Background: This song was written during a period of intense touring. The band was getting exhausted and unhappy because they would go to some interesting place they'd never been before, but have no time to experience it before moving on. This finally got to Thom Yorke when they were in Germany and he was in a dark mood, so he called a friend - Michael Stipe from REM - who advised him to lock himself in his hotel room, close the blinds, and chant a mantra of "I am not here, this is not happening." This was also during a time when the band was taking their song titles from oddball books they found for sale, and the one called How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found seemed to fit the song.
The tour also included them headlining Glastonbury, a moment that is considered a high point for many bands' careers, but in which their monitors did not work. They could not hear a thing, and despite playing a lauded set, had no idea how they were doing. Thom Yorke nearly walked off-stage because of the anxiety he was fighting, but was convinced to stay and finish the set.
Wasn't it also around the time the media was questioning Thom's well being. After Kurt Cobain's death and the disappearance of Richey Edwards. People began to think he'd be next. It's kinda messed up. Having your personal mental health constantly in question by the mass media, because of two tragic losses. It'd be enough to make anyone become more isolated.
I remember buying this album the day it came out, opening the cd and putting it in my car stereo, rolled a joint in the parking lot, lit it and hit the back roads. My intentions were to listen to whole album all the way through. When it got to this song, I found myself crying almost uncontrollably. I pulled off the road, ironically, into an old country cemetery and played this song over and over for an hour. It is still to this day my favorite Radiohead song.
I just bought it from a record store and had been in a trance since my boyfriend and I broke up and this just wiped me out. I remember staining the pillows with tears. Sometimes music breaks you apart and puts you back together at the same time.
Similar experience for me. I slipped on grabbing this album until Amnesiac dropped, at which point I bought both together. Put Kid A on with the usual plan to give the entire thing a careful listen all the way through before returning to tracks that hooked me, but I broke down so intensely the first time I heard this, my heaving sobs kept knocking my headphones off my ears, so I had to stop the CD. It took me probably 15 minutes to compose myself. Then I played just this song on repeat for another hour or so before I even moved on to the (brilliance of) the rest of the album. I'm not sure it's my favorite Radiohead song, but it's absolutely top three. I still can't listen to it without crying. Sometimes I think I've made it through unscathed, and then Johnny Greenwood's string arrangement at the end there does that lilting drop and it's game over.
hang in there. there's always bad bits but there's loads of good too. hang about with positive busy people . get fit as a fiddle. you'll be ace. I mean it.
This song is seriously something else. For me personally, it’s one of the most emotion evoking and moving pieces of music. I almost can’t even listen to it on days when I’m feeling bad but I know it’s almost a catharsis and if I sit through it and let it take over me I will come out better after.
Exactly the same here, I remember coming across this song first when I was in a pretty rough patch with my life and my god, hearing that final part where Thom harmonises would just emotionally destroy me, it’s incredibly powerful just how the strings grow more distorted before washing over you like an wave as it just leaves you with this absolutely crushing feeling yet at the same time is also amazing in how it feels like lifting off this heavy weight on your chest leaving you in this state of peace and calm.
That’s it. Radiohead’s “How To Disappear Completely” with Geebz analyzing the living shit out of it while casually reaching out for a mouthful of pub mix. The internet doesn’t comprehend the greatness of this video. What a moment to be alive. I just basically need Geebz to be my best friend.
Sadly no. If he was a music man he'd be making it- not these vids bud. And eating that crap snack and bein entertained is opposite of what song is about. Total disrespect to the meaning of tune.
Back in 2001 I was newly married, and my family was all together for Christmas. My 5 year old cousin and my 75 year old grandmother were both sitting in the living room and I played this song. When it was over I saw my grandmother had put her crossword down on her lap and had her eyes closed, smiling. My cousin was now lying on the couch. She looked up at me and said "That's my favorite song." Radiohead, man.
This song is probably the best musical description of mental breakdown in music history. It's meant to be unsettlng, schizophrenic, disassociated, drifting and 'wrong' as well as beautiful.
Its hard to pick "must hear" songs by radiohead because they have so many. I feel like they should be a band that you really dive into like you have tool. "Everything in its right place" "pyramid song" "15 step" "my iron lung" the list really goes on and on
Yes, I love these songs. Kid A and Amnesiac have always been my favorite albums by Radiohead. I’d love to hear this guy dissect The National Anthem... especially after the comments ‘I didn’t have to really dissect this one’ hahaha
That dissonance is left there for a reason: it’s supposed to make you feel uncomfortable, the chaos that ensues by the end of the song hides that note and by then everything resolves. The phrase “I’m not here, this isn’t happening “ we’re words given to Thom as advice to deal with some anxiety he had.
I'm a year late to this, but I remember the first time I listened to this song, I was 15 and struggling to get control of my anxiety, which at that point in my life was holding me back from having the kind of social life I had hoped I would have in high school - this was the first song I heard off of the album, and felt pretty chill about it until it starts to fall apart towards the end, with all the discordance and cacophony and whatnot, and I started feeling extremely uncomfortable, and then it all comes back together and this otherworldly feeling of calm came over me. I wasn't fixed or cured or anything, but I was able to hold on to and call back to that feeling of calm as I got older and it became an anchor point for me whenever I felt like I was losing it. Anyway it's a good song.
ruclips.net/video/-wCQtdQS0o8/видео.html this is one of my favorite they did perform it live, but it's not a radiohead song, it's Unkle with Thom Yorke, Rabbit in your headlights.
anything from In Rainbows would be amazing! I actually put together a "mindful music react" of Weird Fishes the other day to kick off a new react series I'm starting, to post on Monday 👌🌞
I saw an interview with Thom Yorke where they asked if he could be remembered for one song what would it be. He answered 'how to disappear' before the interviewer could even finish the question. Interesting story behind it worth looking into. Such a great song! Thanks for another entertaining trip, enjoy your break friend
That moment was beautiful. The way he answered. I watched that the day after my brother died and Thom answering that like that just hit me. He was in no doubt at all and that's such a beautiful thing.
@@veevamm3642 yes. The lyrics, "I'm not here, this isn't happening" is a direct quote from Stipe. That was his mantra on stage when terrified or overwhelmed.
After downloading the Reckoner stems and taking a close look at it in music editing software... It's more brilliant than most people realize. One of their best.
Dont forget the brass and trumpets in that song, wooo. Amazing.The bass line which is so simple, but so awesome. The drums as well. All of it comes together so awesomely.
The drone that was playing throughout the song is an experimental electric instrument called an Ondes Martenot. It was made in the 1920s and only 1 classical piece features this instrument. It is a keyboard and the player wears a ring attached to a wire that changes the note similar to a theremin.
Messiaen used the Ondes in a number of pieces--Turangalila Symphonie, Fetes des belles eaux, Trois petites liturgies de la presence divine, Oraison, and perhaps others. Also, Jolivet composed a piece with it.
This song literally saved my life during a prolonged severe depressive episode in my early twenties. It was beautiful watching someone else hear it for the first time and discover it for the subtle emotional masterpiece it is.
Right there with you bud, this song and "in rainbows" the entire album def saved my life at my lowest point of depression... also have to mention i was listening to alot of deftones and glassjaw at that same point, which was proably counterproductive for my hapiness, even thru all that i still remeber the exact moment and place i was when i heard this... driving down pembroke and us-1 while the sun was setting, and my highschool girlfriend had just passed a month before ( 2 months after we graduated high school and was planning to go to college together. She was the one who told me to listen to this radiohead song... i instantly started balling my eyes out when yorkes vocals started. Now i listen to how to disapear a few times a week, especially when im trying to sleep, i once got lucky and had a dream of my ex with this song playing thru my headphones while i was sleeping
15:34 When his voice breaks out of the dissonance it's one of my favorite moments in music ever. If you want to check out something a little different you should try legendary trip-hop band Portishead, if you don't know them already. Glory Box would be the track to start with.
