Twisted is a 1952 jazz vocalese tune - with lyrics by Annie Ross - set to Wardell Gray's 1949 tenor sax solo. The story-telling lyrics describe the narrator’s supposed insanity and poke fun at psychoanalysis. It began as an instrumental by Wardell Gray, and Ross wrote the lyrics the day after meeting Prestige Records boss Bob Weinstock, helping launch the vocalese style. The song was released in 1952 and later appeared on the album King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings - it became an underground hit and earned DownBeat’s New Star award. A notable 1960 version with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross appears on The Hottest New Group in Jazz, described as lighter and more playful. Twisted has been widely covered, including Joni Mitchell on Court and Spark (1974) and Bette Midler on her 1973 self-titled album, and it has appeared in Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry (1997).
