Knives Out

"Knives Out" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the second single from their fifth album, Amnesiac (2001). It features lyrics about cannibalism and guitars influenced by the Smiths. "Knives Out" received positive reviews and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Michel Gondry. Recording Radiohead recorded "Knives Out" between 1999 and 2000 during the sessions for their albums Kid A and Amnesiac, which were recorded simultaneously. Although these albums moved away from Radiohead's earlier guitar-led sound, the singer, Thom Yorke, said "Knives Out" was "no departure at all" and "survived because it was too good to miss". According to a studio diary kept by the guitarist Ed O'Brien, "Knives Out" took 373 days to complete. He wrote that it was "probably the most straight-ahead thing we've done in years ... and that might explain why we took so long on it". He felt that successful bands often over-embellish their music, especially songs written on acoustic guitar, but that Radiohead had captured the song's essence. In November 1999, Radiohead performed "Knives Out" during a webcast from their studio. "Knives Out" was influenced by the British rock band the Smiths. Before its release, O'Brien played it for the Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who said: "I was beyond flattered and quite speechless – which takes some doing. He explained to me that with that song they'd tried to take a snapshot of the way I'd done things in the Smiths – and I guess you can hear that in it." In another interview, he said: "The music did touch me the same way the Smiths did, and it was a wonderful feeling ... that sort of emotional quality and that sort of melodicism."