Radiohead really has talent for writing chord changes accompanied by lyrics that hit you right in the feelings. The "you will go to hell for what your dirty minds is thinking" in Nude, or "for a minute there, I lost myself" in Karma Police, "I'll hit the bottom and escape" part in Weird fishes, are all parts that just crush your soul when listening to it.
Great tracks. I'd request Lucky Nude The gloaming You and whose army Exit music House of cards We suck young blood Spinning plates......on second thought you should probably just run the entire gamut of their catalog Viva La Radiohead!
So lyrically this song is basically about Thom Yorke dealing with his anxieties about being on tour. To me the dissonance in the music reflects that so well, it slowly builds across the song as he tries and fails to convince himself thats he's not there, until it finally peaks with those intense microtonal clusters on the strings, and then theres a sudden release of all that dissonance as he comes to terms with his anxieties. Such a beautiful and cathartic piece of music.
The mantra of "I'm not here, this isn't happening" was actually given to Thom by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. as a way to escape from the anxiety of it all, which I think is pretty cool
I just watched the history of this song. Yes its about his depression and anxieties during their tour. Thom said this is his favorite song and the only acoustic song in the synth heavy Kid A. Truly epic song after learning its backstory.
This reaction allowed me to appreciate something I've always felt but never put to words about this song. that musical sigh that happens infrequently, then more frequently, then becomes a call and response with his voice reminds me of the sounds you make for self-comfort when you're in extreme physical or emotional distress. The sound has to be simple and drawn out or else it doesn't effectively drown out whatever the source of the discomfort is. Like a mantra to avoid pain.
Surprised not to see this anywhere, but that dissonant note in the beginning that then goes up and down when the song opens up is actually various ondes martenot. Super cool instrument! Love to see you react to Let Down, Reckoner and Life in a Glass House. Brilliant reaction!
replying to you a year later lol but its actually a combo of Martenot and live strings - this is likely the first iteration of what has become kind of a signature string sound for Johnny Greenwood - so cool to hear the beginnings of an idea he would later develop
That one dissonant note in the first minute is actual strings playing a quarter-tone off, and there's also an oddly dissonant tone cluster (regular notes, not quarter-tones) in a middle register. Jonny Greenwood loves his Penderecki/Ligeti.
@@rockrracc I think you're right, and it's possible they don't quite match, to add further dissonance and uneasiness. Like the way it goes slightly above A on those hooky swoops (you know the bits I mean - the main A F# riff).
You stated that at one point the song “bloomed” into something else. I think that really sums up what makes so much of Radiohead’s work so intriguing. You start off listening to what you think the song is going to be and it evolves or “blooms” into something else. Love your videos.
Absolutely agree. Radiohead honestly is one of the best bands to really create a tapestry with music. There’s so much detail, some may say too much detail, which is why sometimes it takes several listens for their songs to click. I’ve been a fan since the bends and honestly In Rainbows took me ages to appreciate. They aren’t a band you listen to once, you really got to listen to it again to fully develop an opinion. There’s so much intricacy and minute details that encapsulate a feeling that it can be disorienting the first time through.
Pretty cool how a single band can do that. It happened to me with Interpol. I went from listening to mainly R&B, hip/hop, and reggae to indie rock and post punk and a million other genres. I still love the music I grew up on, but I'm so grateful for having my horizons expanded and all of the experiences that came along as a result.
Radiohead are as close as my generation has come to having a band as important as The Beatles. The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A especially are all masterpieces and had a profound impact on the last ~30 years of popular music. In fact, I'd argue that Radiohead were largely responsible for shifting the music culture from rock to electronic-based music. This is one of their most beautiful, haunting tracks. For a next listen, I'd highly recommend Paranoid Android.
@@jonathanhenderson9422 pretty sure a few of the songs on In Rainbows had been knocking around since OK Computer and they couldn't get them right. Nude is I'm sure. I think it's tough comparing a lot of Radiohead records coz they're quite different. A lot of people latch onto The Bends and OK because they were the records that broke them and they have nostaliga attached to then. I personally think The Bends through to In Rainbows are all A* records. OKC is their masterpiece though.
@@davidcjupp Same is true for A Moon Shaped Pool in terms of some of the songs having been around for a while, especially True Love Waits. Radiohead also have a ton of superb songs from B-sides and EPs that are terribly underrated, like Gagging Order, Worrywort, and Fog. I do admit that OKC and The Bends have a huge nostalgia factor for me. I also feel like a lot of newer fans only got on board from Kid A onward and they tend to be the ones that rate In Rainbows higher. I've also come to appreciate Hail to the Thief more and more with time. That album is like their Exile on Main Street: sprawling, diverse, lacking coherency... but if you take each track individually I think almost everything there is interesting, and even the stuff I used to not like (We Suck Young Blood, eg) has grown on me a lot.
@@jonathanhenderson9422 Couldn't agree more about Hail To The Thief. It's superb. I think In Rainbows also has a large relief factor attached to it. A lot of indie fans just didn't get Kid A / Amnesiac (I only got it after In Rainbows) so In Rainbows instrumentation was a return to more familiar landscapes. A Moon Shaped Pool didn't click with me until I read about the context to the writing and now it's up there with the rest for me, achingly beautiful. For me the only 2 records that I don't get the urge to play are Pablo Honey and King of Limbs. I've been lucky enough to see Radiohead about 5 times (all festivals) and the depth of their catalogue becomes so evident. I saw them in Belgium when they were still trying out the songs for In Rainbows and it was clear even then they had a classic coming. Videotape was this pulsing banger at Pukkelpop but then what they did with it on record... just wow. So Radiohead.
@Richard Horrocks The instrumentals in Anyone Can Play guitar are great! The lyrics are a bit cheesy but there not unbearably bad or anything. Unless you're talking about the MTV Beach House performance, in case yeah it's pretty bad.
When this album was released it changed my entire perspective on music. I was in my late 20s and starting to become very set in my music choices. I was reaching an age where I was ready to spend the rest of my life only listening to the sort of music that was popular when I was a teen. This album absolutely re-kindled my desire to seek out fresh new styles of music. I really recommend listening to the whole Kid A album when you can. This song is great, but it's even better experienced in the context of the whole album. I did not dissapear ;)
Some Radiohead songs that I think would be killer to see you decompose: “There there”, “Climbing Up the Walls”, “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, and “Jigsaw Falling into Place”
"There There" would be great. I'm sure I read that Thom Yorke and/or the band were in tears hearing the final mix of the song, I'm sure I'm paraphrasing but an absolutely fantastic Radiohead song nonetheless!
YES & YES!!! I love Radiohead, but gun to my head There There might be my favorite track of theirs. I love that Geeb has already done Pyramid Song. Also a must hear banger. Too many great Radiohead tracks, but I definitely hope he gets to There There.
Let down is just incredible, I bought that album when it came out and it's odd because for the first year or so I would always kind of skip it and then I had set it down for a bit and picked it up and suddenly it was in my top songs of the album. I'm unsure why, it's rare a song I don't gravitate to immediately suddenly pops on one particular listen and I'm like "what the hell have I been missing?!". The Becoming on nine inch nails downward spiral was another, possibly one of my all time favorite songs now...
@@andrewhussey4538 i think it’s because of its position on the album; it’s right between two massive songs that are both almost operatic! let down is quiet and reserved, and i think that’s why it is underrated
"jonny greenwood" one of the 5 geniuses that make up radiohead also composes film scores! "There will be blood" and "phantom thread" to name a few! He is a truly gifted and special diverse musician
That dissonant note that holds out for a long time in the beginning, it reminds me of Debussy's "La Mer". I think it's the 3rd movement. I'm not sure it's a dissonant note in that piece, but it is used in a similar way - like a pedal, and it holds out through multiple chord changes.
Agree that it must be listened to as a whole. It’s composed as if it’s a symphony. Each song flows into each other flawlessly similar to how each movement in classical music builds into the piece as a whole.
