"The Judge" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on their fourth studio album Blurryface in May 2015. It was written by Tyler Joseph and produced by Mike Crossey.
Background
On their fourth studio album Blurryface, lead vocalist Tyler Joseph explored various lyrical and musical styles throughout several of its songs. "The Judge" was one of the softer moments in the album and features repetitive lyrics that are driven by a narrative.
Drawing inspiration from the use of ukulele, "The Judge" is the first track to introduce Joseph's usage of the instrument into the framework of Blurryface. It is a tender sing-along that stands in contrast with the album's darker themes as one of the most sonically radio-friendly songs.
Recording
"The Judge" was produced by Mike Crossey and recorded at Livingston Studios in London, United Kingdom. The track was then mixed at The Casita in Hollywood, California and mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City. It is built on Joseph lightly strumming his ukulele before additional instruments are incorporated into the arrangement. The band opted to eschew synthesized sounds in favor of the acoustic instruments such as piano and guitar in addition to vocals and marimba.
Composition
"The Judge" is a pop song that lasts for a duration of four minutes and fifty-eight seconds. It is a summery sing along with an island flavor that is based on ukulele folk and enduring emo. The track features acoustic guitar and piano, marimba tones, soulful singing, rapping and multiple changes in time signature. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc, the song is written in the time signature of common time, with a tempo of 80 beats per minute. "The Judge" is composed in the key of A Minor while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans two octaves, from the low-note of D3 to the high-note D5. The song has a basic sequence of Am–F–C–Dm–Am–F–C in the introduction and verses, changes to Em–B–Am–G during its pre-chorus, and follows F–C–G–Am–F–G–C–Am–F at the refrain as its chord progression.
The musical arrangement begins with an introduction, opening with ukulele strums and a cooing vocal refrain, "Na na na na, oh oh." Throughout the song, the ukulele-driven track gradually builds up and takes on more musical layers. At the chorus, percussive piano keys create buoyant piano pop while Joseph recites a hook. Joseph rises to the falsetto range as he blissfully sings the emotive chorus, asking, "You're the judge, oh no, set me free." Towards its end, a piano solo takes lead before all of the instruments come together in a conclusion.
Lyrically, "The Judge" finds Joseph struggling with his inner demons and examining his psyche. He blithely communicates despair, exuding feelings of fear and anxiety. The repetitive yet catchy lyrics appear as a stream of consciousness. They convey thoughts pertaining to situations in life and over thinking about writing the song itself. Joseph confesses, "I don't know if this song is a surrender or a revel/I don't know if this song is about me or the devil." While his storytelling lyrics are personal in nature, they also inspire equality.