The Denial Twist Explained

The Denial Twist
Cover:TheDenialTwist.jpg
Type:single
Artist:the White Stripes
Album:Get Behind Me Satan
B-Side:"Shelter of Your Arms", "As Ugly as I Seem"
Recorded:March 2005[1]
Studio:Third Man (Detroit, Michigan)[2]
Length:2:35
Label:V2, XL
Producer:Jack White
Prev Title:My Doorbell
Prev Year:2005
Next Title:Icky Thump
Next Year:2007

"The Denial Twist" is the third single released from American alternative rock band the White Stripes' fifth studio album, Get Behind Me Satan (2005).

Music video

The music video for "The Denial Twist" was directed by Michel Gondry. Like some of his previous work (namely The Chemical Brothers' "Let Forever Be" and Kylie Minogue's "Come Into My World"), the video features a spectacular array of visual effects as it follows The White Stripes from a talk show performance to a late night drive back to an apartment. As the camera pans in a circle, Jack and Meg appear distorted. This refers to the lyric of the song; that what people think is true is often shaped by the context in which information is presented to them and their willingness to be deceived—even by themselves—as various aspects of the video radically shift in perspective, size, proportion and believability. The choice of Late Night with Conan O'Brien as a setting for the video, aside from the band's personal association, is due to the lesser known fact that, like many film and TV sets, the Late Night stage looks much larger on television than it actually is.

The optical illusion used in the video is the technique of forced perspective, through an Ames room and distortions derived from it.

The creators of the distorted props, Jeff Everett and John Furgason, won a Music Video Production Association Award for Art Direction in 2006.[3]

Conan O'Brien makes a cameo appearance in the video; The White Stripes had been a week-long musical guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien when they were promoting Elephant. The square-headed O'Brien doll in the video was a reference to a similar one given to the comedian at the end of their week-long stay on the show. The plaster blow-up was actually created by Gondry.

This is Gondry's fourth video with The White Stripes, after "Fell in Love with a Girl", "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" and "The Hardest Button to Button". The video can be found on the DVD compilation

The song is also the final 3-inch record made for the triple inchophone. However, it was never on general sale and only Jack himself had them to give out to fans, friends and family. These 3-inch records are extremely rare and very few have ever come up for sale on eBay.

Track listings

  1. "The Denial Twist"
  2. "Shelter of Your Arms" (the Greenhornes cover)
  1. "The Denial Twist" (live on KCRW)
  2. "As Ugly as I Seem" (live on KCRW)

Personnel

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
AustraliaOctober 31, 2005CDXL[7]
United StatesNovember 7, 2005Triple A radioV2[8]
United KingdomNovember 14, 2005CDXL[9]
United StatesNovember 21, 2005Alternative radioV2[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hilburn . Robert . Little White Truths . . March 2, 2024 . June 5, 2005.
  2. Web site: White Stripes Dancing with the Devil? We'll Find Out June 7. https://web.archive.org/web/20230920194423/https://www.mtv.com/news/wd3q88/white-stripes-dancing-with-the-devil-well-find-out-june-7#:~:text=Get%20Behind%20Me%20Satan%20was,unknown%20which%20song%20that%20is.. dead. September 20, 2023. Perez. Rodrigo. MTV. April 12, 2005. October 12, 2023.
  3. Web site: White Stripes ·· The Denial Twist. Director-file.com . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081016053939/http://www.director-file.com/gondry/stripes4.html. October 16, 2008. January 9, 2009.
  4. The Denial Twist. The White Stripes. 2005. UK CD single liner notes. XL Recordings. XLS 223CD.
  5. The Denial Twist. The White Stripes. 2005. UK 7-inch single sleeve. XL Recordings. XLS 223A.
  6. The Denial Twist. The White Stripes. 2005. UK 7-inch single sleeve. XL Recordings. XLS 223B.
  7. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 31st October 2005. ARIA. 28. October 31, 2005. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20051119130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20051120-0000/issue818.pdf. November 19, 2005. May 24, 2021.
  8. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1631. 22. November 4, 2005. May 24, 2021.
  9. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 37. November 12, 2005.
  10. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1633. 23. November 18, 2005. May 24, 2021.