@@starryeyes4333 bu- but Anthony Fantano said there is no flow between songs in this album, and the least coherent sounding album in Radiohead's discography
@@no-vd2rh but that’s just one critic and he’s got plenty of noteworthy critics that would disagree with him. I’m from the industry, have a music degree, was a managing editor for a well known underground music zine out of NYC with my own column and reviews on artists as well as working with bands|artists and famous producers. He can have his opinion but when I break it down it has amazing fluidity. Even the songs trail one into each other with no pause. And the order in which they placed the songs in was brilliant. It actually has a build up towards the end. Again you can research it and you’ll be hard pressed to find critics who say anything other than its by far one of if not the best album of theirs.
I love how you mention the pure listener vs. musician argument. I’ve been playing whatever I can get my hands on since I was in elementary school, and it’s an absolute blast hearing someone digest and report on pieces like this. Absolutely love the channel dude. Keep it coming.
Man, this song has me crying like a baby. It really captures how I've felt at my very lowest, the point beyond sadness when you're just... not there. Where giving up feels beautiful somehow, and where carrying on is fraught with so much tension and struggle. Can't say I'm there any more, but I also can't claim to be in a great place either, and this song puts my feelings to sound and makes me feel less alone. A genuine masterpiece. Also, Subtle Change by Rivers of Nihil (yes I'm still going on about it, it's so good dude!)
That dissonant wailing hanging in the background for the first minute or so....that's what got me hooked in the first place. And when it crescends in with the mandolin fading in ...... Masterful composition. EDIT: Try 'Hunting Bears/I Might Be Wrong'. Hunting Bears in particular is amazing, little short tho. But it's amazing how dense an ambience it delivers with just two instruments.
I´ve seen Kid A in Essen in concert, and the guitarist does all the effects live!!!! He was on the rhight of the stage with his guitar, between the speakers, keabords, always workin.. first I thought, it was a backrouund tape... but really soon, it was obvious, he was doing all this psychedelic stuff.., besides to the wonderful unique voice of Thom Yorke never lost a sound. I awaited a rock concert but it was a experience....
Thom said that if people would understand the context of this song they wouldn't request it in concerts because they would immediately break down and cry. I have listened to it with a different kind of attention since then. Each time it gets a little sadder.
This was my first non-Tool video I've watched of yours, and as usual, not an ounce of disappointment. Would love to watch you do anything else from the Kid A album, but specifically Everything in it's Right Place. And thank you for your time and perspectives on your channel!
Wow. Before anything else: your body language, small movements, coruscating facial tics, etc. completely awed me. It felt like I was looking into a mirror while listening to this song, if that makes sense? Incredible. With that out of the way, as a slightly impure listener (I played the clarinet for a bit in middle school, so take that for what it's worth ;P) I absolutely love hearing and now having the *words* to describe the elements I love in this song. Before now, if someone asked me to recommend a Radiohead song, I'd say, "How to Disappear Completely!" and they'd say, "Okay, why?" and I'd follow up with a, "Hmmm...well, I mean, it feels like nearly black silk whispering across your eardrums, so, y'know, it's good," and it would end with me receiving a slightly perturbed look. xD All this to say, I love it. I'll even subscribe and listen to your reactions to your, as you say, "more metal" stuff (despite not being a native listener). Just keep throwin' in the occasional Radiohead banger every few months, and I'll be a happy camper. xD Thank you, best of luck, and happy onward sojourns!
Radiohead are a master class of evoking feelings/emotions, they are such a diverse band, they have changed so very much over the years, but maintained their brilliance.
It is my understanding that Thom Yorke wrote this song after a conversation with REMs Michael Stipe. Thom was apparently struggling with touring and had asked Stipe about how he handles it. Apparently the answer left quite an impact.
16:55 "This was a fantastic first time listen for me." Well, sir, this was also a fantastic first time viewing a reaction to this song and providing analysis. Bravo, and I hope you get around to hearing more of Radiohead's catalog. Love the channel, keep up the great work!
15:17 The way the song shifts into pure horror sounding here has always stuck with me. The song has been absolutely beautiful and not really that panicky up to it, but then it just drops. I feel like the song is almost like someone gaslighting themselves. “I’m not here, this isn’t happening”. And the beautiful and mesmerizing nature of the song is them masking the truth. At 15:17 this point, the truth is revealed for a moment, and then they go right back to masking it. Being simply to afraid to accept it.
I once ate an eighth of mushrooms and lost my mind to this track and then pretty much all radiohead lying on the floor next to a speaker... amazing. I'd love to hear "let down" when you come back around to radiohead after your break
Way, WAY back in the day I was robotrippin wile listening to Kid A. I remember experiencing myself as riding the waves of the melodies as though I were on a roller coaster and literally riding the melodies as though they were made of matter. I know that sounds difficult to understand, but that's the best way I can explain it.
I did not disappear! To witness you listen to this song for the first time was a real treat. This band and this song are so important to me, and still, I get chills listening to it. As a fellow musician, I can assure you that Radiohead will blow your mind!
Thom Yorke on this song, to give you another dimension: "That song is about the whole period of time that OK Computer was happening. We did the Glastonbury Festival and this thing in Ireland. Something snapped in me. I just said, ‘That’s it. I can’t take it anymore.’ And more than a year later, we were still on the road. I hadn’t had time to address things. The lyrics came from something Michael Stipe said to me. I rang him and said, ‘I cannot cope with this.’ And he said, ‘Pull the shutters down and keep saying, ‘I’m not here, this is not happening." Radiohead are just always amazing at production and arrangement, they are truly a musicians band and you can listen to a song for years and discover something new. I have ❤️ And so many genres and new ones that they made, they are incredible.
I saw Thom Yorke when he was on his solo tour and I’ll tell ya, one of the BEST shows ever. And I’ve seen a lot of concerts. He is just out of this world. And Radiohead are amazing musicians. So talented and creative.
You are lucky Lisa, I had tix for Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes but of course it got postponed then cancelled due to Covid. It’s on my bucket list to see Radiohead or Thom or Jonny live 🤞
There was a certain part in the middle of this song where it's so beautiful that all I can think of is that this was music done by musical geniuses. To be that original in its delivery with the combination of those musical layers and his voice combined, it really is sheer musical genius at work. I think the same thing when I heard Purple Rain or when I hear Nine Inch Nails or Dr. Dre or others that are at the absolute top of the food chain in their craft. Radiohead is in my top 10 bands of all time. This song is mad melancholy as well in the beginning. It starts like you're trolling through mud and then as the song goes on, it lifts you into the coulds and you're floating. Fuckin beautiful ride it takes you on. Holy crap, I wrote all this in the middle of the song and then he said pretty much the same thing about flying or floating or whatever it was. I'm so glad I'm not the only one it makes feel that way. Musical escapism at it's best.
A lot of Radiohead songs hit you different. They touch moods that maybe you don’t feel, or want to feel, on a regular basis. But it resonates and once the music stops you realize the band has taken you somewhere really fleshed out
Hey, thank you so much for doing Radiohead. I’m a huge fan of them, and it’s always great to see them get a shout out. I really enjoy your reactions and analysis. You break it down in layman’s terms and I appreciate it. Looking forward to watching more! 😊
The part I like most about this song is around the conclusion, when we are enveloped by this wall of dissonant sound, as if being drowned by a river, or being enclosed by darkness, and then as if breaking our face out of the surface of the water, or seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, we are immediately brought out of that dissonance as everything goes back to their right place, as if to say "it's all going to be alright". It's such an uplifting moment on what's otherwise such a depressing song. I also liked how they merged the reverbed vocals with the synths when they both go "AAAAAaaaa haaaAAAAA", feels so ethereal.
Diana Ankudinova is a young performer who shocks us with her pleasant voice and takes us into the abyss of events!!! Diana Ankudinova is unique and inimitable, goosebumps from her voice!=)))) Diana sings as if she lives in the song! The soul freezes or opens with Diana's voice.=))))))) I am a musician who has been with music for years, and believe me, I have not heard such a tone in all these past years.
I did not disappear. What a track. What a band. If you want to take a similar journey from a totally different aural perspective, try their song "Sail to the Moon".
