Released on May 26, 2003 as the first single from Hail to the Thief, “There There” describes the human struggle against the evil forces of temptation that vie to lead us astray.

The song is marked by the heavy use of tom-tom drums throughout – played by both Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien, in addition to Phil Selway – and murky, reverb-laden guitars. Over the course of a relatively long 5 minutes, the track builds to a loud crescendo topped with a distorted guitar riff. The beat and intensity of the song have made it a crowd favorite at the band’s live performances. By the time it was finished, Thom felt it was the best thing they’ve ever recorded.

An alternative title to the track is “The Boney King of Nowhere.”

The track recieved a mention in Tommy Orange’s namesake 2018 novel “There There” to portray character Dene Oxendene’s lack of trust for his own thoughts in Chapter 2, representing the Native American loss of identity. The book was not named after this track, however, but after a quote by Gertrude Stein instead.