Signals Over the Air

"Signals Over the Air" is a song by American rock band Thursday. It was released on August 12, 2003 as the second single from the band's second studio album War All the Time. It became the band's biggest hit in the United States, reaching No. 30 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, as well as in the United Kingdom, where it placed at No. 62 on the UK Singles Chart.

Vocalist Geoff Rickly wrote the song about "trying to find [his] own sexual identity" and being uncomfortable with masculinity.

Background
Rickly said that the "angles" in the song's guitars were indebted to the album Entertainment! by British band Gang of Four.

During an interview at 2004's Warped Tour, Rickly explained that the song was "about a lot of gender-related things, but especially sort of trying to come to terms with sexuality as not being a terrible thing, and trying to find my own sexual identity... I've never really felt comfortable being a man. I’ve never felt any kind of affinity with male culture." He expressed confusion towards The Man Show and admitted to enjoying the song "Man Size" by PJ Harvey.

In an interview with New Jersey-based rock publication The Aquarian, Rickly also said about the song, "I think that love and sexuality should be together as something really sacred and special. Not how sexuality is just thrown out there as something really commercial and how it’s been made a commodity. Like having sex with someone without knowing who they are or what their life is like and who they have been with."

At a 2024 performance, Rickly dedicated the song to "the human rights of every single person, for reproductive healthcare and reproductive justice for every single person and for the right of every single person to identify with whatever sex, sexuality, gender you see fit."

Release
"Signals Over the Air" was released to radio on August 12, 2003 as the lead radio single and second physical single. According to Rickly, "That was as easy choice for me as a first single. I really like the idea of a song about the exploitation of sexuality being on major media outlets like radio and television. It’s an exploration of how dark sexuality has been made by those forces. It may not be as interesting as 'This Is Radio Clash', but having radio and TV play something that deals with issues of because of radio and TV is something I’m really proud of."