I DID NOT DISAPPEAR!! This is my favourite song ever. It was going around in my head as I spent the last few minutes with my dying mum. It envelops me in a really heavy cloak of sadness. But it's a sadness that I wellcome. It makes me feel a longing and yearning. When Thom sings "and hurricanes" and the strings crescendo, it literally takes my breath away for a second or two.
I need him to be the first youtuber to do the Optimistic > In Limbo transition. So, he can't listen on YT, it has to be on the album so he can hear the transition!
I just happened to listen to Scott Walker's "It's Raining Today" a couple of days after watching your video. Had to come back here to compare the background strings. And now that I've googled it, it seems it was indeed an inspiration.
I love watching you discovering Radiohead and telling us (well, me) what exactly is going on. Seeing them live, you see how it takes 5 guys who know exactly what they're doing for the songs to sound like they do. I'd love to see you do Exit Music (for a film), by Radiohead also. It's one of the songs that brings me to tears everytime.
Try Thom's sideband: Atoms for Peace, Ingenue (Live). To see them (or Radiohead) live is even more amazing. Saw at Hollywood Bowl pit - will never forget it.
Thanks for this! You articulate what the listener feels so well, it was a thing I didn't know I needed until hearing you. This song really gave me a dissociative feeling, and hearing you explain why musically was amazing.
Wow, brother. I got my tax return taken by the state and the notice sent today. Sprained my ankle Monday. Broken glasses. Terrible week. But this, this.....this is great. This is my favorite Radiohead song. Thank you.
I love the way you do these videos. You let the music play for a while before talking about. It really just feels like we’re hanging out and were showing you some music.
My whole body lights up with goosebumps during this song. One of my all time faves from one of my top 5 bands. I love watching people experience good music. Thank you.
Thom has said, without hesitation, that this is the best Radiohead song they ever did. I mean, I can't argue with that.
He Said: This song demands a full Musical Boner with a side of ear-gasm .... oh wait... I said that.
He did and its certainly mine too...I love lozenge of love too....man I love pretty much all of them...great review too...great job ✊
I still feel the most for Fog (the full studio version), but listening to this now, I can see similarities that put this one high up on my list.
@El Rizzle im pretty sure after in rainbows was released he said that videotape was the best song they ever did
It's between this and Spectre
you could literally pick any Radiohead song at random and there is a 80% chance it's absolutely incredible. The rest are still good.
Half of pablo honey: *hola*
80% is really not enough
@@jnbfilm56 i was being conservative :)
If you put all of their songs on random, Pablo Honey does drag it down a bit though.
@@halfalligator6518 ok, fair enough. Some King of Limbs May help too
@@type-moonfag4413 Pablo Honey is a great album. Underrated and over-hated.
Background: This song was written during a period of intense touring. The band was getting exhausted and unhappy because they would go to some interesting place they'd never been before, but have no time to experience it before moving on. This finally got to Thom Yorke when they were in Germany and he was in a dark mood, so he called a friend - Michael Stipe from REM - who advised him to lock himself in his hotel room, close the blinds, and chant a mantra of "I am not here, this is not happening." This was also during a time when the band was taking their song titles from oddball books they found for sale, and the one called How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found seemed to fit the song.
The tour also included them headlining Glastonbury, a moment that is considered a high point for many bands' careers, but in which their monitors did not work. They could not hear a thing, and despite playing a lauded set, had no idea how they were doing. Thom Yorke nearly walked off-stage because of the anxiety he was fighting, but was convinced to stay and finish the set.
Wasn't it also around the time the media was questioning Thom's well being. After Kurt Cobain's death and the disappearance of Richey Edwards. People began to think he'd be next. It's kinda messed up. Having your personal mental health constantly in question by the mass media, because of two tragic losses. It'd be enough to make anyone become more isolated.
the book is about the author actually trying to the "how to disappear..." then he wrote a how to book.
Interesting - I’ve read it’s about dreaming and parts from a dream that Thom had.
Terrible advice from Michael Stipe tbh
Radiohead is simultaneously one the softest and hardest musical acts I have ever listened to.
What do you mean by hardest? Radiohead has always been pretty "easy listening" to me personally. Do you mean hard as in emotionally weighty?
@@williamkoscielniak820 Definitely, the fact that they’re so easy on the ears allows for the themes present in their songs to hit so much harder
@@williamkoscielniak820 tbf some of their older stuff is really heavy, like paranoid android, or like anything from pablo honey
@@mylan4742 _you do it to yourself, just you..._
I remember buying this album the day it came out, opening the cd and putting it in my car stereo, rolled a joint in the parking lot, lit it and hit the back roads. My intentions were to listen to whole album all the way through. When it got to this song, I found myself crying almost uncontrollably. I pulled off the road, ironically, into an old country cemetery and played this song over and over for an hour. It is still to this day my favorite Radiohead song.
I just bought it from a record store and had been in a trance since my boyfriend and I broke up and this just wiped me out. I remember staining the pillows with tears. Sometimes music breaks you apart and puts you back together at the same time.
Similar experience for me. I slipped on grabbing this album until Amnesiac dropped, at which point I bought both together. Put Kid A on with the usual plan to give the entire thing a careful listen all the way through before returning to tracks that hooked me, but I broke down so intensely the first time I heard this, my heaving sobs kept knocking my headphones off my ears, so I had to stop the CD. It took me probably 15 minutes to compose myself. Then I played just this song on repeat for another hour or so before I even moved on to the (brilliance of) the rest of the album.
I'm not sure it's my favorite Radiohead song, but it's absolutely top three. I still can't listen to it without crying. Sometimes I think I've made it through unscathed, and then Johnny Greenwood's string arrangement at the end there does that lilting drop and it's game over.
That reaction to Radiohead is so common, isn't it? They are astonishing.
Don't drive while high.
@@MaraudingJ same.. So much. Every time.
Radiohead got me through one of the toughest times in my life - being a lonely teenager. Without Radiohead, I probably wouldn't be here.
hang in there. there's always bad bits but there's loads of good too. hang about with positive busy people . get fit as a fiddle. you'll be ace. I mean it.
Helped me get through my late 40s.
Helps me every time I'm going through a difficult time since 1997, and as recently as a month ago
Same. They’re always there for me when things get to be too much.
Seeing this comment is quite emotional at this time of my life, I'm 17 and I ,too, am a lonely teenager. I have never felt this helpless in my life
This song is seriously something else. For me personally, it’s one of the most emotion evoking and moving pieces of music. I almost can’t even listen to it on days when I’m feeling bad but I know it’s almost a catharsis and if I sit through it and let it take over me I will come out better after.
Wow! You put my feelings into words.
Exactly the same here, I remember coming across this song first when I was in a pretty rough patch with my life and my god, hearing that final part where Thom harmonises would just emotionally destroy me, it’s incredibly powerful just how the strings grow more distorted before washing over you like an wave as it just leaves you with this absolutely crushing feeling yet at the same time is also amazing in how it feels like lifting off this heavy weight on your chest leaving you in this state of peace and calm.
💯
I just welled up, and don’t even know why, perhaps I do
Emo crap, says I.
That’s it. Radiohead’s “How To Disappear Completely” with Geebz analyzing the living shit out of it while casually reaching out for a mouthful of pub mix. The internet doesn’t comprehend the greatness of this video. What a moment to be alive. I just basically need Geebz to be my best friend.
lmfao I love this comment
Oh I've found my people. Completely agree
This, man. It's so awesome to watch a "music man" experience my favorite band and recognize their incredible genius.
Sadly no. If he was a music man he'd be making it- not these vids bud. And eating that crap snack and bein entertained is opposite of what song is about. Total disrespect to the meaning of tune.
i didn’t get what you meant until i finished the video and i completely agree lol
Back in 2001 I was newly married, and my family was all together for Christmas. My 5 year old cousin and my 75 year old grandmother were both sitting in the living room and I played this song. When it was over I saw my grandmother had put her crossword down on her lap and had her eyes closed, smiling. My cousin was now lying on the couch. She looked up at me and said "That's my favorite song." Radiohead, man.
This song is probably the best musical description of mental breakdown in music history. It's meant to be unsettlng, schizophrenic, disassociated, drifting and 'wrong' as well as beautiful.
