"Happy Idiot" is the first single from American indie rock band
TV on the Radio's fifth studio album ''
Seeds
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm pl ...
''.
Background
TV on the Radio's lead singer
Tunde Adebimpe clarified to Music Feeds that Happy Idiot's lyrics were about distancing from the shock of an event and placing oneself in danger.
Composition
In an interview with Rolling Stone, guitarist
Dave Sitek explained the step by step process of "Happy Idiot". Sitek started creating the song at
Sonic Ranch by arranging the musical instruments. After songwriters
Daniel Ledinsky and
Erik Hassle created the melody, the rest of TV on the Radio added their contributions to complete the song.
Reception
Critics both praised and panned the music style in "Happy Idiot". Slate Magazine likened the song's new wave style to a combination of
The Police and
Joy Division. However, Beat Magazine opined that the usage of
hi-hat
A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...
s did not add anything to "Happy Idiot", and called the song "nothing more, nothing less, nothing revelatory", while Spin Magazine called the song "a typically straining post-punk exercise".
Music video
On October 3, 2014, TV on the Radio released a music video for "Happy Idiot" referencing
Speed Racer. In the music video directed by
Danny Jelinek
Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to:
People
*Danny Altmann, British immunologist
* Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer
* Danny Baker (born 1957), English journal ...
,
Paul Reubens plays a racecar driver that is hallucinating about a girl played by
Karen Gillan.
In a statement by Tunde Adebimpe, Adebimpe said that he came up with the idea for the music video and approached
Funny or Die, who accepted the idea. He also highlighted that Paul Reubens was a big influence on him, and that he was excited to work with Karen Gillan.
Charts
References
External links
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2014 singles
TV on the Radio songs
2014 songs
Songs written by Erik Hassle
Harvest Records singles