There was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt...
Radiohead is weird, disturbing... yet has a large assortment of these type of songs. Most of their albums have at least a few examples.
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Pablo Honey
- Overplayed and cliché as it may be, to the point that even the band are sick of it, "Creep" is popular for a very good reason, because its subject matter is all-too familiar.
- While Radiohead's "Creep" is sad in and of itself, this
cover by a homeless man can tug at the heartstrings of even the most resolute of individuals. - Scala & Kolacny Brothers' haunting choral reimagining, as heard in the trailer for The Social Network.
- Even Richard Cheese manages to deliver a heartbreaking rendition, delivered in a sarcastically upbeat style.
- While Radiohead's "Creep" is sad in and of itself, this
The Bends
- "High and Dry" may sound more nostalgic and longing than outright sad, but it certainly qualifies."Kill yourself for recognition, kill yourself to never ever stop..."
- There's a lot of great lines in "Fake Plastic Trees" but especially heartrending is the final verse:"She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love
[...] And it wears me out
It wears me out"- And not to mention:"And I can't help the feeeeeeling
I could blow through the ceeeee-eeeeiling
If I just turn... and run." - And just the lament that he'd be phony if he could for her but he just can't keep up the act."And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time
All the time" - To elaborate: A song lamenting the artificiality of modern life ends with the narrator proclaiming he would be just as fake as everything else to be with his "fake plastic love" if it was possible.
- Even more of a Tear Jerker in Brazil, where it was the soundtrack for a PSA on Down syndrome.
- And not to mention:
- The climax of "Bones".
- The backing vocals to "(Nice Dream)":"If you think that you're strong enough
If you think you belong enough" - "Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was" can usually tug on one's heartstrings, especially if you’ve ever suffered from mental health issues. It describes the narrator’s desire to be stronger emotionally. Don't listen to that song in a depressive mood."Limb by limb and tooth by tooth
Stirring up inside of me
Every day, every hour
I wish that I was bulletproof" - "Black Star". There's something nostalgic-sounding about that central riff that tugs at your heartstrings.
- While the rest of the album is far from happy, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" takes a straight veer into sheer nihilism. What can be gleamed from the disturbing and surreal lyrics suggests an utterly painful message of the meaningless and futility of existence, and how everything that we work towards will "fade out" upon our death. The song ends with the conclusion which, in context, sounds more like a desperate plea to achieve some type of purpose.
Singles
- "Lewis (Mistreated)" has a very catchy and upbeat riff, but the depressing lyrics convey a different message. Thom Yorke even sounds like he's crying (or at least very distressed) when he sings these lyrics:"Don't do it, don't, jump"
- It doesn't help that Thom pauses right before he says "Jump," which might imply he did jump.
OK Computer / OK NOTOK
OK Computer
- From "Paranoid Android":"RAAAAAAAIN DOOOOOOOOOOOOWN...
RAAAAAAAAAIIIN DOOOOOOOOWN
COME ON RAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIN DOOOOOOOOWN...
ON MEEEEEEEEEE..." - "Exit Music (for a Film)". It was written for an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and was directly inspired by the original story itself, so the Tear Jerker quality is imported from a much older source. The broken-sounding, raw vocals at the end are especially gut-wrenching.
- There's a certain emotional heft to the climax, with the way Thom sings and especially this line; think of the source material for this song and just consider what it means:
- "Let Down". As if the subject matter isn't melancholy enough, the "You know where you are..." bit is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful moments in music history.
- These lines also deserve a special mention:"One day I'm going to grow wings
A chemical reaction
Hysterical and useless"
- These lines also deserve a special mention:
- Some people can feel melancholy from listening to "Karma Police"."Karma police
I’ve given all I can, but it’s not enough" - "Fitter Happier" never fails to bring certain people to tears: alongside the ominous dissonant piano, the computer voice describes the "ideal" modern life of someone who conforms so much to social norms they become an Empty Shell:
- The outright creepy "Climbing Up The Walls".Do not cry out or hit the alarm
You know we're friends till we die - "No Surprises" has sent many people into multi-day cascades of melancholy when they actually tried to reconcile the dissonance between the music and the lyrics.
