Composition
"Over the Shoulder" has been described as an early example of electro-industrial,[3][4] as well as synth-pop[5] and synthrock.[2] On Twitch, it is the fifth track with a length of five minutes and thirteen seconds;[6] the single version is six minutes and forty-four seconds long.[7][2] Musically, the song contains multiple layers of looped synthesizer parts along with distinctive heavy drum machine pattern and Jourgensen's weak vocal appoarch; Billboard editors compared this approach with music of Scritti Politti and Bee Gees,[1][8][2] while Miami New Times' Jean Carey wrote that the song "sounds like a giant mosquito"[9][10] In a later review for the March 1986 issue of Spin Magazine, columnist John Leland praised Sherwood's work with Ministry's “typically banal ideas.”[11]
The single version of "Over the Shoulder" and "Isle of Man" were included as additional tracks on compact disc edition of Twitch in 1990;[12]:32 the song was also to be featured on a 2001 compilation album Greatest Fits, but was left off due to medium limitations.[13]
