Heads Will Roll (song)

"Heads Will Roll"
Single by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
from the album It's Blitz!
ReleasedJune 29, 2009 (2009-06-29)
Genre
Length3:42
Label
Songwriters
Producers
Yeah Yeah Yeahs singles chronology
"Zero"
(2009) 		"Heads Will Roll"
(2009) 		"Skeletons"
(2010)
Music video
"Heads Will Roll" on YouTube

"Heads Will Roll" is a song by American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their third studio album, It's Blitz! (2009). It was released by DGC, Interscope and Polydor Records as the album's second single in June 2009. Written by the band with production by Nick Launay and David Andrew Sitek, "Heads Will Roll" is a dance-rock song, shifting from their previous garage rock and art punk influences, about an ill-fated night on the dancefloor.

"Heads Will Roll" was a commercial success and became the band's best-selling single, reaching the top ten of three Billboard charts and certified double platinum; it also charted in six other countries. Richard Ayoade directed its accompanying music video, which was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award. A remix by Canadian artist A-Trak further heightened the song's popularity, being placed on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 greatest dance songs.

Background and recording

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, composed of singer/songwriter Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase, became prominent figures in the 2000s garage rock and post-punk revivals and stood at the forefront of the New York music scene.[1][2] Following their breakthrough with their 2003 landmark debut album Fever to Tell, the band aimed to reinvent themselves with every subsequent record.[3] Karen O explained, "We put out a record every three years now; we could easily be forgotten. If you look at a lot of our peers that we came up with, a lot of them have disappeared."[4]

After the troubled production of Show Your Bones (2006),[5] their second album, Yeah Yeah Yeahs would wait until 2008 to begin work on their next effort, It's Blitz!.[6] The band wrote all of It's Blitz!'s songs during its production and shifted to a dance-punk and pop rock sound. They recorded at five different studios and took several breaks to keep inspiration fresh; one of these five sessions spawned "Heads Will Roll".[6][7]

Music and lyrics

"Heads Will Roll" is characterized as a dance-rock and alternative rock song that runs for three minutes and 42 seconds.[8][9] According to sheet music published by Universal Music Publishing Group, it is composed in 4
4 time in the key of G minor with a tempo of 132 beats per minute.[10] Its lyrics, written by Karen O, are about an ill-fated night on the dancefloor, which was inspired by horror stories.[11]

The song is driven by a vintage string riff played by Zinner, which was created with a sample from a Mellotron sound card.[12] It utilizes pre-recorded samples of Chase's drums and Zinner's ARP synthesizer, contrasting the band's previous recording sessions.[6][7]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Richard Ayoade, and premiered on NME on May 26, 2009.[13] It features the band playing in a (presumably) underground venue when a dancing werewolf whose dancing is reminiscent of Michael Jackson (who died four days before the single was released and 30 days after the music video premiered) 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.[14]

The video was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Breakthrough Video.[15]

A-Trak remix

"Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)"
Remix by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and A-Trak
Genre
Length6:23 (original mix)
3:23 (radio edit)
Songwriters
ProducerAlain Macklovitch

A remix by Canadian artist A-Trak was released on November 17, 2009.[16] The original mix runs for six minutes and 23 seconds, while a radio edit shortened it by three minutes.[17] It was ranked at number 124 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".[18]

Other versions

"Heads Will Roll" was performed by Scarlett Johansson in 2021 for the animated film Sing 2.[19]

Figure skater Amber Glenn used a version of "Heads Will Roll" during the 2023–24 season and went on to win the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.[20] The song was also used as the BBC Sport theme song for the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro Championship.[21]

Track listings

CD single and 7-inch single
No.TitleLength
1."Heads Will Roll"3:42
2."Heads Will Roll" (Passion Pit Remix)4:39

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BRMA)[34] Gold 15,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[35] Gold 30,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[36] 3× Gold 450,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[37] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
Spain (Promusicae)[38] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Blackman, S. J. (2004). Chilling Out: The Cultural Politics of Substance Consumption, Youth and Drug Policy. McGraw-Hill International. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-335-20072-6.
  2. ^ B. Greenfield, and R. Reid, New York City (London: Lonely Planet, 4th edn., 2004), ISBN 1-74104-889-3, p. 33.
  3. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs scrap songs for second album". Contactmusic.com. March 22, 2005. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  4. ^ Wappler, Margaret (April 18, 2009). "Heads will roll in the blitz". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  5. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – 'We scared each other'". NME. February 24, 2006. Archived from the original on August 9, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Bouwman, Kimbel (November 16, 2009). "Interview with Nick Launay". HitQuarters. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Doran, John (June 2009). "Reviews". Classic Rock (132): 82.
  8. ^ Brice (September 17, 2014). "15 Essential Dance Rock Tracks From the 2000s". Complex. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  9. ^ "Heads Will Roll - Single". iTunes. January 1, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Heads Will Roll – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  11. ^ Donovan, Thom (March 29, 2025). "The meaning behind "Heads Will Roll," Yeah Yeah Yeahs' dance floor horror anthem". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  12. ^ Lainhart, Richard. "Logic Pro Sound Design: Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Heads Will Roll synth". Ask.Video. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  13. ^ Fullerton, Jamie (May 26, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs premiere Richard Ayoade-directed video online". NME. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  14. ^ Young, Alex (May 27, 2009). "Watch: Yeah Yeah Yeahs tear it up with werewolf". Consequence. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  15. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards | 2009 | Highlights, Winners, Performers and Photos from the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards". MTV.com. 2009-09-13. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  16. ^ Yopko, Nick (November 17, 2019). "On this day in dance music history: A-Trak remixed "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs". EDM.com. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  17. ^ "Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) - Single". iTunes. January 1, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  18. ^ Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (July 22, 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 29, 2026. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  19. ^ "Sing 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. December 17, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  20. ^ Carpenter, Les (March 19, 2024). "Figure skating wants ice princesses. Amber Glenn said, 'Screw it.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-03-20.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ Chicken, Steven (July 11, 2025). "What is the BBC theme tune for the Women's Euro 2025?". FourFourTwo. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  22. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  23. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  24. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in French). Le classement de singles.
  25. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  26. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Yeah Yeah Yeahs". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 27/3/2011 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  28. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  29. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Chart History (Alternative Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  30. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  31. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Chart History (Hot Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2010 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  33. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2010 – Singles" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  34. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2010". Ultratop. Hung Medien. July 16, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  35. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  36. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Yeah Yeah Yeahs; 'Heads Will Roll')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  37. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll". Radioscope. Retrieved November 7, 2025. Type Heads Will Roll in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  38. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  39. ^ "British single certifications – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 7, 2025. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Heads Will Roll Yeah Yeah Yeahs in the "Search:" field.
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