"Twisted" is a 1952 vocalese song with lyrics by Annie Ross, set to a tenor saxophone solo of the same name by Wardell Gray that was recorded in 1949. It has been covered by Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, and many others.
Contents
Background
"Twisted" is a whimsical account of the protagonist's insanity that satirises psychoanalysis. In 1952, Ross met Prestige Records owner Bob Weinstock, who asked her to write lyrics to a jazz solo, in a similar way to King Pleasure, a practice that would later be known as vocalese. The next day, she presented him with "Twisted", a treatment of saxophonist Wardell Gray's 1949 composition of the same name, a classic example of the genre. She later said of the inspiration for the song:
The title was infinite possibilities. You could marry anything to it and it was the name signified, "Twisted." And it just occurred to me that it would be good as a kind of song about an analyst.
The song, first released on the 1952 album King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings, was an underground hit, and resulted in her winning Down Beat's New Star award. Ross released a second version with the vocalese trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross on their 1960 self-titled album, also known as The Hottest New Group In Jazz; Gramophone described that recording as "more lighthearted, perhaps a little more individual" than Ross' first release of the song.
Covers
"Twisted" has been covered by many groups and artists, including the following recordings:
The song was part of the live repertoire of The New Journeymen, before it evolved into The Mamas & the Papas.