"Crooked Teeth" is a song by

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboar ...

, the second single from their fifth album, ''

Plans A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. ...

'', released on April 11, 2006. The single was released on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, featuring the song "Crooked Teeth" and two

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

tracks: "Talking Like Turnstiles", and a cover of the

Julian Cope Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side proj ...

song " World Shut Your Mouth", which was originally released two years earlier as a B-side on the internet-only single "

Title and Registration "Title and Registration" is a song by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, the third single from their fourth studio album, ''Transatlanticism''. It was officially released in 2004, as an internet-only single that could be streamed through the b ...

", from the band's previous album, ''

Transatlanticism ''Transatlanticism'' is the fourth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on October 7, 2003, by Barsuk Records. At this point in their career, the group had toured and recorded for nearly a half-decade. With tensions risin ...

''. The single peaked at number 10 on the U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, making it Death Cab for Cutie's seventh highest charting song in the United States to-date. As of June 2023, it is the band's second-most played song live.

Background

The song was co-written by lead singer and guitarist

Ben Gibbard Benjamin Gibbard (born August 11, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as a membe ...

, and guitarist

Chris Walla Christopher Ryan Walla (born November 2, 1975) is an American musician, record producer, and film music composer, best known for being a former guitarist and songwriter for the band Death Cab for Cutie. Musical career Early bands While at Bot ...

. In a 2011 episode of

VH1 Storytellers ''Storytellers'' is a television music series produced by the VH1 network. In each episode, artists perform in front of a (mostly small and intimate) live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat ...

, Gibbard spoke about the back story behind the lyrical content of "Crooked Teeth":VH1 Storytellers. "Death Cab for Cutie." 77. May 27, 2011. Accessed from: http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/657037/crooked-teeth-vh1-storytellers.jhtml

Track listing

UK 7" single #1

# "Crooked Teeth" # " World Shut Your Mouth"

UK 7" single #2

# "Crooked Teeth" # "Talking Like Turnstiles"

UK CD Single

# "Crooked Teeth" # "Talking Like Turnstiles" # "Crooked Teeth" (Music Video) # "Making of ''Plans''" (Documentary Video)

Chart positions

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2006 singles Death Cab for Cutie songs 2005 songs Atlantic Records singles Songs written by Ben Gibbard Songs written by Chris Walla