"Crystal Ball" was composed by Tim Rice-Oxley in 2006. It was recorded at the Helioscentric Studios, East Sussex and at the Magic Shop, New York City. Guitar effects are created by a distorted Yamaha CP70 .
Information about song's meaning
Musical structure
Similarly to other Keane songs such as "Somewhere Only We Know", the song follows a quaver-note driven sound. Several effects, like the aforementioned distortion piano and strings, are added through the song. The fading-in intro is often referred as a continuation to "The Iron Sea", and represented as an immediate returning to surface of the "Iron Sea". Vocals are introduced at 19 seconds and continue until fading on 3:04. The demo version included on the bonus DVD of the album would reprise the intro riff before the finale.
It was recorded at the Magic Shop Studios in New York City. It was first known by a shot on the Under the Iron Sea DVD, as well as in the June issue of the Q Magazine. It is rumoured amongst the band's fanbase that this song may have been composed by Chaplin as a response to Rice-Oxley's "Hamburg Song" and "Broken Toy". In May 2015, Chaplin tweeted that it was Rice-Oxley that wrote the song.
The Iron Sea: Magic Shop Version
This version, recorded at The Magic Shop, New York City, features drums that were not present in the album version. The recording is also extended and features an immediate intro.
Music video
The music video for "Crystal Ball" was released by NME on 4 August 2006 and features the American actor Giovanni Ribisi. The director was Giuseppe Capotondi. It is about an estate agent losing his identity. A woman is helping her husband and young son get ready to leave the house. He then gets into his car and drives off with his son. The man gets to his office and warmly interacts with a secretary. He shows off a house to a couple, implying that he is a real estate agent, and working in the office. When the real estate agent returns to his house, he finds a red car parked outside. His keys do not work, so he knocks on the door and rings the bell. His wife partially opens the door and looks surprised. A man appears behind the wife and the agent speaks with a look of disbelief and the wife shuts the door. The agent looks in house and frightens the son. The agent explains the situation to a police officer as the man and his wife talk to another officer. The agent is ushered away and drives away in his car. After making phone calls and wandering around, the man wakes up in his car in the parking lot of his office. He walks into the office and finds the man sitting at his desk. He begins to argue with him and stops when he sees that the photographs on his desk now show the other man with his family. When the man is thrown out of the building, someone runs toward his car. He runs to the car claiming that the car belongs to him, but the person drives the car away, leaving the man confused and defeated. The story is intercut with footage of the band playing together in a room. The video was also recycled for the US release video for the single "Nothing in My Way", albeit with the band footage removed and subtitles added. At around the time of this single release it was announced that Tom Chaplin had gone into rehab for 'drug and alcohol addiction'. It is noticeable that the original video does not feature any close up shots of Chaplin, but several of Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes, though it is unknown whether this is deliberate.
Cover art
The cover art designed by is also found in the inner pages of the Under the Iron Sea DVD. The CD box is similar to the one containing "Is It Any Wonder?", made out of recycled materials.
