Tymps (the Sick in the Head Song)

Album: Extraordinary Machine (2005)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Tymps" in this case is short for "timpani," which are kettle drums. Fiona wrote the song on a portable Yamaha electric keyboard she had at home, which is something she rarely does, since most of her writing is on a piano. The song had a timpani sound, which is how it got the title.

    Brian Kehew, who co-produced the Extraordinary Machine album, told Songfacts: "It was a temporary title for it called 'Tymps,' because that's how we referenced the song. Then it eventually got subtitled 'Sick in the Head,' because that was one of the funny lyrics in it. But she wrote it that way and it inspired her to create something different than she might have done on the piano."
  • In this song, Fiona looks back on some poor decisions she made regarding a love interest, and wonders if it was love or insanity that was responsible for her actions. Like she did on another track from the album - "Red Red Red" - she sings in colors on this one: "The red isn't the red we painted, it's just rust."
  • The Extraordinary Machine album was leaked on the internet months before its official release. "Tymps" did not appear on the leaked version.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.