Paranoimia is a song by the English avant-garde synth-pop group Art of Noise, released in April 1986 by China Records from their second studio album, In Visible Silence (1986).

A better-known version was released as a single, featuring the fictional character Max Headroom (played by the American-Canadian actor Matt Frewer) on vocals.

This version was first included on the 1986 album Re-Works of Art of Noise.

This is a remix and rewrite of my earlier interpretation of the song.

• [Intro, Spoken word, Quiet arrangement, Tape hiss, Distant ticking]

• (Whispered) Relax

• You’re quite safe here

• [Harmonic surprise]

• (Whispered) Aren’t you?

• [Verse 1, Theatrical spoken vocals, Upright bass, Crooked swing drums]

• Am I dreaming?

• No

• Where am I?

• In bed!

• Well, what am I doing?

• Oh, tal-tal-talking to myself

• There’s a little gold star on my door

• Or better still

• A door-a doo-a door

• A door inside a door

• Inside a door

• Inside a…

• [Glitch cut]

• Ah!

• Swing doors up

• Okay, swing doors

• Swing

• [Pre-Chorus, Rising brass, Stuttering synth]

• Left door

• Right door

• Wrong floor

• Night door

• More doors than I ever saw before!

• Swing

• Swing

• Swing

• [Chorus, Electro swing drop, Stacked vocals, Heavy synth bass]

• Paranoimia

• Paranoimia

• Every shadow knows my name

• Paranoimia

• Paranoimia

• Someone rearranged my brain

• Paranoimia

• Paranoimia

• Swing the room from side to side

• If I’m sleeping

• Who’s awake inside?

• [Break, Tape stop]

• (Spoken) Swing

• [Verse 2, Dark synthpop pulse, Spoken vocals]

• Now I know I’m dreaming

• Dreaming, dreaming

• Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming

• Hmm

• How do I get to sleep?

• I know

• I’ll count

• Those bars on the window

• One

• Two

• Three

• [Silence]

• Sleep

• [Glitch Interlude, Chopped whispers, Clock percussion]

• (Sleep)

• (Sleep)

• (Sleep)

• Wake

• (Sleep)

• Wake

• (Sleep)

• Don’t look at the clock

• [Chorus, Bigger drums, Brass stabs, Call and response]

• Paranoimia

• (Paranoimia)

• Paranoimia

• (Paranoimia)

• Close my eyes

• The ceiling grins

• Paranoimia

• (Paranoimia)

• Paranoimia

• (Paranoimia)

• Count to three

• It starts again

• [Verse 3, Minimal bass, Dry spoken vocal]

• How do I get?

• How do I get to sleep?

• Please let me sleep!

• Poetry

• That’ll work

• [Quiet arrangement]

• Come, sweet slumber

• Enshroud me in thy purple cloak

• And park thy moon

• Upon my…

• Hmm

• Doesn’t even rhyme

• [Harmonic surprise, Tiny electronic chime]

• Is my Tea made?

• [Build, Increasingly frantic vocal layers]

• No

• No, no

• Not tea

• Not now

• Not here

• Not in this particular dimension

• [Drop, Glitch swing, Distorted brass, Heavy bass]

• Paranoimia

• Paranoi…

• [Hard cut]

• I can’t stand tea

• [Hook, Rhythmic vocal chopping]

• Tea

• Tea

• Tea

• Tea

• Tea on the ceiling

• Tea in the walls

• Tea in the telephone

• Taking my calls

• Tea in the keyhole

• Tea under me

• One lump

• Two lumps

• Three lumps

• [Silence]

• Sleep

• [Final Chorus, Full electro-swing orchestra, Dark synth bass, Stacked vocals]

• Paranoimia

• Paranoimia

• Every shadow knows my name

• Paranoimia

• Paranoimia

• Someone rearranged my brain

• Swing doors

• Dream doors

• Doors that multiply

• Count the bars

• Count the stars

• Count the reasons why

• Paranoimia

• Paranoimia

• Turn my dreams inside out

• Paranoimia

• Paranoimia

• That’s what sleep is all about

• [Outro, Decaying upright bass, Tape wobble]

• (Whispered) Relax

• You’re quite safe here

• [Clock stops]

• (Spoken) Tea?

• [End]