Released June 29, 2009 Length 3:41 | Format CD, 7" Label Interscope | |
Genre Synthpop
alternative dance
new wave
dance-punk Writer(s) Brian Chase, Karen Orzolek, Nick Zinner | ||
"Heads Will Roll" is the second single released by American band Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their third album, It's Blitz!. The CD and 7" commercial singles were released in the UK on June 29, 2009. The song, sung from the viewpoint of the Queen of Hearts in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was remixed by Kanye West's former touring DJ A-Trak.
Contents
Music video
The music video was directed by Richard Ayoade. It features the band playing in a (presumably) underground venue when a dancing werewolf (whose dancing is reminiscent of Michael Jackson) appears on stage. A light flashes halfway through the music video and the werewolf transforms. He then proceeds to chase after the audience and kills most of them. The video then ends with the band having been murdered while Karen O continues singing, her head severed from her body. The music video contains some mockery of horror in general; instead of blood, there is red glitter and confetti and Karen O keeps singing while decapitated. In the UK, there are two different versions of this video, the second replacing the violent conclusion with repeated clips from the previous section of the video, but it shows the confetti falling onto the band.
It was nominated for a VMA for "Breakthrough Video".