Lullabies to Paralyze

Lullabies to Paralyze
Studio album by Queens of the Stone Age
Released March 21, 2005
Recorded August – November 2004 at Sound City Studios, in Van Nuys, California
Genre Stoner rock,[1] alternative rock[2]
Length 59:26
Label Interscope B0004186-02
Producer Josh Homme, Joe Barresi
Queens of the Stone Age chronology

Stone Age Complication
(2004)		 Lullabies to Paralyze
(2005)		 Over the Years and Through the Woods
(2005)
Alternative cover
Cover of the LP release
Singles from Lullabies to Paralyze
  1. "Little Sister"
    Released: December 2004
  2. "In My Head"
    Released: June 27, 2005
  3. "Everybody Knows That You're Insane"
    Released: 2005 (Promotional)
  4. "Burn the Witch"
    Released: January 10, 2006

Lullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 21, 2005.[3] The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200,[4] and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release,[4] eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007 according to Nielsen Soundscan.[5] The album has been certified gold in the UK, where it has sold over 100,000 units. It is also the band's first album to be released after Nick Oliveri was fired from the band. Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan are the only members from the previous album, Songs for the Deaf, to play on this album and it's the first album to feature drummer Joey Castillo and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.

Background

The album title Lullabies to Paralyze was intended to bridge Lullabies with its predecessor Songs for the Deaf by naming it after a line in "Mosquito Song", the final track on Songs for the Deaf.[6] The "deluxe limited edition" of the album includes a bonus track and a bonus DVD containing "a look behind the scenes and special bonus footage". Videos were produced for singles "Little Sister", "In My Head" and "Burn the Witch", as well as "Everybody Knows That You Are Insane" and "Someone's in the Wolf".[7] The "Everybody Knows That You Are Insane" video was broadcast frequently on MTV during 2005, while the video for "Someone's in the Wolf" was featured on the bonus DVD of Lullabies to Paralyze.

The album was delayed during 2004 because of some changes to the line-up: bassist, vocalist, and co-songwriter Nick Oliveri was fired and on-off vocalist Mark Lanegan went on tour with his own band.[8] Lanegan can still be heard singing on several songs of the album as well as contributing lyrics. Because of this turmoil, there had been rumours that Lanegan had left the band, which Josh Homme eventually clarified in several interviews was never the case. Nevertheless he encouraged these rumours to draw the attention off the band by giving the press "something to focus on while I was just making the record".

“ And at the time, I was like, "Fuck, no one's even listening to this. It's too much about other stuff." And it would have been easy to make Songs for the Deaf 2, which is basically all I heard in my own head. But I can't do that. You've got to shake all that shit away.[9] ”

—Josh Homme, Pitchfork interview, April 13, 2007

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 78/100[10]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [11]
Entertainment Weekly B[12]
Stylus Magazine B+[13]
IGN 7.4/10[14]
Pitchfork Media 7.5/10[15]
Los Angeles Times [16]
Uncut [17]
The Guardian [18]
The Observer [19]
Alternative Press [20]
NME [1]
Under the Radar [21]
"Little Sister"
Little sister audio sample
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The album received generally positive reviews, although slightly lower than its predecessor, the average score being 78 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 31 professional reviews.[22]

Kevin Forest Moreau awarded it 3rd best album of the year 2005, Billboard magazine ranked it 7th best album, Magnet magazine ranked it 9th, and Filter magazine considered it 10th best album of the year 2005.[23] JustPressPlay ranked it #31 on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 2000s[24] and named "Tangled Up in Plaid" the 19th best song of the decade.[25] Lullabies To Paralyze was certified gold in the UK on April 15, 2005 with sales exceeding 100,000 copies.[26]

Track listing

All tracks written by Joshua Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo, except where noted. All lyrics written by Homme, except additional lyrics on "Medication", "Tangled Up in Plaid" and "Long Slow Goodbye" by Mark Lanegan.

