Album: Amok (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of the debut album by Atoms For Peace, a group comprising Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck's drummer Joey Waronker and Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco. This haunting tune is the record's most instrumental cut, with only whispers of voice added to the mix until it builds to a crescendo at the end.
  • Comparing the recording process of Amok to the way jazz music was made, Godrich told Rolling Stone that Miles Davis' process for his seminal 1969 album In a Silent Way came to mind. He explained: "It's that thing of creating interaction between people and then editing that whole thing to create dynamics, you know? It's weird - it ended up being sort of [a process of] interacting as much as we could do that, and we were thinking about things in very much a jazz way in terms of using edits and big blocks of music to create arrangements."
  • Thom Yorke sings here of "to run amok." The term comes from a Malay word "mengamok" which roughly translates to "Make a furious and desperate charge."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.