A Wolf at the Door
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"A Wolf at the Door" is a song written and performed by the band Radiohead. It is subtitled "It Girl. Rag Doll." on their 2003 album Hail to the Thief.
The music of this tune is written solely by Jonny Greenwood, though as with all Radiohead songs the whole band receives official credit. It was previously worked on during the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions (1999-2000) when it was known as 'Keep the Wolf from the Door', according to a studio diary kept by guitarist Ed O'Brien. The song was debuted live in 2002 on a tour of Portugal and Spain.
The lyrics were written by Thom Yorke, who was on a train filled with obnoxious drunk rich boys, which is shown in the line "City boys in first class... someone else is gonna come and clean it up." The line "flan in the face" is a reference to Clare Short, the UK overseas aid/development secretary who was once assaulted with a custard pie by anti-globalization activists and who later resigned Tony Blair's cabinet over the Iraq War. The "wolf" title and reference to Three Little Pigs has been seen as one of many fairy tale metaphors on the album, inspired by his status as a new father. Apparently Yorke felt the lyrics were too bleak to use, until Jonny came up with the jaunty, angular backing music.
"A Wolf at the Door" has been noted for its minor key arpeggiated guitar line reminiscent of the Beatles' "Because" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," both found on Abbey Road (both of these songs in turn were based on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata). The Beatles were an influence on the Hail to the Thief album, according to Thom, who was fascinated with the way they wrote two and three minute songs that felt much longer. He aluded this in interview about "Happiness is a Warm Gun". "Wolf at the Door" itself is one of the shortest songs Radiohead has released, at less than three and a half minutes. Nearly all Radiohead songs clock in between three and a half and five and a half minutes.
With its half-rapped delivery of stream-of-consciousness lyrics, the song is also unique among Radiohead's work, bearing more of a resemblance to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Among fans it's one of the best from the album and on their current 2006 tour frequently is present among the setlists. However, some have found the jerky backing seems to date back stylistically to On a Friday, the name Radiohead went by in their earliest days, in particular to the 'dance crossover' tracks such as "Rattlesnake" which Thom would compose with his drum machine and tape loops.
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