Heads Will Roll (song)

"Heads Will Roll" is a song by American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, released as the second single from their third studio album, It's Blitz! (2009). The CD and 7-inch singles were released in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2009.[5] The song is sung from the viewpoint of the Queen of Hearts in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[6]

"Heads Will Roll"
Single by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
from the album It's Blitz!
ReleasedJune 29, 2009 (2009-06-29)
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Producer(s)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs singles chronology
"Zero"
(2009)		 "Heads Will Roll"
(2009)		 "Skeletons"
(2010)
Music video
"Heads Will Roll" on YouTube

A remix by Canadian DJ A-Trak appeared in the film Project X. The remix was placed at number 124 of Rolling Stone's list of the 200 Greatest Dance Songs.[7][8]

Composition

The song is built around a vintage sounding string riff, which was sampled from a Mellotron sound card: "Roxy SFX 2" from the Mellotron M4000D Sound Card 02.[9][10]

Music video

The music video for "Heads Will Roll" was directed by Richard Ayoade. It features the band playing in a (presumably) underground venue when a dancing werewolf whose dancing is reminiscent of Michael Jackson (who died four days before the single was released) appears on stage. A light flashes halfway through the music video and the werewolf transforms. He then proceeds to chase after the audience and kills most of them. The video then ends with the band having been murdered while Karen O continues singing, her head severed from her body. The music video contains some mockery of horror in general; instead of blood, there is red glitter and confetti and Karen O keeps singing while decapitated. In the UK, there are two different versions of this video, the second replacing the violent conclusion with repeated clips from the previous section of the video, but it shows the confetti falling onto the band.[11]

It was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Breakthrough Video.[12]

Track listings
CD single and 7-inch single[5]
No.TitleLength
1."Heads Will Roll"3:44
2."Heads Will Roll" (Passion Pit Remix)4:39
Digital remix EP
No.TitleLength
1."Heads Will Roll" (Passion Pit Remix)4:37
2."Heads Will Roll" (Tommie Sunshine Remix)5:21
3."Heads Will Roll" (Little Vampire Remix)4:47
4."Heads Will Roll" (James Iha Remix)4:15

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[25] Gold 15,000*
Germany (BVMI)[26] 3× Gold 450,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Platinum 600,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

The song was performed by Scarlett Johansson in 2021 for the animated feature Sing 2 as a fictional character called "Ash".

References
  1. Breihan, Tom (October 19, 2009). "Hear A-Trak's Remix of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll"". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  2. Brice (September 17, 2014). "15 Essential Dance Rock Tracks From the 2000s". Complex. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  3. Lapatine, Scott (February 22, 2009). "New Yeah Yeah Yeahs – "Heads Will Roll"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  4. Gray, Julia (1 June 2018). "The 10 Best Yeah Yeah Yeahs Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 May 2023. Freak-disco convulsions envelop you in a surreal house party. It somehow sounds both retro and futuristic...
  5. Amazon.co.uk - Heads Will Roll (Single)
  6. Basedow, Neph (October 29, 2010). "Heads Will Roll: A Brief History Of Beheading In Song". Houston Press. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  7. Shaffer, Jon Dolan,Julyssa Lopez,Michaelangelo Matos,Claire; Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (2022-07-22). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-08-01.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak remix)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  9. Roxy, Sabbath & Tangerine SFX | Mellotron M4000D Sound Card 02, retrieved 2022-06-16
  10. "Mellotron Sound Card 02". Found Sound. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  11. Young, Alex (May 27, 2009). "Watch: Yeah Yeah Yeahs tear it up with werewolf". Consequence. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  12. "MTV Video Music Awards | 2009 | Highlights, Winners, Performers and Photos from the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards". MTV.com. 2009-09-13. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  13. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  15. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in French). Les classement single.
  16. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  17. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  18. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  19. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  20. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Chart History (Alternative Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  21. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  22. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Chart History (Hot Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  23. "Jaaroverzichten 2010 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  24. "Rapports Annuels 2010 – Singles" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  25. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2010". Ultratop. Hung Medien. July 16, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  26. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Yeah Yeah Yeahs; 'Heads Will Roll')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  27. "British single certifications – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
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