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "This Lullaby"    1:22
2. "Medication"  Joshua Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Joey Castillo, Mark Lanegan 1:54
3. "Everybody Knows That You Are Insane"    4:14
4. "Tangled Up in Plaid"  Homme, Van Leeuwen, Castillo, Lanegan 4:13
5. "Burn the Witch"    3:35
6. "In My Head"  Homme, Van Leeuwen, Josh Freese, Castillo, Alain Johannes 4:01
7. "Little Sister"    2:54
8. "I Never Came"    4:48
9. "Someone's in the Wolf"    7:15
10. "The Blood Is Love"    6:37
11. "Skin on Skin"    3:42
12. "Broken Box"    3:02
13. ""You Got a Killer Scene There, Man...""    4:56
14. "Long Slow Goodbye" (Includes a "Hidden Outro" which comes up at 5:16)Homme, Van Leeuwen, Castillo, Lanegan 6:50
Total length:
 59:26

The "Hidden Outro" later appears as the main riff in the song "Running Joke", a b-side that appears on Era Vulgaris.

Bonus tracks

LP versions

The album had two LP pressing runs. The first pressing was released by AntAcidAudio and contains a different cover to the CD version. The sides are named Once, You, Were & Lost, after a line from "Someone's in the Wolf", with each containing a mixture of the CD's album and bonus tracks.

The second pressing is a reissue by Dutch record label Music On Vinyl, released on September 22, 2011. The reissue is different from the first pressing in that it does not have its sides named after the line from "Someone's in the Wolf," and it uses the cover art from the CD release. The reissue omitted bonus tracks "Infinity" and "Precious and Grace" from the track listing, and listed "Like A Drug" as the last track. Side four contains an etching of one of the album's artwork.[27]

AntAcidAudio track listing

Side one - Once
  1. "Lullaby" – 1:23
  2. "Medication" – 1:54
  3. "Everybody Knows That You're Insane" – 4:14
  4. "Tangled Up in Plaid" – 4:13
  5. "Burn the Witch" – 3:35
Side two - You
  1. "In My Head" – 4:01
  2. "Little Sister" – 2:54
  3. "I Never Came" – 4:48
  4. "Someone's in the Wolf" – 7:16
Side three - Were
  1. "Infinity" (new version, see above) – 3:59
  2. "The Blood Is Love" – 6:38
  3. "Like a Drug" – 3:18
  4. "Skin on Skin" – 3:43
Side four - Lost
  1. "Broken Box" – 3:00
  2. "Precious and Grace" – 3:24
  3. ""You Got a Killer Scene There, Man..."" – 4:58
  4. "Long Slow Goodbye" (contains the hidden track) – 6:54

Music On Vinyl track listing

Side one
  1. "This Lullaby"
  2. "Medication"
  3. "Everybody Knows That You Are Insane"
  4. "Tangled Up in Plaid"
  5. "Burn the Witch"
  6. "In My Head"
Side two
  1. "Little Sister"
  2. "I Never Came"
  3. "Someone's in the Wolf"
  4. "The Blood Is Love"
Side three
  1. "Skin on Skin"
  2. "Broken Box"
  3. ""You Got a Killer Scene There, Man...""
  4. "Long Slow Goodbye" (contains the hidden track)
  5. "Like a Drug"

Outtakes

Bonus DVD

  1. "The Way Finds You" – 27:20
  2. "Someone's in the Wolf" (Castillo, Homme, Van Leeuwen) – 7:24
  3. "Josh's Session" (starring Josh Homme and Sarah Silverman) – 10:24

Limited Tour Edition Bonus UK CD

Live from Earthlink in Atlanta, GA March 19, 2005.

  1. "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret" – 3:54
  2. "Little Sister" – 2:56
  3. "In My Head" – 3:56
  4. "No One Knows" – 6:48
  5. "Song for the Dead" – 6:24
  6. "Regular John" – 9:48

Most online retailers list the songs on the bonus CD as the March 19, 2005 show in Atlanta, but at least "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret" and "Regular John" are actually from the show in Washington, DC on March 27, 2005.

The final item on the song listing (located behind the CD in the normal version, or inside the booklet in the deluxe edition), below "Long Slow Goodbye" reads:

"The Fun Machine took a shit and died – Was lost or misplaced. (There is a reward for the return of said tapes)"

During that time, the band assumed that the tapes of that song were either lost or stolen. A live version of this song can be found on the DVD release Over the Years and Through the Woods. Homme commented, "The tapes got lost. Actually, they were just at another studio, but we falsely accused everyone in the world of theft."[28]

Personnel

As common for Queens of the Stone Age recordings, Lullabies does not feature one single line-up but rather a core group of Homme, Castillo and Van Leeuwen that would also form the tour line-up, as well as other contributors, mostly close friends to the band.