Is this the tune you hear in purgatory
Its hard to pick "must hear" songs by radiohead because they have so many. I feel like they should be a band that you really dive into like you have tool. "Everything in its right place" "pyramid song" "15 step" "my iron lung" the list really goes on and on
I'm quite interested to see his interpretation of the time signature in Pyramid Song
A lot of Kid A pieces are complex same for the later ones, just because of their use of rhythms. And OK Computer is just beautiful.
and Lucky and The tourist
Especially the 800% slower versions :)
Paranoid Android, Climbing Up he Walls, Exit Music for a Film, Street Spirit Fade out, Nude, there are sooo many!
“Everything in it’s Right Place” and “Pyramid Song”.
Great suggestions
Yes, I love these songs. Kid A and Amnesiac have always been my favorite albums by Radiohead. I’d love to hear this guy dissect The National Anthem... especially after the comments ‘I didn’t have to really dissect this one’ hahaha
yes..pyramid song
Pyramid song takes me to another plane...
Definitely Pyramid Song
Do "Exit Music" next. That song always brings tears to my eyes.
I completely loose it during that song, bone chilling good
@@martinlaermans1720 same.
That bassline
Same
really surprised not more people recommend exit music. Thom once said it's the most perfect song he wrote, or his favorite, can't remember.
That dissonance is left there for a reason: it’s supposed to make you feel uncomfortable, the chaos that ensues by the end of the song hides that note and by then everything resolves. The phrase “I’m not here, this isn’t happening “ we’re words given to Thom as advice to deal with some anxiety he had.
And the one giving him that advice was Michael Stipe from R.E.M.!
It goes away
The note is supposed to be narrator. He’s not on the same wavelength as his external reality, he’s out of place (idk that’s just my thought)
The "trick outro" in this songs is one of my favorite, most goosebump-inducing music moments of all time.
I once discussed just that outro for 5 hours with a couple of friends, both music producers. It's absolutely phenomenal.
I'm a year late to this, but I remember the first time I listened to this song, I was 15 and struggling to get control of my anxiety, which at that point in my life was holding me back from having the kind of social life I had hoped I would have in high school - this was the first song I heard off of the album, and felt pretty chill about it until it starts to fall apart towards the end, with all the discordance and cacophony and whatnot, and I started feeling extremely uncomfortable, and then it all comes back together and this otherworldly feeling of calm came over me. I wasn't fixed or cured or anything, but I was able to hold on to and call back to that feeling of calm as I got older and it became an anchor point for me whenever I felt like I was losing it. Anyway it's a good song.
Your next Radiohead song has to be Weird Fishes. It's one of their more most beautiful and interesting works.
Yes! Also Bloom!
ruclips.net/video/-wCQtdQS0o8/видео.html
this is one of my favorite they did perform it live, but it's not a radiohead song, it's Unkle with Thom Yorke, Rabbit in your headlights.
anything from In Rainbows would be amazing! I actually put together a "mindful music react" of Weird Fishes the other day to kick off a new react series I'm starting, to post on Monday 👌🌞
I was brainstorming to suggest a song, and then I saw this comment. I would LOVE for Geebz to hear that song
@@TheChick24 I was lucky enough to see them perform bloom live in 2017, and I must say the live version is miles ahead
I saw an interview with Thom Yorke where they asked if he could be remembered for one song what would it be. He answered 'how to disappear' before the interviewer could even finish the question. Interesting story behind it worth looking into. Such a great song! Thanks for another entertaining trip, enjoy your break friend
just saw that last week as well! pretty dark - clearly resonant though 👌🌞
That moment was beautiful. The way he answered. I watched that the day after my brother died and Thom answering that like that just hit me. He was in no doubt at all and that's such a beautiful thing.
Are you meaning the Michael Stipe connection?
Which interview is that?
@@veevamm3642 yes. The lyrics, "I'm not here, this isn't happening" is a direct quote from Stipe. That was his mantra on stage when terrified or overwhelmed.
For more Radiohead, highly recommend Climbing Up The Walls or Jigsaw Falling Into Place.
Climbing Up The Walls would be great
Climbing up the walls yea
both :D
Jigsaw falling into Place is my favourite radiohead song. Its so progressive and just masterfully emotional.
Two of my absolute favorites!!
The purity of Thom's voice in this song makes me weep. It's so damn beautiful.
This song is a definite standout.
“Climbing Up the Walls” has also been a longtime personal fave.
Hell yeah, that song goes hard
That BADASS scream at the end is a lucky appearance
How To Disappear, Climbing Up The Walls and Pyramid Song are my favorite Radiohead songs.
For Radiohead, would love to see your react to Reckoner and Paranoid Android.
Reckoner would be great
@@snuggilyd I third Reckoner. Amazing song
paranoid android, yes
After downloading the Reckoner stems and taking a close look at it in music editing software... It's more brilliant than most people realize. One of their best.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: The Reckoner music video on RUclips has a very poor audio quality, for some weird reason. Please seek out another version of it.
Get in bitches, we’re goin’ crying.
But seriously, this song is so beautiful even after so many listens it can still make me cry sometimes.
Same, same. Always does .
could not agree more...
One of my favorite Radiohead songs and I can't even listen to it!!😩😭😭
First time I heard this song I bawled my eyes out. It unlocked a dam that needed to be emptied. Thoms music has saved my life more than once.
That’s basically me with the ending track for kid a, motion picture soundtrack
You do great work! Don’t miss Radiohead’s National Anthem - tremendous arrangements, strings and overall flow.
I seriously second this, this would be right up your alley!
Dont forget the brass and trumpets in that song, wooo. Amazing.The bass line which is so simple, but so awesome. The drums as well. All of it comes together so awesomely.
@@brendenbrown7666 I cannot believe I forgot to call out the brass!!
The drone that was playing throughout the song is an experimental electric instrument called an Ondes Martenot. It was made in the 1920s and only 1 classical piece features this instrument. It is a keyboard and the player wears a ring attached to a wire that changes the note similar to a theremin.
Messiaen used the Ondes in a number of pieces--Turangalila Symphonie, Fetes des belles eaux, Trois petites liturgies de la presence divine, Oraison, and perhaps others. Also, Jolivet composed a piece with it.
This song literally saved my life during a prolonged severe depressive episode in my early twenties. It was beautiful watching someone else hear it for the first time and discover it for the subtle emotional masterpiece it is.
Right there with you bud, this song and "in rainbows" the entire album def saved my life at my lowest point of depression... also have to mention i was listening to alot of deftones and glassjaw at that same point, which was proably counterproductive for my hapiness, even thru all that i still remeber the exact moment and place i was when i heard this... driving down pembroke and us-1 while the sun was setting, and my highschool girlfriend had just passed a month before ( 2 months after we graduated high school and was planning to go to college together. She was the one who told me to listen to this radiohead song... i instantly started balling my eyes out when yorkes vocals started. Now i listen to how to disapear a few times a week, especially when im trying to sleep, i once got lucky and had a dream of my ex with this song playing thru my headphones while i was sleeping
literally me right now (19 not twenty but…)
15:34 When his voice breaks out of the dissonance it's one of my favorite moments in music ever.
If you want to check out something a little different you should try legendary trip-hop band Portishead, if you don't know them already. Glory Box would be the track to start with.
Yesss Portishead! Must listen to Portishead!
Yes this needs likes so he will see it! Portishead!
He should know Portishead, for Christ sake. Seems like he missed out on A Lot of good stuff.
The Rip, please!
Radiohead really has talent for writing chord changes accompanied by lyrics that hit you right in the feelings.
The "you will go to hell for what your dirty minds is thinking" in Nude, or "for a minute there, I lost myself" in Karma Police, "I'll hit the bottom and escape" part in Weird fishes, are all parts that just crush your soul when listening to it.
some radiohead suggestions: 'everything in its right place' and 'paranoid android'
I second this!
Great tracks. I'd request
Lucky
Nude
The gloaming
You and whose army
Exit music
House of cards
We suck young blood
Spinning plates......on second thought you should probably just run the entire gamut of their catalog
Viva La Radiohead!
