2 + 2 = 5 (song)
# 2 + 2 = 5 (song)

"2 + 2 = 5" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead. It is the opening track to their sixth studio album Hail to the Thief (2003), and was also released as the album's third and final single. It reached number two on the Canadian Singles Chart, number 12 on the Italian Singles Chart, and number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. It was included in Radiohead: The Best Of (2008).

## Recording

"2 + 2 = 5" is a rock song that builds to a loud climax. It was recorded in 2002 at Ocean Way Recording studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with the producer Nigel Godrich. It was recorded as a studio test and finished in two hours.

## Title

The title is a reference to the slogan "two plus two equals five" from the 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. The song's alternative title, "The Lukewarm", references Dante's Inferno, in which the "lukewarm" are those in hell who did nothing wrong but did not oppose wrongdoing.

## Track listings

UK CD1 (CDR 6623)

* "2 + 2 = 5" – 3:21
* "Remyxomatosis" (Cristian Vogel RMX) – 5:07
* "There There" (first demo) – 7:43

UK CD2 (CDRS 6623)

* "2 + 2 = 5" – 3:21
* "Skttrbrain" (Four Tet remix) – 4:26
* "I Will" (Los Angeles version) – 2:14

UK DVD single (DVDR 6623)

* "2 + 2 = 5" – 3:21
* "Sit Down Stand Up" (Ed Holdsworth's video)
* "The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time" (excerpt)

## Charts

| Chart (2003–2004) | Peak position |
| - | - |
| Australia (ARIA) | 54 |
| Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) | 2 |
| France (SNEP) | 64 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 36 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 12 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 99 |
| Scotland (OCC) | 26 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 15 |

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| United Kingdom | 17 November 2003 (2003-11-17) | CDDVD | Parlophone | |
| Australia | 24 November 2003 (2003-11-24) | CD | Parlophone | |
