Little Man Being Erased.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:22
- 6Where I End and You Begin. (The Sky Is Falling In.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:29
- 7We Suck Young Blood. (Your Time Is Up.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:57
- 8The Gloaming. (Softly Open Our Mouths in the Cold.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:32
- 9There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke5:24
- 10I Will. (No Man’s Land.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke1:59
- 11A Punchup at a Wedding. (No No No No No No No No.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:57
- 12Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:53
- 13Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:22
- 14A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:21
- Produced by
- Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
- Recorded at
- Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood), Radiohead studio, Oxfordshire
- Recorded
- September 2002 – early 2003
- Mixed by
- Nigel Godrich
- Engineered by
- Darrell Thorp, Nigel Godrich
- Labels
- Capitol Records, Parlophone, Capitol
- Length
- 56:36
Line-up
- Colin Greenwood · sampler, synthesizer, bass guitar · guest
- Jonny Greenwood · electronic instruments, ondes Martenot, glockenspiel, guitar, toy piano · guest
- Ed O’Brien · guitar, effects, background vocals · guest
- Philip Selway · percussion, drums (drum set) · guest
- Thom Yorke · piano, guitar, vocals · guest
Singles
- “There, There” · 21 May 2003
- “Go to Sleep” · 18 August 2003
- “2 + 2 = 5” · 17 November 2003
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2003 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 2003 | 3 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2003 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2003 | 1 |
| French Albums · 2003 | 1 |
| Ireland 2 · 2003 | 1 |
| Scottish Albums · 2003 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2003 | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2003 | 2 |
| Danish Albums · 2003 | 2 |
All 23 charts
| Finnish Albums · 2003 | 2 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2003 | 2 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2003 | 2 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2003 | 2 |
| German Albums · 2003 | 3 |
| Italian Albums · 2003 | 3 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2003 | 3 |
| Swiss Albums · 2003 | 3 |
| Dutch Albums · 2003 | 4 |
| Austrian Albums · 2003 | 6 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV) · 2003 | 6 |
| Swedish Albums · 2003 | 6 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) · 2003 | 8 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2006 | Gold |
| Belgium · 2007 | Gold |
| Canada · 2003 | Platinum |
| France · 2003 | Gold |
| Japan · 2003 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Gold |
| Switzerland · 2003 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2004 | Platinum |
| United States · 2003 | Gold |
| Europe · 2014 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
87.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
10k
ListenBrainz listeners
185k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
65k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 9 June
Every year →
More from Radiohead
Full discography →
Drill
1992
Creep
1992
Pablo Honey
1993
Itch
1994
Anyone Can Play Guitar
1994
My Iron Lung
1994
The Bends
1995
OK Computer
1997
No Surprises / Running From Demons
1998
Airbag / How Am I Driving?
1998
Kid A
2000
Amnesiac
2001
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
2001
Com Lag: 2plus2isfive
2004
In Rainbows
2007
Album Box Set
2007
The Best Of
2008
In Rainbows: From the Basement
2008
In Rainbows Disk 2
2009
The King of Limbs
2011
TKOL RMX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2011
A Moon Shaped Pool
2016
KID A MNESIA
2021
Hail to the Thief: Live Recordings 2003–2009
2025
The best of 2003
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2003-05-26 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 26 May 2003 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 9 June 2003 | |
| Wikidata | 9 June 2003 | |
| US release | 9 June 2003 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 9 June 2003 | earliest UK or European date |
25 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | US | Capitol Records | 724358480528 | deluxe |
| 26 May 2003 | JP | EMI | 4988006812840 | original |
| 2 June 2003 | JP | Parlophone | 4988006811188 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | US | Capitol Records | 724358454345 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | ZA | EMI | 6009509306631 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | XE | Parlophone | 724358480825 | deluxe |
| 9 June 2003 | FR | Parlophone | 724358454321 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | AU | EMI Music Australia | 724358454420 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | GB | Parlophone | 0724358454321 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | GB | EMI | 0724358454321 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | XE | Parlophone | 724358454420 | other |
| 9 June 2003 | XE | Parlophone | 724358454314 | other |
| 10 June 2003 | CA | Parlophone | 724358454420 | other |
| 10 June 2003 | US | Capitol Records | 724358454321 | other |
| 2 September 2008 | US | Capitol Records | 724358454314 | other |
| 2 September 2008 | GB | Parlophone | 724358454314 | other |
| 26 November 2008 | JP | Parlophone | 4988006867703 | other |
| 2009 | JP | EMI | 4988006873124 | deluxe |
| 24 August 2009 | XE | Parlophone | 5099969708923 | other |
| 25 August 2009 | XE | EMI | 5099969709722 | other |
| 25 August 2009 | US | Capitol Records | 5099969708923 | deluxe |
| 31 August 2009 | GB | EMI | 5099969709722 | other |
| 1 April 2016 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904078560 | other |
| 15 April 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078515 | other |
| 15 April 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078522 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| coverartarchive | 2840×2834 | cropped |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |