"Left Hand Free" is a song by English
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
alt-J
Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwilym Sainsbur ...
. It was released as the second single from the band's second studio album ''
This Is All Yours
''This Is All Yours'' is the second album by English indie rock band alt-J, released on September 22, 2014 through Infectious. It was promoted with four singles: " Hunger of the Pine", "Left Hand Free", " Every Other Freckle", and "Warm Foothill ...
'' on 7 July 2014.
Background and composition
With its
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...
influences, "Left Hand Free" is atypical for an alt-J song, with the band themselves describing it as "the least Alt-J song ever."
The song, written by band members Joe Newman, Thom Green and Gus Unger-Hamilton "in about 20 minutes", was built around a riff that Newman would play during rehearsals and features an organ solo from Unger-Hamilton, while Green's performance on the song was deliberately performed "as clichéd as possible," with "none of
ispersonality in it."
Contrary to reports that the band wrote the song at the behest of their record company, Unger-Hamilton elaborated that the song was rather "the product of having fun one afternoon in the writers’ studio and enjoying
hemselves, which eventually ended up being the track that the band's American label responded most favorably to.
Release
"Left Hand Free" was released digitally as the second single from ''This Is All Yours'' on 7 July 2014.
In the United States, it entered
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
radio on 15 July 2014 and subsequently peaked at number two on the ''
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 ...
''
Alternative Songs
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.
The song also debuted and peaked at number 99 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their first entry on the chart and their most successful single in the country to date.
On 27 October 2014, a remix by
Lido
Lido may refer to:
Geography Africa
* Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco
Asia
* Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing
* Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok
* Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...
was released as a single.
Music video
The music video for "Left Hand Free" was directed by Ryan Staake and released on 7 August 2014. It depicts a group of American teenagers doing various activities of leisure, including drinking beer, setting off fireworks, driving, and swimming in the
Guadalupe River. Reviewer Tim Brayton commented "Since we're never going to see a beer ad directed by
David Gordon Green
David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker. He directed the dramas ''George Washington'' (2000), ''All the Real Girls'' (2003), and '' Snow Angels'' (2007), as well as the thriller '' Undertow'' (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote.
In 2 ...
, this is the next best thing. The hook is unbelievably straightforward: ‘in the summer, sexy young people like to have fun with their sexy young friends! Pick-up trucks and getting wet are often involved!’... Some of the shots are fun and relaxed; a surprising number feel worn out, like you will after you've gotten too much sun."
A second official video was also released, which features a group of young adults at a pool party. The party is guarded by bouncers armed with various guns. At the end of the video peoples faces begin to panic and a guard is shot. A helicopter hovers towards the ground and a shootout between the bouncers and the helicopter begins, causing a panic.
Media usage
The song is played in the episode "Derailed" from the fourth season of ''
Suits''.
The song appears in the 2016
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
film ''
Captain America: Civil War'', during the first appearance of
Peter Parker / Spider-Man. It is also played during the final credits of the movie.
The song is used as the theme tune for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''.
It is also used in the Dr Pepper commercial ‘Barbershop’.
The song is used close to the beginning of the first episode in both seasons of the Netflix series ''