Touch-Tone Telephone
| "Touch-Tone Telephone" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Lemon Demon | |
| from the album Spirit Phone | |
| Released | February 29, 2016 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:42 |
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Cicierega |
| Producer(s) | Neil Cicierega |
| Audio | |
| "Touch-Tone Telephone" on YouTube | |
"Touch-Tone Telephone" is a song by American pop band Lemon Demon, a musical project created by American musician Neil Cicierega. It was released on February 29, 2016, as the second track of Lemon Demon's seventh studio album, Spirit Phone.
Background[edit]
In 2009, Cicierega produced a demo titled "Ivanushka", based on the plot of the film Jack Frost. This demo would later be adapted into "Touch-Tone Telephone".[2] Following four years of development, 11 previews of songs intended for Spirit Phone were showcased in 2012, with "Touch-Tone Telephone" featured as the unnamed penultimate song.[3] The song would release on Spirit Phone on February 29, 2016.[4] In Spirit Phone's 2018 commentary, Cicierega states that the song's perspective is from "a dedicated caller into a radio show who has it all figured out", calling it a "big rant of preemptive defensiveness and saying you're going to do something without ever doing it".[2]
Composition[edit]
"Touch-Tone Telephone" is an uptempo new wave song. It instrumentally features strings,[4] bass, drums, synth, and keytar, with the Collegian describing its "whimsical sound" as reminiscent of Lemon Demon's fourth studio album, Damn Skippy (2005).[5] The song's hook contains embellishments of piano and violin underneath Cicierega singing the song's title,[1] with the bridge using a phone ringing sound effect to set up a crescendo into the final chorus. Following the lyrical end of the song, "Touch-Tone Telephone" closes with a minute of experimental synthesizers, described by the Vector as "melting into space".[4] Cicierega composed this portion to decompress the song and create a soundscape that transitions into "Cabinet Man".[2]
Music video[edit]
An unofficial music video for "Touch-Tone Telephone" directed by Chris Spargo was released on October 30, 2020. The video stars Tom Wohlfahrt, who dances and acts out the song's lyrics in a room with an evidence board, a push-button telephone, and a projector. After the creation of the video's concept, filming took four days and production took three weeks, with its close release date to Halloween matching the paranormal themes of Spirit Phone.[6]
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Oxford International Film Festival | Best Music Video | "Touch-Tone Telephone" | Won | [7] |
| Birmingham Film Festival | Nominated | [8] | |||
| Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival | Nominated |
Reception[edit]
Mashable included "Touch-Tone Telephone" on their 2019 Halloween playlist, calling the song one of many "real gems".[9] It additionally received inclusion on McDonald's "Grimace's Birthday Playlist".[10] "Touch-Tone Telephone" has amassed over 100 million streams across Spotify and YouTube, making it Lemon Demon's biggest song.[4]
Personnel[edit]
- Neil Cicierega – vocals, instruments, programming, engineering, production
- Mark Kramer – remastering (Needlejuice pressings 2018-2021)
- Angel Marcloid – remastering (Needlejuice pressings 2022–)
- Ming Doyle – cover artwork
References[edit]
- ^ a b Fantano, Anthony (March 10, 2016). "Lemon Demon - Spirit Phone". The Needle Drop. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c Spirit Phone (Media notes). Lemon Demon. Needlejuice Records. 2018.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Cicierega, Neil (April 3, 2012). "It's over 5 minutes of cool excerpts from 11 various songs I have been working on". Tumblr. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Dimaya, Aaron (November 5, 2023). "A Spectacular Halloween Album If You Still Want to Stay Spooky". The Vector. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ The Collegian (March 7, 2016). ""Spirit Phone" shows Lemon Demon's growth". The Collegian. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ Spargo, Chris (February 9, 2021). "Touch Tone Telephone - Behind The Scenes". YouTube. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Jake (March 30, 2021). "Oxford Film Festival names 2021 winners". Oxford Eagle. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "Chris Spargo". 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ Houghtaling, Ellie (October 11, 2019). "Here's a Halloween playlist for all your spooky music needs". Mashable. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ Varvaris, Mary (July 7, 2023). "Lorna Shore & Cannibal Corpse Feature On McDonald's 'Grimace's Birthday' Spotify Playlist". The Music. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
External links[edit]
- Lemon Demon official website
- Spirit Phone on the Lemon Demon Bandcamp
- Spirit Phone on the Needlejuice Records Bandcamp