Myxomatosis
RADIOHEAD VIDEOTAPE! If you want to have a technical breakdown to work through, that would be a good one
Paranoid android is overrated, change my mind
So lyrically this song is basically about Thom Yorke dealing with his anxieties about being on tour. To me the dissonance in the music reflects that so well, it slowly builds across the song as he tries and fails to convince himself thats he's not there, until it finally peaks with those intense microtonal clusters on the strings, and then theres a sudden release of all that dissonance as he comes to terms with his anxieties. Such a beautiful and cathartic piece of music.
Nice knowing the backstory, thanks man
The mantra of "I'm not here, this isn't happening" was actually given to Thom by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. as a way to escape from the anxiety of it all, which I think is pretty cool
Eloquently put my friend.
I just watched the history of this song. Yes its about his depression and anxieties during their tour. Thom said this is his favorite song and the only acoustic song in the synth heavy Kid A. Truly epic song after learning its backstory.
Patrick R Yes, I’ve heard this is Thom’s favorite of his songs. He’s also mentioned being happy with There There and Daydreaming.
This reaction allowed me to appreciate something I've always felt but never put to words about this song. that musical sigh that happens infrequently, then more frequently, then becomes a call and response with his voice reminds me of the sounds you make for self-comfort when you're in extreme physical or emotional distress. The sound has to be simple and drawn out or else it doesn't effectively drown out whatever the source of the discomfort is. Like a mantra to avoid pain.
Surprised not to see this anywhere, but that dissonant note in the beginning that then goes up and down when the song opens up is actually various ondes martenot. Super cool instrument! Love to see you react to Let Down, Reckoner and Life in a Glass House. Brilliant reaction!
replying to you a year later lol but its actually a combo of Martenot and live strings - this is likely the first iteration of what has become kind of a signature string sound for Johnny Greenwood - so cool to hear the beginnings of an idea he would later develop
A big part of what makes the orchestration on this and many other Radiohead tracks is Johnny Greenwoods obsession with Krzysztof Penderecki.
From listening in content?
Was coming down to the comment the same thing lol
Y’all watched the new video ig
Where would you recommend I start with Penderecki as a Greenwood fan?
@@Michael-cv5wk Could check out Penderecki & Greenwood
That one dissonant note in the first minute is actual strings playing a quarter-tone off, and there's also an oddly dissonant tone cluster (regular notes, not quarter-tones) in a middle register. Jonny Greenwood loves his Penderecki/Ligeti.
course he does. we all do.
If you've not checked out Rued Langgaard Music of the spheres...have a listen...I was at the British Premiere in 2010 at the Proms, Albert Hall
Wasn't that note also played by an ondes Martenot?
@@rockrracc I think you're right, and it's possible they don't quite match, to add further dissonance and uneasiness. Like the way it goes slightly above A on those hooky swoops (you know the bits I mean - the main A F# riff).
I feel like for a composer National Anthem or Pyramid Song would be the ultimate treat!
You stated that at one point the song “bloomed” into something else. I think that really sums up what makes so much of Radiohead’s work so intriguing. You start off listening to what you think the song is going to be and it evolves or “blooms” into something else. Love your videos.
Absolutely agree. Radiohead honestly is one of the best bands to really create a tapestry with music. There’s so much detail, some may say too much detail, which is why sometimes it takes several listens for their songs to click. I’ve been a fan since the bends and honestly In Rainbows took me ages to appreciate. They aren’t a band you listen to once, you really got to listen to it again to fully develop an opinion. There’s so much intricacy and minute details that encapsulate a feeling that it can be disorienting the first time through.
This song is a depression pill wrapped in an audio capsule and its wonderful. Just close your eyes and let it take you.
When this album came out my taste in music took a 90 degree turn. It still blows my mind
Pretty cool how a single band can do that. It happened to me with Interpol. I went from listening to mainly R&B, hip/hop, and reggae to indie rock and post punk and a million other genres. I still love the music I grew up on, but I'm so grateful for having my horizons expanded and all of the experiences that came along as a result.
Same man. I was 13, I went from S Club 7 to Charles Mingus in 6 months...
Radiohead are as close as my generation has come to having a band as important as The Beatles. The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A especially are all masterpieces and had a profound impact on the last ~30 years of popular music. In fact, I'd argue that Radiohead were largely responsible for shifting the music culture from rock to electronic-based music. This is one of their most beautiful, haunting tracks. For a next listen, I'd highly recommend Paranoid Android.
You’re forgetting In Rainbows. It’s up there with OKC and Kid A
@@moonillusions832 I really like In Rainbows but I do not rank it with OKC and Kid A. I know a lot of people disagree with me, and I'm OK with that.
@@jonathanhenderson9422 pretty sure a few of the songs on In Rainbows had been knocking around since OK Computer and they couldn't get them right. Nude is I'm sure. I think it's tough comparing a lot of Radiohead records coz they're quite different. A lot of people latch onto The Bends and OK because they were the records that broke them and they have nostaliga attached to then. I personally think The Bends through to In Rainbows are all A* records. OKC is their masterpiece though.
@@davidcjupp Same is true for A Moon Shaped Pool in terms of some of the songs having been around for a while, especially True Love Waits. Radiohead also have a ton of superb songs from B-sides and EPs that are terribly underrated, like Gagging Order, Worrywort, and Fog. I do admit that OKC and The Bends have a huge nostalgia factor for me. I also feel like a lot of newer fans only got on board from Kid A onward and they tend to be the ones that rate In Rainbows higher. I've also come to appreciate Hail to the Thief more and more with time. That album is like their Exile on Main Street: sprawling, diverse, lacking coherency... but if you take each track individually I think almost everything there is interesting, and even the stuff I used to not like (We Suck Young Blood, eg) has grown on me a lot.
@@jonathanhenderson9422 Couldn't agree more about Hail To The Thief. It's superb. I think In Rainbows also has a large relief factor attached to it. A lot of indie fans just didn't get Kid A / Amnesiac (I only got it after In Rainbows) so In Rainbows instrumentation was a return to more familiar landscapes. A Moon Shaped Pool didn't click with me until I read about the context to the writing and now it's up there with the rest for me, achingly beautiful. For me the only 2 records that I don't get the urge to play are Pablo Honey and King of Limbs. I've been lucky enough to see Radiohead about 5 times (all festivals) and the depth of their catalogue becomes so evident. I saw them in Belgium when they were still trying out the songs for In Rainbows and it was clear even then they had a classic coming. Videotape was this pulsing banger at Pukkelpop but then what they did with it on record... just wow. So Radiohead.
More Radiohead! They are amazing. Basically can’t go wrong with any request people will throw you. Excellent stuff
@Richard Horrocks The instrumentals in Anyone Can Play guitar are great! The lyrics are a bit cheesy but there not unbearably bad or anything. Unless you're talking about the MTV Beach House performance, in case yeah it's pretty bad.
When this album was released it changed my entire perspective on music. I was in my late 20s and starting to become very set in my music choices. I was reaching an age where I was ready to spend the rest of my life only listening to the sort of music that was popular when I was a teen. This album absolutely re-kindled my desire to seek out fresh new styles of music. I really recommend listening to the whole Kid A album when you can. This song is great, but it's even better experienced in the context of the whole album. I did not dissapear ;)
Some Radiohead songs that I think would be killer to see you decompose: “There there”, “Climbing Up the Walls”, “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, and “Jigsaw Falling into Place”
Great choices! All of those songs are amazing.
Separator
"There There" would be great. I'm sure I read that Thom Yorke and/or the band were in tears hearing the final mix of the song, I'm sure I'm paraphrasing but an absolutely fantastic Radiohead song nonetheless!
Totally agree, I love that song
A top fav - not talked about as much as other songs
One of their absolute best lyric lines/melodies
“Just 'cause you feel it
Doesn't mean it's there
Just 'cause you feel it
Doesn't mean it's there”
YES & YES!!! I love Radiohead, but gun to my head There There might be my favorite track of theirs. I love that Geeb has already done Pyramid Song. Also a must hear banger.
