"You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)" is a song by American musician Will Wood. It appears as the tenth song on his fourth studio album "In case I make it," (2022), released through the Say-10 record label as the fourth single on June 10, 2022. The track is spoken word and features Bev Standing reading buzzwords and phrases prevalent in social media. It is instrumentally backed by dark piano and electronic noise, with its corresponding music video showcasing avant-garde 3D imagery.
| "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)" | ||||
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| Single by Will Wood | ||||
| from the album "In case I make it," | ||||
| Released | June 10, 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:11 | |||
| Label | Say-10 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Will Wood | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Will Wood singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editIn 2021, Will Wood took inspiration from Radiohead's song "Fitter Happier" from the album OK Computer (1997) to create a black comedy dystopian monologue, focused on the capability of artificial intelligence to build user profiles and its technique of manipulating consumers. He then sent this to Bev Standing, whose voice was allegedly non-consensually used as a text-to-speech voice by TikTok until she sued the company in the same year. She accepted Wood's script, reading it multiple times to be edited together.[3] Standing later stated, "It is very thought-provoking and I was thrilled to be asked to be part of the process."[4] In tribute to his inspiration, Wood directly included the song's origin album as part of the title in parentheses.[4]
Following the single "Cicada Days" in May 2022, Wood began teasing the release of the new song on YouTube. With the announcement, he expressed hatred for social media and its ability to "destabilize and manipulate users", worsening the mental health of modern youth.[5] Wood picked the song as a single for the reason of wanting to create a video around it, holding the goal of artistic gratification over generating advertising revenue or selling copies of the album.[6] The single was published on June 10.[3] On "In case I make it," (2022), it appears as the tenth song, which is followed by "The Main Character" as a thematic successor.[1]
Composition
edit"You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)" begins with Standing narrating with predatory corporate language and buzzwords. This is backed with electronic noises that mirror Radiohead's styling from OK Computer (1997).[7] Shortly into the song, Wood introduces piano with an uneasy composition, described by Jessica Young of Voice Magazine to be reminiscent of music from Tim Burton's films.[5] The track and vocal performance continue to develop in intensity, accompanied by the sound of smartphone notifications and various samples.[4] The piano additionally becomes more dramatic and somber as it progresses.[2][8] "You liked this" is intermittently repeated as a phrase throughout the song and additionally closes it, taking the standpoint of corporations and victim blaming the user for agreeing to their terms of service.[4] Joe Hoeffner of Two Story Melody described the track as a TikTok-era version of Radiohead's song "Fitter, Happier".[6]
Music video
editA music video co-directed by Will Wood and Jim Horvath, with 3D animation by the latter, was released for "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)" on June 10, 2022.[3] Standing's voice is represented by a wired mannequin head with screens, who begins speaking over sheep jumping across a fence. The sheep are then transported through a factory guarded by robots, where machines cut each open to reveal comedy and tragedy masks. Their severed parts are used to create thought bubbles containing the sheep jumping across a fence, which is later absorbed into mouse food. The mouse is the pet of a smoking anthropomorphic lizard that lives on the moon, revealing that Earth is on fire with the phrase "Wake Up Sheeple!" appearing on a billboard.[4]
The video was written by Wood and Horvath as a story, contrasting Wood's prior live performance music videos. Wood took inspiration from the music videos of Tool and Radiohead while writing for "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)",[9] describing the process as "invoking themes and ideas in classic dystopian works... while also maintaining some tongue-in-cheek humor to match the bleak but ridiculous lyrics".[4]
Personnel
edit- Bev Standing – vocals
- Will Wood – instruments, production
- Kevin Antreassian – mixing, mastering
References
edit- ^ a b Hsu, Caitlin (August 10, 2022). "ALBUM REVIEW: Will Wood's "in case I make it," will make you cry, dance, and maybe finally go to therapy". SwitchBitch Magazine. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Vine, Paul (July 20, 2022). "Will Wood presents: "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)". Plastic Magazine. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c Torrison, Suzanne (June 10, 2022). "Will Wood Team Up With The Voice Of TikTok For Dark Social Media Satire "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)"". Behind the Curtains Media. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Rogers, Kieran (June 16, 2022). "Unwrapped: Will Wood - You Liked This (Okay, Computer)". Clout. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Young, Jessica (May 25, 2022). "Music Review—You Liked This (Okay Computer!)". Voice Magazine. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Hoeffner, Joe (July 14, 2022). "Will Wood on "White Noise," Decisions on Singles, and Empty Celebrations". Two Story Melody. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Graeme (June 10, 2022). "Video: Will Wood – You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)". York Calling. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Joshua (July 22, 2022). "Interview: Will Wood On His Newest Album, "In Case I Make It,"". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Gonda, Christopher (June 10, 2022). "Behind the Video: Will Wood Discusses His Unique Perspective on Music Videos". V13 Media. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.