- The little moment of peace at the end just increases the tearjerkiness."Such a pretty house, such a pretty garden"
- The demo version "(No Surprises Please)" is just as tearjerking, considering how fragile Yorke's voice sounds.
- The lyrics seem to depict a man whose life is so unfulfilling he has resigned himself to a dull, boring life. Or worse, he has decided to commit suicide in order to escape the mundanity. It's a cheerful song.
- The little moment of peace at the end just increases the tearjerkiness.
- "Lucky" in itself has a somber, heart-rending effect, but when set to a war child video, the song takes an entirely new light.
- "The Tourist"."Hey man, slow down... slow down..."
OK NOTOK
- "I Promise is a stunning listen. From Thom's falsetto vocals backed by an acoustic riff, the string arrangement and the funeral march-esque drums. The music video makes it more heartbreaking to listen to as it is supposedly inspired by Thom's experience touring OK Computer by depicting a severed head of an android stuck on a bus and looking out on the outside world, trying to form emotions with figures passing by.
- "How I Made My Millions" is one of the band's most emotional and vulnerable songs, considering it takes a rather minimalist approach, being led only by piano with Thom's gentle vocals on top of it to produce a raw, naked sound.
Kid A Mnesia
Kid A
- Everything in Its Right Place:
- "How to Disappear Completely" is a good example. Thom painfully singing, "I'm not here; this isn't happening" is enough to bring many to tears. The lines were actually given to Yorke as a sort of mantra, a way to disconnect himself from a situation, avoiding discomfort, particularly with performing onstage.
- "Motion Picture Soundtrack", the final track, has an air of desperation to it. It's a sad and almost pathetic reconciliation with the rest of the world after the most alien and emotionally tangled album Radiohead has ever put out. Oh, and the angelic harps are killer."It's not like the movies
They fed us on little... white lies"
[...] "I'll see you... in the next life..."- The final line is used to great effect in this particular promotional blip for Kid A which shows the Modified Bear logo as a Polar Bear on a block of ice which after a while begins to sink, sending the bear to its doom as it just stares and blinks at the viewer.
- The OKNOTOK cassette version (while sounding like an outtake of OK Computer) takes a step further where it's just Thom and his piano and the track's missing (and gut-wrenching) third verse is included:
"Beautiful angel
Pulled apart at birth
Limbless and helpless
I can't even recognize you"- Special mention should go towards this hauntingly beautiful brass cover of Motion Picture Soundtrack by The Calgary Stampede Showband in November 2015. This particular cover was recorded at the funeral of member Mackenzie May who sadly took their own life in 2015. The song is usually played by the showband to welcome new members into their troupe, to thank those for their dedication to the troupe or to honor their fallen members. Although admittedly a hard watch, the cover is absolutely beautiful to hear in a brass arrangement, especially the final crescendo of the piece is gut wrenching and heartbreaking yet absolutely stunning, a beautiful tribute to one of their fallen.
- The OKNOTOK cassette version
- The final line is used to great effect in this particular promotional blip
Amnesiac
- Oh sweet God, "Pyramid Song"."... And we all went to heaven in a little rowboat
There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt..."- In the "Live in Praha Concert", Thom dedicates it to Franz Kafka before they play it. The live version featuring Jonny's bowing of his electric guitar makes it all the more haunting.
- The computer-animated video just about matches the depressing lyrics. We're introduced to a man standing on the roof of a skyscraper in the middle of an ocean, revealing he's the last survivor of a flood that destroyed his city, and possibly the rest of the world. Suiting up, he dives into the water and observes the city's sunken ruins. In the end, he swims into what is apparently his family's house, takes a seat, and unplugs his oxygen cord so he can rejoin his loved ones. Quite possibly the most amount of emotion you'll ever feel for a CGI stick figure.
- In the "Live in Praha Concert
- "You and Whose Army?" stands out especially, although it might be closer to Awesome Music.
Amnesiac singles
- The beginning of "Cuttooth". It's not so much the words but the longing way Thom sings it.
