Jump to content

Headlock (song)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Headlock"
Single by Imogen Heap
from the album Speak for Yourself
B-side"Mic Check"
Released2 October 2006
Recorded2004
GenreElectropop
Length
  • 3:36 (album version)
  • 3:13 (Immi's Radio Mix)
LabelWhite Rabbit
Songwriter(s)Imogen Heap
Producer(s)Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap singles chronology
"Goodnight and Go"
(2006) 		"Headlock"
(2006) 		"Not Now But Soon"
(2008)
Music video
"Headlock" on YouTube

"Headlock" is a song by English singer-songwriter Imogen Heap as a third single from her second studio album, Speak for Yourself (2005). It followed "Hide and Seek" and "Goodnight and Go".

The single initially debuted at number 74 on the UK Singles Chart in 2006, and, in 2025, peaked at number 30 on the chart and became her first song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 after it went viral on TikTok due to its association with the video game Mouthwashing.

Release and composition

[edit]

After appearing on Imogen Heap's second studio album Speak for Yourself, which was independently released by her in July 2005, "Headlock" was released as a single on 16 October 2006 through White Rabbit, a sublabel of Sony BMG run by Nick Raphael that later merged into Epic Records UK in 2007.[1] The single included a radio edit of the song, while its B-side is a remix of the song by High Contrast.[2]

Heap wrote and produced "Headlock". It is a rhythmic[3] electropop[4] song that runs for slightly over three minutes. Heap sings with a "breathy" vocal over synthesizers, harp, and drums, and the song builds up to what Nick Hyman of Under the Radar described as a "boisterous synth beat explosion".[2]

Critical and commercial performance

[edit]

David Renshaw of Gigwise gave "Headlock" four out of five stars, writing that it was "a fantastically quirky pop song" and praising it for its "twists, turns and slides".[2] In a review of Speak for Yourself for Under the Radar, Nick Hyman wrote that "Headlock" "sets the tone fantastically" for the album.[5]

"Headlock" debuted at number 74 on the UK Singles Chart for the week dated 22 October 2006.[6][7] Upon its release, Heap requested to have it added to BBC Radio 1's rotation, but was told by the station that, since they already had Nerina Pallot on their playlist, they did not need another female singer-songwriter.[8] The song charted at number 50 on the UK Independent Singles on 8 November 2024,[9][10][better source needed] and at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2025.[11]

Other appearances

[edit]

"Headlock" was sampled on ASAP Rocky's song "Angels" from his 2013 studio album Long. Live. ASAP.[4]

Track listings

[edit]

CD single and 7" vinyl

  1. Headlock (Immi's radio mix) – 3:13
  2. Mic Check – 4:35

Promo vinyl & CD

  1. Headlock (Immi's radio edit) – 3:16
  2. Headlock (High Contrast remix) (edit) – 3:25

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "Headlock"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sony BMG U.K. relaunches Epic". The Hollywood Reporter. London: Associated Press. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Renshaw, David (2 October 2006). "Imogen Heap - 'Headlock'". Gigwise. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  3. ^ Luerssen, John D. "Speak for Yourself - Imogen Heap". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b Rindner, Grant; Price, Joe (19 April 2018). "A Breakdown of A$AP Rocky's Most Surprising Samples". Complex. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  5. ^ Hyman, Nick. "Imogen Heap: Speak for Yourself". Under the Radar. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  7. ^ Dredge, Stuart (4 March 2025). "TikTok and Mouthwashing send Imogen Heap's 'Headlock' back into the charts". Music Ally. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  8. ^ Williams, Andrew (23 October 2006). "60 Seconds: Imogen Heap". Metro. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  9. ^ Denis, Kyle; Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (30 October 2024). "Tyler, the Creator Catalog Rises in Anticipation of 'Chromakopia' Album, 'St. Chroma' Has Biggest First-Day Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Imogen Heap - Headlock". Official Charts. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  11. ^ Spanos, Brittany (22 January 2025). "Imogen Heap Charts on Hot 100 With 2005's 'Headlock' Thanks to TikTok". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Imogen Heap Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  13. ^ "Imogen Heap Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
  14. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  15. ^ "2025 10-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 7 March 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  16. ^ "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Weekly Chart: Feb 6, 2025". TopHit. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  17. ^ "Singel 2025 uke 14". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 9" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  21. ^ "Imogen Heap Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  22. ^ "Imogen Heap Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  23. ^ "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Monthly Chart: February 2025". TopHit. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  24. ^ "British single certifications – Imogen Heap – Headlock". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Headlock_(song)&oldid=1293858363"