Band lineup

Guest appearances

Charting positions

Album

Year Chart Peak position
2005 US Billboard 200 5

Singles

Year Single Chart Peak position
2005 "Little Sister" US Hot 100 88
2005 "Little Sister" US Modern Rock 2
2005 "Little Sister" US Mainstream Rock 13
2005 "Little Sister" UK Singles Chart 13
2005 "In My Head" US Modern Rock 32
2005 "In My Head" UK Singles Chart 44
2005 "Burn the Witch" US Modern Rock 40

Certifications

Country Provider Certification
Australia ARIA Gold[29]
Canada Music Canada Gold[30]
United Kingdom BPI Gold[31]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Queens Of The Stone Age: Lullabies To Paralyze". NME.
  2. ↑ Long, Chris. "Queens Of The Stone Age Lullabies To Paralyze Review". BBC. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ QOTSA Discography
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "50 Still Attacking Chart". Rolling Stone. 2005-03-30. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  5. ↑ "QOTSA Rocks Hard, Fast On 'Era Vulgaris'". Billboard. 2005-03-15. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  6. ↑ "Queens Of The Stone Age Interview". Vertigo. Retrieved 2005-05-18. I also like that the title bridges this record and the last record in that it’s a lyric from “Mosquito Song”. (Homme)
  7. ↑ QOTSA Yahoo videos
  8. ↑ "Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan Leave Queens Of The Stone Age". VH1. 2004-02-12. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  9. ↑ "QOTSA's Homme Talks New LP, Motivations, Pirates: interview with Joshua Homme, April 13, 2007".
  10. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/music/lullabies-to-paralyze/queens-of-the-stone-age
  11. ↑ "Lullabies to Paralyze - Queens of the Stone Age". Allmusic.
  12. ↑ "Music Review: Lullabies to Paralyze, by Queens of the Stone Age". Entertainment Weekly. 2005-03-21.
  13. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze - Review". Stylus.
  14. ↑ http://uk.ign.com/articles/2005/03/31/queens-of-the-stone-age-lullabies-to-paralyze
  15. ↑ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2005-03-25. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  16. ↑ This is metal that swings, heavy with a deft touch. [24 Apr 2005]
  17. ↑ "Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze". Uncut.
  18. ↑ Simpson, Dave (2005-03-18). "CD: Queens of the Stone Age, Lullabies to Paralyze". London: The Guardian.
  19. ↑ "Queens of the Stone Age, Lullabies to Paralyze". The Guardian (London).
  20. ↑ Alternative Press (p. 130) - 5 out of 5 - "Led by Josh Homme, possessor of the classiest falsetto and most distinct guitar tone in rock, the Queens have done it again...".
  21. ↑ At times, the songs get bogged down in too much heavy instrumentation, but they are always saved by [Homme's] soothing, drawling vocals. [#9]
  22. ↑ "Lullabies To Paralyze by Queens Of The Stone Age". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
  23. ↑ "Best of 2005: The 30 best reviewed albums of the year". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
  24. ↑ "Fifty Years of Great Music: The Top 100 Albums of the 2000s". Justpressplay.net. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  25. ↑ "Fifty Years of Great Music: The Top 100 Songs of the 2000s". Justpressplay.net. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  26. ↑ "QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE , LULLABIES TO PARALYZE , Gold , Fri Apr 15 2005". British Phonographic Industry. 2005-04-15. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
  27. ↑ http://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/queens-of-the-stone-age/lullabies-to-paralyze
  28. ↑ Josh Homme, 09/2005 interview with RollingStone.com
  29. ↑ "Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Gold Platinum Database - Queens of the Stone Age". Music Canada. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Certified Awards Search" (TO ACCESS, ENTER THE SEARCH PARAMETER "QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE", SELECT "SEARCH BY ARTIST" AND CHECK THE "EXACT MATCH" CHECKBOX.). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 15, 2013.