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Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released on 9 June 2003, by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. Following Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), which incorporated jazz, classical and electronic music influences, Hail to the Thief combines alternative rock instrumentation with drum machines, synthesisers, and digital manipulation.

Hail to the Thief was produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. To avoid the protracted recording sessions of previous albums, Radiohead recorded Hail to the Thief quickly and focused on recording live takes rather than overdubs. Songwriter Thom Yorke wrote many of the album's lyrics in response to the War on Terror and the resurgence of right-wing politics in the west at the turn of the millennium.

Despite a high-profile internet leak ten weeks before release, Hail to the Thief debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, and was certified platinum in the UK, US and Canada. It produced three charting singles: "There There", "Go to Sleep" and "2 + 2 = 5". The album received positive reviews and was the fifth consecutive Radiohead album to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. It was the last album released under Radiohead's record contract with EMI. – Wiki

“Radiohead's Hail To the Thief is a product of its moment: recorded in late 2002, during the American and British governments' slow, inevitable march to Iraq, of which lead singer Thom Yorke was an outspoken opponent. Hail is filled with images of monstrous, Orwellian force from which there is no escape. On "Sit down. Stand up," Yorke assumes the voice of Big Brother, giving rote, meaningless orders — "Sit down/Stand up" — over and over. With equal parts whine and sneer, he says, "We can wipe you out anytime." Radiohead have always been paranoid and pessimistic, but thanks to recent history, people who used to seem paranoid now seem prudent.” – Rolling Stone

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