Too many great Radiohead tracks, but I definitely hope he gets to There There.
This song is a masterpiece
Reckoner (From the Basement). It's live and it gives good "chicken skin."
Really anything from the basement session is amazing
Reckoner (From the Basement) is INCREDIBLE
^
Was going to suggest this but figured someone would have already, so add my plus one to this suggestion.
@@pauljones4236 even king of limbs is a 10/10 there. Not saying it sucks tho, buuuut...
must hear songs by radiohead: “weird fishes”, “pyramid song”, “let down”, “codex”, “nude”, “i will”, “kid a”, “no surprises”, “glass eyes”, “present tense”, “street spirit (fade out)”, “exit music (for a film)”, “fake plastic trees”, “talk show host”.
Just listen to everything but Pablo honey
@@killthemtodayrightnowtoday yeah that’s why my dude
Let down is just incredible, I bought that album when it came out and it's odd because for the first year or so I would always kind of skip it and then I had set it down for a bit and picked it up and suddenly it was in my top songs of the album. I'm unsure why, it's rare a song I don't gravitate to immediately suddenly pops on one particular listen and I'm like "what the hell have I been missing?!". The Becoming on nine inch nails downward spiral was another, possibly one of my all time favorite songs now...
@@EinsiB identikit too!
@@andrewhussey4538 i think it’s because of its position on the album; it’s right between two massive songs that are both almost operatic! let down is quiet and reserved, and i think that’s why it is underrated
Colin Greenwood is my favorite bassist. You’ll hear how complex he is when you get into their more of their faster songs
Extremely underrated.
Very tasteful player
I second everyone’s call for a deep dive. Radiohead is a once-in-a-generation type band and are squarely in the 70s spirit of the ALBUM as art.
“Let Down” is a really good listen too
Yessssssssss
Subterranean Homesick Alien as well. The whole album in fact. fuck it
"jonny greenwood" one of the 5 geniuses that make up radiohead also composes film scores! "There will be blood" and "phantom thread" to name a few! He is a truly gifted and special diverse musician
Jonny Greenwood. A fan/student of Penderecki's use of chordal dissonance. This album is filled with Greenwoods' genius.
That dissonant note that holds out for a long time in the beginning, it reminds me of Debussy's "La Mer". I think it's the 3rd movement. I'm not sure it's a dissonant note in that piece, but it is used in a similar way - like a pedal, and it holds out through multiple chord changes.
Kid A is one of those albums that, in my opinion, is best listened to as a whole. You get a better idea of where each song fits in in the journey
Agreed. It’s their most coherent album imo.
Agree that it must be listened to as a whole. It’s composed as if it’s a symphony. Each song flows into each other flawlessly similar to how each movement in classical music builds into the piece as a whole.
@@starryeyes4333 bu- but Anthony Fantano said there is no flow between songs in this album, and the least coherent sounding album in Radiohead's discography
@@no-vd2rh but that’s just one critic and he’s got plenty of noteworthy critics that would disagree with him. I’m from the industry, have a music degree, was a managing editor for a well known underground music zine out of NYC with my own column and reviews on artists as well as working with bands|artists and famous producers. He can have his opinion but when I break it down it has amazing fluidity. Even the songs trail one into each other with no pause. And the order in which they placed the songs in was brilliant. It actually has a build up towards the end. Again you can research it and you’ll be hard pressed to find critics who say anything other than its by far one of if not the best album of theirs.
@@starryeyes4333 yeah, pretty sure Bilal was making a joke there.
I love how you mention the pure listener vs. musician argument. I’ve been playing whatever I can get my hands on since I was in elementary school, and it’s an absolute blast hearing someone digest and report on pieces like this. Absolutely love the channel dude. Keep it coming.
Man, this song has me crying like a baby. It really captures how I've felt at my very lowest, the point beyond sadness when you're just... not there. Where giving up feels beautiful somehow, and where carrying on is fraught with so much tension and struggle. Can't say I'm there any more, but I also can't claim to be in a great place either, and this song puts my feelings to sound and makes me feel less alone. A genuine masterpiece.
Also, Subtle Change by Rivers of Nihil (yes I'm still going on about it, it's so good dude!)
your facial microexpressions are a world of their own, just like radiohead songs, makes the videos that much better to be honest.
That dissonant wailing hanging in the background for the first minute or so....that's what got me hooked in the first place. And when it crescends in with the mandolin fading in ...... Masterful composition.
EDIT: Try 'Hunting Bears/I Might Be Wrong'. Hunting Bears in particular is amazing, little short tho. But it's amazing how dense an ambience it delivers with just two instruments.
Reckoner / Let Down / Idioteque / Motion Picture Soundtrack / Weird Fishes - you will love all of them!
Beautiful song. Beautiful breakdown. Thanks
I´ve seen Kid A in Essen in concert, and the guitarist does all the effects live!!!! He was on the rhight of the stage with his guitar, between the speakers, keabords, always workin.. first I thought, it was a backrouund tape... but really soon, it was obvious, he was doing all this psychedelic stuff.., besides to the wonderful unique voice of Thom Yorke never lost a sound. I awaited a rock concert but it was a experience....
"The Tourist" my fav song of radiohead. You have to listen too!
Definitely
Thom said that if people would understand the context of this song they wouldn't request it in concerts because they would immediately break down and cry. I have listened to it with a different kind of attention since then. Each time it gets a little sadder.
He said the same thing about Street Spirit (Fade Out) if I recall correctly.
it would be like the Just music video at the concerts
You're killing it with these breakdowns. Would love to see you breakdown Debaser by the Pixies
The entire Doolittle album!
This was my first non-Tool video I've watched of yours, and as usual, not an ounce of disappointment. Would love to watch you do anything else from the Kid A album, but specifically Everything in it's Right Place. And thank you for your time and perspectives on your channel!
I literally just discovered this song the other day and fell in love. Man I love the lyrics and entire musical representation of the lyrics.
Wow. Before anything else: your body language, small movements, coruscating facial tics, etc. completely awed me. It felt like I was looking into a mirror while listening to this song, if that makes sense? Incredible.
With that out of the way, as a slightly impure listener (I played the clarinet for a bit in middle school, so take that for what it's worth ;P) I absolutely love hearing and now having the *words* to describe the elements I love in this song. Before now, if someone asked me to recommend a Radiohead song, I'd say, "How to Disappear Completely!" and they'd say, "Okay, why?" and I'd follow up with a, "Hmmm...well, I mean, it feels like nearly black silk whispering across your eardrums, so, y'know, it's good," and it would end with me receiving a slightly perturbed look. xD
All this to say, I love it. I'll even subscribe and listen to your reactions to your, as you say, "more metal" stuff (despite not being a native listener). Just keep throwin' in the occasional Radiohead banger every few months, and I'll be a happy camper. xD Thank you, best of luck, and happy onward sojourns!
Radiohead has always been one of my favorite bands, timeless, like Pink FLoyd, for a lot of the same reasons.
Radiohead are a master class of evoking feelings/emotions, they are such a diverse band, they have changed so very much over the years, but maintained their brilliance.
It is my understanding that Thom Yorke wrote this song after a conversation with REMs Michael Stipe. Thom was apparently struggling with touring and had asked Stipe about how he handles it. Apparently the answer left quite an impact.
yep, evidently the chorus "im not here this isn't happening" is the exact 'mantra' Stipe shared with him.
Especially rough for them coming off the bends and ok computer
what a masterpiece of a song. awesome reaction. other radiohead to check out: where i end and you begin
but live from the basement
16:55 "This was a fantastic first time listen for me." Well, sir, this was also a fantastic first time viewing a reaction to this song and providing analysis. Bravo, and I hope you get around to hearing more of Radiohead's catalog. Love the channel, keep up the great work!
15:17 The way the song shifts into pure horror sounding here has always stuck with me. The song has been absolutely beautiful and not really that panicky up to it, but then it just drops. I feel like the song is almost like someone gaslighting themselves. “I’m not here, this isn’t happening”. And the beautiful and mesmerizing nature of the song is them masking the truth. At 15:17 this point, the truth is revealed for a moment, and then they go right back to masking it. Being simply to afraid to accept it.
