Twisted (Annie Ross song)

"Twisted" is a 1952 vocalese song with lyrics by Annie Ross, set to a tenor saxophone solo of the same name by Wardell Gray that was recorded in 1949. It has been covered by Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, and many others.

"Twisted" is a whimsical account of the protagonist's insanity that satirises psychoanalysis. In 1952, Ross met Prestige Records owner , who asked her to write lyrics to a jazz solo, in a similar way to King Pleasure, a practice that would later be known as vocalese. The next day, she presented him with "Twisted", a treatment of saxophonist Wardell Gray's 1949 composition of the same name, a classic example of the genre. She later said of the inspiration for the song:

The title was infinite possibilities. You could marry anything to it and it was the name signified, "Twisted." And it just occurred to me that it would be good as a kind of song about an analyst.

The song, first released on the 1952 album King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings, was an underground hit, and resulted in her winning Down Beat's New Star award. Ross released a second version with the vocalese trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross on their 1960 self-titled album, also known as The Hottest New Group In Jazz; Gramophone described that recording as "more lighthearted, perhaps a little more individual" than Ross' first release of the song.

"Twisted" has been covered by many groups and artists, including the following recordings:

The song was part of the live repertoire of The New Journeymen, before it evolved into The Mamas & the Papas.

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