Album: Fever To Tell (2003)
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Songfacts®:

  • The opening track of Yeah Yeah's Fever To Tell album is a swipe at critics who pegged them as retro. Vocalist Karen O told NME when the record was released: "The press still portrays us as a garage band, so we wanted to open up the album with a track that could in no way be mistaken for a garage track."
  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs knew they would be sailing into the wind when they released their debut album in 2003. They were indie rock sensations when they released EPs in 2001 and 2002, earning plaudits from the New York City press, including many smaller publications that were also indie. But when they signed with the major label Interscope and released Fever To Tell, they were no longer indie. This song finds them bracing for a critical backlash, but they were actually very well received by critics. Finding a substantial mainstream audience was the problem. The album sold poorly until "Maps," an atypical ballad on the album, was released as a single and took off.
  • Yeah Yeah Yeahs opened their set at the Sydney Metro Theatre on October 9, 2003 with "Rich," but didn't make it though the song because Karen O took a nasty tumble off the side of the stage, with the monitor she tripped over landing on her head. She tried to tough it out and finish the set, but was taken to the hospital after one more song. When she returned to action, it was at the same venue two days later for the Livid Festival, where the band did an abbreviated set with Karen in a wheelchair.

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