Hail to the Thief
- Sail To The Moon:"Sail us to moon"
- "There There". Thom just sounds pained at times, and was allegedly brought to tears after hearing the final mastered version of the song."WEEEEE AAAARRRRREEEEE AAAAACCCCCIIIIIDDDEEENNNTSS!!!
WAAAAATTTTTIIIINNGG!!!
WAAAAATTTTTIIIINNGG!!!
TO HAAAAAAAPPPPPPEEENNM!!!!!" - "I Will". It's essentially a song about how war affects children and is very simplistically depressing in a stripped-down sense, relying on only an isolated guitar and Thom. It was reportedly influenced by news footage of a bomb shelter containing kids and families being destroyed in the first Gulf War. Considering how the birth of Thom's son affected the album as a whole, it's easy to see how heavy the song is in that context."I won't let this happen to my children
Meet the real world coming out of your shell" - "Scatterbrain" has a rather melancholy sound to it.
- "A Wolf at the Door". While it's not as slow and melancholy as most of the songs on this list, it is sung with incredible bitterness and desperation. You can't help but feel the pain in Thom Yorke's voice."Let me back
Let me back
I promise to be good
Don't look in the mirror at the face you don't recognize
Help me, call the doctor, put me inside"- During certain live performances of the song, Thom Yorke actually lies down and curls up in a fetal position during the post-chorus "no no no no no no no no"s.
Com Lag ( 2 + 2 = 5)
- "Gagging Order"... just listen for yourself.
In Rainbows
Original album
- "Nude" is so emotional that it can be seriously tolling on the heart, especially with its having one of Radiohead's most beautiful soundscapes led by an excellently beauteous vocal display from Thom.
- "All I Need" is definitely incredibly melancholy and apathetic.
- And try to watch the video for that song, made by them and an alliance with MTV against child labor.
- "Faust Arp" is crowingly the most heartwarming song of "In Rainbows".
- "Videotape" It's been interpreted as a suicide note in the form of a song, though Thom says it's supposed to be a deathbed message. The final lines, especially, can give some listeners the sniffles:"I can't do it face to face
I'm talking to from miles away
No matter what happens now
I won't be afraid
Because I know
Today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen"
Disk 2
- "Go Slowly" and "Last Flowers to the Hospital" are both incredibly melancholy and beautiful. The latter was originally written during the OK Computer sessions, during the height of Thom's Jerkass reputation and depression."I cannot keep up
Trodding on people's toes
'Snot nosed little punk'
And I can't face the evening straight
And you can't offer me escape" - "Four Minute Warning" seems to be about the narrator's home being bombed. The desperate, self-deceiving lyrics add to the effect."This is just a nightmare
Soon I'm gonna wake up
Someone's gonna bring me round..."
The King of Limbs
- "Codex". It's a slow, brooding song that starts as a Lonely Piano Piece before it gets backed by brass arrangements that sound a few smidgens more upbeat than as if they were playing for a funeral. Then there's the lyrics:"Sleight of hand
Jump off the end
Into a clear lake
No one around
Just dragonflies
Flying to the side
No one gets hurt
You've done nothing wrong
Slide your hand
Jump off the end
The water's clear
And innocent
The water's clear
And innocent" - "Give Up the Ghost" is rather tearjerky, and especially powerful since it's such a stripped down song, only consisting of layers of Thom's voice and an acoustic guitar.
- The From the Basement video album version outdoes the album version's tearjerkiness by a mile.
- "Separator", even though it's arguably the most upbeat and "happiest" song on the album. It's like a lucid dream that you just don't want to wake up from."I wanna slip it over
And get back under
And if you think this is over then
You're wrong"- At the end of the song, the character sings "Wake Me Up": it sounds like he is realizing that this moment of pleasure is just a dream and that the inevitable moment where he wakes up will be more painful the longer he takes pleasure in it.
A Moon Shaped Pool
- "Daydreaming", a beautiful and emotional piano ballad that serves as a pristine mix of Kid A-esque ambience and In Rainbows-esque art rock.
- The ending initially sounds just disturbing, but manages to get sad once you find out what Thom's saying: "half of my life". This is the first Radiohead album made since Thom broke up with his wife after 23 years of marriage. He was 47 years old at the time of the album's release, so he was with his wife for around half of his life.
