"Ode to Sleep" is a song by American musical duo

Twenty One Pilots Twenty One Pilots (stylized in Letter case, all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris ...

. The song was recorded by the band for their second studio album, ''Regional at Best'', and upon partnering with

Fueled by Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the lab ...

re-recorded the song for their third studio album '' Vessel''.

Background

Regarding the creation of the song, Joseph states that he did not know "exactly how it happened" or "what he was thinking about", but was satisfied with the final result. One of his favorite songs to bring on stage, he defines Ode to Sleep "a puzzle because of its particular structure and how it accidentally manages to be together". In regard to the song title, Tyler Joseph said: Veteran member Chris Salih said that they "played de to Sleepto have that song named," during a time in which the band was without a label and they could perform new songs when they wanted to. The song was first performed on October 1, 2010, at the

Newport Music Hall Newport Music Hall is a music venue located in the University District of Columbus, Ohio, across the street from the Ohio Union of the Ohio State University. It is "America's Longest Continually Running Rock Club". History Newport Music Hall op ...

, roughly eight months before the release of the sophomore album ''Regional at Best''. Salih said three jars were placed on the band's merchandise table where concertgoers could vote on the song's name. The names were pre-chosen by the band, but the band members have since forgotten the other two names. Joseph has also said:

Production

The song was written by Tyler Joseph and produced by Twenty One Pilots for ''Regional at Best''. After teaming up with

and a production staff of higher caliber,

Greg Wells Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, record producer, songwriter and audio engineer. Wells has songs on over 130 million albums sold. He has worked with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana Grande, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Adele, Rufus Wai ...

helped produce the version to appear on '' Vessel''. Like the rest of the album, it was recorded at the Rocket Carousel Studio in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Release

"Ode to Sleep" originally appears on the Twenty One Pilots album '' Regional at Best''. Next it makes an appearance on Twenty One Pilots' ''Three Songs'' EP alongside ''Regional at Best'' song "

Guns for Hands "Guns for Hands" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released as a single only in Japan. The song was originally recorded for their second self-released album, ''Regional at Best''. It was re-recorded for thei ...

" and "Migraine". In 2017, all three tracks were certified gold by the RIAA and over 500,000 copies were sold individually. It was then re-recorded on account of Twenty One Pilots teaming up with

and placed on Twenty One Pilots' third album '' Vessel''. During the "Quiet is Violent Tour," a brief poem entitled "Only Skeleton Bones Remain" would precede the performance of this song.

Critical reception

Dan LeRoy of ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'' deems the song Twenty One Pilots' best, stating that "If one single track best incorporates all the elements that have made Twenty One Pilots beloved, 'Ode to Sleep' would be it. A manic, tempo-shifting mashup of hip-hop swagger and indie-rock doubt, with a heart-stopping pop chorus designed to drive demons away." Mitch Mosk of ''

Atwood Magazine Atwood Magazine is a digital music magazine that focuses on emerging and established artists from around the world. The magazine was founded in 2012 and is currently run by editor-in-chief Mitch Mosk. History Atwood Magazine was founded in 20 ...

'' compared the song's pre-chorus to

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

's "

Mr. Blue Sky "Mr. Blue Sky" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featured on the band's seventh studio album '' Out of the Blue'' (1977). Written and produced by frontman Jeff Lynne, the song forms the fourth and final track of the "Concerto fo ...

." According to Mosk, the song's beginning is primarily

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

with rapping similar to

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

, whereas the song has a "full-blown

indie-pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

chorus, with jingling piano keys and rock drums." Ultimately, he attributes the appeal of the song to the (genre-swapping) disparity of the "impressive rapping" and "anthemic pop chorus' emotional release."

Music video

On December 31st, 2014, the band released a music video for the song "Ode to Sleep". Composed of footage captured by the band's creative director Mark C. Eshleman of Reel Bear Media from three concerts from the past three years, the video depicted the band's rapid growth from their origins as a small local band to a nationally-popular alternative act, an upward trend that would continue into the next album cycle. Eshleman then went on to direct the music video, along with most of the band's others from 2012 to 2015, and again in 2019. It was revealed that a skeptical Eshleman had pulled Joseph aside a few times before the shooting at the empty venue, questioning whether the small crowd was even worth filming. Joseph insisted and the music video has since garnered over 20 million views.

Personnel

* Tyler Joseph – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, synthesizer, programming * Josh Dun – drums, percussion

Other musicians

– keyboard, synthesizer, programming

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ode to Sleep 2011 songs 2012 singles 2013 songs Twenty One Pilots songs Songs written by Tyler Joseph