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Reckoner
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Wikipedia article
"'Reckoner'" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their seventh album, 'In Rainbows' (2007). It was produced by longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, and developed while Radiohead were working on another song, "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses".
"Reckoner" was named one of the best songs of the decade by 'Pitchfork' and 'NME'. Remixes were released by James Holden, Flying Lotus and Diplo. Radiohead released the separate stems for fans to remix, as they had done with their 2008 single "Nude". "Reckoner" reached number 74 on the UK Singles Chart.
Recording
On tour in 2001, Radiohead performed a different song with the title "Reckoner". 'Pitchfork' described it as "droning rocker", and 'Rolling Stone' wrote that it featured "one of the loudest and most sinister riffs in Radiohead's catalog". Working on this song for their 2007 album 'In Rainbows', Radiohead wrote a coda that developed into a different song, but kept the "Reckoner" title. In 2009, singer Thom Yorke released the original song as a solo single, "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses".
Producer Nigel Godrich recalled of the "Reckoner" recording sessions: "People [were] all over the house, shaking things and getting this groove going, then chopping it up into little pieces and putting it back together. It was a lot of fun."
Composition
"Reckoner" features Yorke's falsetto, "frosty, clanging" percussion, a "meandering" guitar line, piano, and a string arrangement by guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Yorke said the guitar riff was a homage to Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, "in my sort of clunky 'can't-really-pick' kind of way". He described the song as "kind of a love song ... Sort of."
Release
"Reckoner" was released on Radiohead's 2007 album 'In Rainbows'. As they had done for their single "Nude", on September 28, 2008, Radiohead released the separate "Reckoner" stems for fans to purchase and remix. Fans could upload their remixes to the Radiohead website and vote for their favourites. Radiohead also had the electronic musicians James Holden, Flying Lotus and Diplo create remixes.
After the stems were released for sale, "Reckoner" reached number 74 on the UK Singles Chart. It did not enter the US 'Billboard' Hot 100, but peaked at number 21 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, a 25-song extension of the Hot 100. A performance of "Reckoner" was included on the 2008 live video 'In Rainbows From the Basement'.
Music video
The "Reckoner" music video was created by Clement Picon, who won a competition held by Radiohead and Aniboom to create an animation for a song from 'In Rainbows'. Yorke described it as "one of my favourite video things that has ever happened".
Reception
Reviewing 'In Rainbows', 'Pitchfork' wrote that "Reckoner" "may not be the most immediate track on the album, but over the course of several listens, it reveals itself to be among the most woozily beautiful things the band has ever recorded". In October 2011, 'Rolling Stone' readers voted it the ninth best Radiohead song, and 'NME' ranked it the 93rd best track of the previous 15 years. 'Pitchfork' named it the 254th greatest song of the decade. In 2020, the 'Guardian' named it the third-best Radiohead song, writing: "At first innocuous, 'Reckoner' unspools a full house of virtuoso performances engulfed by Godrichs winter-blanket production. It soothes then soars."
Personnel
Adapted from the 'In Rainbows' liner notes.
'Radiohead'
* Colin Greenwood
* Jonny Greenwood
* Ed O'Brien
* Philip Selway
* Thom Yorke
'Production'
* Nigel Godrich production, mixing, engineering
* Richard Woodcraft engineering
* Hugo Nicolson engineering
* Dan Grech-Marguerat engineering
* Graeme Stewart preproduction
* Bob Ludwig mastering
'Artwork'
* Stanley Donwood
* Dr Tchock
Charts
References
Category:2007 songs
Category:Radiohead songs
Category:Rock ballads
Category:XL Recordings singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Nigel Godrich
Category:Songs written by Thom Yorke
Category:Songs written by Colin Greenwood
Category:Songs written by Jonny Greenwood
Category:Songs written by Philip Selway
Category:Songs written by Ed O'Brien
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