- "Glass Eyes" could possibly take the place as Radiohead's most beautiful composition ever, featuring Jonny Greenwood's orchestration skills at their finest, accompanied by gorgeous, harp-like piano playing, making for a subtle but aching performance. The song itself is about being on the verge of having a sudden and unexpected panic attack from visiting an unwelcoming new town. Jesus.
- As it soothes and caresses your ears, "Identikit" is very melancholic song. The bridge with beautiful bassline by Colin and ethereal choir doesn't helpBroken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain
Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain
Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain
Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain
Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts
(and then the choir goes)Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain
Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain
Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain
Broken hearts make it rain, broken hearts make it rain - Some people felt sad while listening to "Present Tense" for the good reasons: harmonious guitar duet of Thom and Johnny and the lyrics, which sound even more haunting because of the delayed backing vocalThis dance, this dance
(...this dance, this dance, this dance, this dance, this...)
Is like a weapon, is like a weapon
(is like a weapon, like a weapon)
Of self-defence, of self-defence
(self, self, self.)
Against the present
(against, against, against, against, against, against, against, against...)
Against the present
The present tense
(present tense, present tense.)
No, I won't get heavy, don't get heavy
Keep it light and keep it moving
I am doing no harm
As my world comes crashing down
I'll be dancing, freaking out
Deaf, dumb, and blind. - "True Love Waits". Oh god. There's a reason why people consider it one of Thom's finest moments as a songwriter."I'm not living
I'm just killing time..."- In the context of the album (see above under "Daydreaming"), the line "Just don't leave" is utterly wrenching. The song has existed for over twenty years, but it puts a new spin on the performance featured here.
- A YouTube comment (from the original version of the song) sums it all up best:adamtaylor1739: This [The original version] version is like an optimistic look into the future
The Moon Shaped Pool version is like a regretful look into the past
Other
- "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" was written as a tribute to Harry Patch, the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches during World War I, who has recently passed away.
- "Talk Show Host" can often leave some people feeling depressed.
- The band's music tends to get used in heartbreaking Public Service Announcements like this and this.
- The live version of "Fog"."Where did you go bad...? Did you go bad...?"
- "Harrowdown Hill", Thom Yorke's solo song about the suicide of weapons expert David Kelly."It was a slippery, slippery, slippery slope
I felt me slipping in and out of consciousness
I felt me slipping in and out of consciousness
[...] I feel me--" - They've been known to do brief ambient renditions of already broken songs before playing "Everything in its Right Place" live. Amongst these are R.E.M.'s "The One I Love", Björk's "Unravel", their own "True Love Waits" and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps", the last one of which probably stands out as the most saddening."Wait, they don't love me like I love you, wait, they don't love me like I love you..."
- The documentary film Meeting People Is Easy is rather distressing, especially since it mainly focuses on Radiohead's difficulty dealing with their growing popularity during the OK Computer era. The saddest scenes are subtle, but are still packed with quite the emotion.
- There's one particular scene after the band gets rejected from a club (briefly followed by a group of people harassing Thom, urging him to write a song about the situation and shouting "RADIOHEAD! CREEP! DICKHEAD!" at him), which shows a reverse-playing clip of a stressed out and mentally exhausted Thom wandering around in his hotel room and taking his pills, before zooming in on a note that reads "I'm not here and this isn't really happening..." taped onto his window, while "On Your Own Again" by Scott Walker plays in the background.
- "Spectre", the rejected theme song for the Bond movie of the same name. Apart from the haunting sounds, it basically reads as a summation of James Bond's tragedies and struggles.
- The fact that Thom's now-former wife has passed away makes certain aspects of A Moon Shaped Pool ("Daydreaming", "True Love Waits") a whole lot sadder to listen to.
- The liner notes for this same album include dedications to Scott Johnson - the band's drum tech who was killed in a stage accident in 2011 - and Vic Godrich - the father of the band's producer Nigel Godrich and a sound editor for Doctor Who, who died while the album was being recorded.
We hope... That you choke... That you choke...