I once ate an eighth of mushrooms and lost my mind to this track and then pretty much all radiohead lying on the floor next to a speaker... amazing. I'd love to hear "let down" when you come back around to radiohead after your break
I also ate some shrooms in university and lost my mind to Kid A with my head next to a speaker on the floor. Good times.
@@zapata36 i truly recommend to anyone. I feel like i learned a lot about myself that night and nights like it.
I listened to Kid A for the first time tripping on acid; needless to say, it commandeered me.
Way, WAY back in the day I was robotrippin wile listening to Kid A. I remember experiencing myself as riding the waves of the melodies as though I were on a roller coaster and literally riding the melodies as though they were made of matter. I know that sounds difficult to understand, but that's the best way I can explain it.
I did not disappear! To witness you listen to this song for the first time was a real treat. This band and this song are so important to me, and still, I get chills listening to it. As a fellow musician, I can assure you that Radiohead will blow your mind!
I never listened to a band that had replay value like Radiohead some prog maybe that is about it.
You can go to any radiohead record and find a song to disappear into. Such amazing talent and drive to experiment
My favourite RH song. The composition is timeless. Thanks again for another wonderful reaction!
Thom Yorke on this song, to give you another dimension: "That song is about the whole period of time that OK Computer was happening. We did the Glastonbury Festival and this thing in Ireland. Something snapped in me. I just said, ‘That’s it. I can’t take it anymore.’ And more than a year later, we were still on the road. I hadn’t had time to address things. The lyrics came from something Michael Stipe said to me. I rang him and said, ‘I cannot cope with this.’ And he said, ‘Pull the shutters down and keep saying, ‘I’m not here, this is not happening."
Radiohead are just always amazing at production and arrangement, they are truly a musicians band and you can listen to a song for years and discover something new. I have ❤️ And so many genres and new ones that they made, they are incredible.
Radiohead is magic. Reckoner would be a great next one
I saw Thom Yorke when he was on his solo tour and I’ll tell ya, one of the BEST shows ever. And I’ve seen a lot of concerts.
He is just out of this world.
And Radiohead are amazing musicians. So talented and creative.
You are lucky Lisa, I had tix for Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes but of course it got postponed then cancelled due to Covid. It’s on my bucket list to see Radiohead or Thom or Jonny live 🤞
There was a certain part in the middle of this song where it's so beautiful that all I can think of is that this was music done by musical geniuses. To be that original in its delivery with the combination of those musical layers and his voice combined, it really is sheer musical genius at work. I think the same thing when I heard Purple Rain or when I hear Nine Inch Nails or Dr. Dre or others that are at the absolute top of the food chain in their craft. Radiohead is in my top 10 bands of all time. This song is mad melancholy as well in the beginning. It starts like you're trolling through mud and then as the song goes on, it lifts you into the coulds and you're floating. Fuckin beautiful ride it takes you on. Holy crap, I wrote all this in the middle of the song and then he said pretty much the same thing about flying or floating or whatever it was. I'm so glad I'm not the only one it makes feel that way. Musical escapism at it's best.
A lot of Radiohead songs hit you different. They touch moods that maybe you don’t feel, or want to feel, on a regular basis. But it resonates and once the music stops you realize the band has taken you somewhere really fleshed out
Hey, thank you so much for doing Radiohead. I’m a huge fan of them, and it’s always great to see them get a shout out. I really enjoy your reactions and analysis. You break it down in layman’s terms and I appreciate it. Looking forward to watching more! 😊
The part I like most about this song is around the conclusion, when we are enveloped by this wall of dissonant sound, as if being drowned by a river, or being enclosed by darkness, and then as if breaking our face out of the surface of the water, or seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, we are immediately brought out of that dissonance as everything goes back to their right place, as if to say "it's all going to be alright". It's such an uplifting moment on what's otherwise such a depressing song. I also liked how they merged the reverbed vocals with the synths when they both go "AAAAAaaaa haaaAAAAA", feels so ethereal.
Diana Ankudinova is a young performer who shocks us with her pleasant voice and takes us into the abyss of events!!! Diana Ankudinova is unique and inimitable, goosebumps from her voice!=)))) Diana sings as if she lives in the song! The soul freezes or opens with Diana's voice.=))))))) I am a musician who has been with music for years, and believe me, I have not heard such a tone in all these past years.
Diana Ankudinova 💯💯💯
Diana Ankudinova 👏👏👏
I did not disappear. What a track. What a band. If you want to take a similar journey from a totally different aural perspective, try their song "Sail to the Moon".
Correct.
THANK YOU SIR for doing RADIOHEAD. I subscribed your channel for doing RADIOHEAD songs. Thanks!
I DID NOT DISAPPEAR!! This is my favourite song ever. It was going around in my head as I spent the last few minutes with my dying mum. It envelops me in a really heavy cloak of sadness. But it's a sadness that I wellcome. It makes me feel a longing and yearning. When Thom sings "and hurricanes" and the strings crescendo, it literally takes my breath away for a second or two.
This is Thom York's favorite song Radiohead has done. It's absolute perfection.
He said that along time ago. I wonder if its still his favorite... in rainbows is all great songs
You should really just sit down and listen to Kid-A from start to finish. It's too good to pass up.
Nice -I'd love to hear 'In Limbo' from this album. A bit more energy, but some off meter stuff. Too many good Radiohead songs to suggest :)
Optimistic too. Optimistic + In Limbo are an amazing pair of sequential songs.
In Limbo is criminally overlooked. It’s actually so good. One of my favorites.
@@newmutator5899 I totally agree. It gives me the chills everytime
@@mckendreespringer5664 I've always thought that too. They complement each other so well.
I need him to be the first youtuber to do the Optimistic > In Limbo transition. So, he can't listen on YT, it has to be on the album so he can hear the transition!
I just happened to listen to Scott Walker's "It's Raining Today" a couple of days after watching your video. Had to come back here to compare the background strings. And now that I've googled it, it seems it was indeed an inspiration.
I'm still here! I'm also still looking for a band to suggest that you haven't already reacted to. This time I found something new to enjoy.
I love watching you discovering Radiohead and telling us (well, me) what exactly is going on. Seeing them live, you see how it takes 5 guys who know exactly what they're doing for the songs to sound like they do. I'd love to see you do Exit Music (for a film), by Radiohead also. It's one of the songs that brings me to tears everytime.
Try Thom's sideband: Atoms for Peace, Ingenue (Live). To see them (or Radiohead) live is even more amazing. Saw at Hollywood Bowl pit - will never forget it.
...and Flea!
Last place i expected to see you, glad to see we have a similar music taste.
Saw them there too!! In 2010.
Saw Thom at New Orleans last year and met him afterwards. Fucking incredible show. Saw Radiohead at Red Rocks 2001. Beautiful show.
Dawn Chorus is the most beautiful piece of music.....ever
From an engineering perspective, I'd love to see what you'd say about their song "Ful Stop". Some very, very interesting sound stuff going on there!
Yes I love that song!
Thanks for this! You articulate what the listener feels so well, it was a thing I didn't know I needed until hearing you.
This song really gave me a dissociative feeling, and hearing you explain why musically was amazing.
Dude, you are my spirit animal.
It makes me so happy to see someone else enjoying Radiohead's work as much as I do.
Keep it up, love your style man!
All I Need from Live From The Basement is a must watch live Radiohead performance
Cool fact- When asked if he could pick one song to be remembered by, Thom Yorke said this one.
Wow, brother. I got my tax return taken by the state and the notice sent today. Sprained my ankle Monday. Broken glasses. Terrible week. But this, this.....this is great. This is my favorite Radiohead song. Thank you.
I love the way you do these videos. You let the music play for a while before talking about. It really just feels like we’re hanging out and were showing you some music.
My whole body lights up with goosebumps during this song. One of my all time faves from one of my top 5 bands. I love watching people experience good music. Thank you.