2 + 2 = 5 (song)

"2 + 2 = 5"
Single by Radiohead
from the album Hail to the Thief
Released17 November 2003 (2003-11-17)
Genre
Length3:21
LabelParlophone
SongwriterRadiohead
Producers
Radiohead singles chronology
"Go to Sleep"
(2003)		 "2 + 2 = 5"
(2003)		 "Jigsaw Falling into Place"
(2008)
Audio sample
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"2 + 2 = 5" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the third and final single from their sixth studio album, Hail to the Thief (2003), on 17 November 2003. It references the slogan "two plus two equals five" from the 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

"2 + 2 = 5" reached number two in Canada, number 12 in Italy and number 15 in the UK. A live version recorded at Earl's Court, London, was included on the 2004 EP Com Lag and the 2025 album Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003–2009).

Recording

"2 + 2 = 5" was recorded in 2002 at Ocean Way Recording studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with the producer Nigel Godrich.[1] It was recorded as a studio test and finished in two hours.[2] Before the song begins, Jonny Greenwood is heard plugging in his guitar; the singer, Thom Yorke, responds: "That's a nice way to start, Jonny."[3]

Music and lyrics

"2 + 2 = 5" is a rock song that builds to a loud climax.[4] It begins with a sequenced drum pattern, a guitar arpeggio in 74, and reverberating pops created by Ed O'Brien playing above the fretboard.[5][6] Greenwood plays in drop D tuning.[7]

"2 + 2 = 5" references the slogan "two plus two equals five" from the 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.[8] The alternative title, "The Lukewarm", references Dante's Inferno, in which the "lukewarm" are those in hell who did nothing wrong but did not oppose wrongdoing.[9]

Yorke sings that those who try to change the world are dreamers, but that "two and two always makes up five", indicating that he lives in a world without logic.[10] In the second half, drums and guitars enter and Yorke sings "you have not been paying attention".[11] Another lyric, "hail to the thief",[11] was a phrase used in protests against George W. Bush as a play on "Hail to the Chief", the American presidential anthem.[12]

Release

"2 + 2 = 5" was released as the third single from Hail to the Thief on 17 November, 2003.[13] It was included in Radiohead: The Best Of (2008).[14] A live version recorded at Earl's Court, London, was included on the 2004 EP Com Lag and the 2025 album Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003–2009).[15] In 2020, the Guardian named the live version of "2 + 2 = 5" the 31st-greatest Radiohead song, writing that it was a "polemical anthem for the era of mass-broadcast deception and enhanced interrogation techniques".[16]

Track listings

UK CD1 (CDR 6623)[17]

  1. "2 + 2 = 5" – 3:19
  2. "Remyxomatosis" (Cristian Vogel RMX) – 5:07
  3. "There There" (first demo) – 7:43

UK CD2 (CDRS 6623)[18]

  1. "2 + 2 = 5" – 3:19
  2. "Skttrbrain" (Four Tet remix) – 4:26
  3. "I Will" (Los Angeles version) – 2:14

UK DVD single (DVDR 6623)[19]

  1. "2 + 2 = 5" – 3:19
  2. "Sit Down Stand Up" (Ed Holdsworth's video)
  3. "The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time" (excerpt)

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2003–2004) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[20]54
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[21] 2
France (SNEP)[22]64
Ireland (IRMA)[23]36
Italy (FIMI)[24]12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25]99
Scottish Singles Sales (Official Charts)[26]26
UK Singles (Official Charts)[27]15

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 17 November 2003
  • CD
  • DVD
 Parlophone [28]
Australia 24 November 2003 CD [29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "MAPS AND LEGENDS". NME. 29 April 2003. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  2. ↑ "Radiohead Hail to the Thief interview CD" (Interview). Parlophone. 22 April 2003. Promotional interview CD sent to British music press.
  3. ↑ Randall, Mac (1 February 2012). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5.
  4. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (2011). 33 Revolutions per Minute: A History of Protest Songs, from Billie Holiday to Green Day. HarperCollins. p. 519. ISBN 978-0-06-167015-2.
  5. ↑ Randall, Mac (1 February 2012). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5.
  6. ↑ Fricke, David (3 December 2010). "Ed O'Brien – 100 greatest guitarists: David Fricke's Picks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Randall, Mac (1 February 2012). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5.
  8. ↑ Bloom, Madison (21 February 2017). "10 songs inspired by George Orwell's 1984". Paste. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Thom Yorke on 'Hail to the Thief'". XFM online. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
  10. ↑ Randall, Mac (1 February 2012). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5.
  11. 1 2 Randall, Mac (1 February 2012). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5.
  12. ↑ Bendat, p.70.
  13. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 15 November 2003. p. 29.
  14. ↑ Plagenhoef, Scott (5 June 2008). "Radiohead: The Best Of / The Best Of [Special Edition]". Pitchfork.
  15. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (13 August 2025). "Radiohead release new live album Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003—2009)". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  16. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (23 January 2020). "Radiohead's 40 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  17. ↑ Radiohead (2003). 2 + 2 = 5 (UK CD1 liner notes). Parlophone. CDR 6623.
  18. ↑ Radiohead (2003). 2 + 2 = 5 (UK CD2 liner notes). Parlophone. CDRS 6623.
  19. ↑ Radiohead (2003). 2 + 2 = 5 (UK DVD single liner notes). Parlophone. DVDR 6623.
  20. ↑ "The ARIA Report, Issue 719". ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  21. ↑ "Radiohead Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  22. ↑ "Radiohead – 2%2B2=5" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  23. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Radiohead". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  24. ↑ "Radiohead – 2%2B2=5". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  25. ↑ "Radiohead – 2%2B2=5" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 29/11/2003 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  27. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 29/11/2003 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  28. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 15 November 2003. p. 29.
  29. ↑ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 24th November 2003" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 November 2003. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
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