How Radiohead Avoid Clichés In Songwriting: Paranoid Android
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
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Timecodes
0:00 - Intro
1:24 - unborn chicken voices
2:00 - guitars and vocals
2:52 - flanger effect
3:12 - pedal point
3:58 - what's thaaaaaat
5:42 - mixed keys
6:36 - nothing
7:04 - gucci little piggy
8:16 - modulation
9:00 - slapback
9:54 - killswitch
10:56 - you don't remember
12:12 - chromaticism
12:40 - rain down
14:22 - writing process
A big thanks to Mikael Svanberg for helping out with script writing and the acoustic guitar performance.
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The "rain down on me from a great height" phrase is something you might not fully get if you're not English, we have this saying that parents would mostly use as a threat. We say "I'll come down on you from a great height." I would guarantee that's where Thom had that idea from.
Damn even the taunts of english parents on their children sound majestic
@@mau345 he's capping or he lives in Victorian era
best slow part in a rock song ever. so beautiful
"I'll come down on you like a ton of bricks" is the saying. So the rain down part is misery coming down on one like a ton of bricks.
In the lyric insert that came with the album, it’s: “raindownraindown,” “raind down,” “rain down,” “raindownrain” or “raindown.” The lyric book was basically all typos, but also almost entirely accurate, which is rare
For some reason this song evokes really powerful nostalgia for me. It's almost painful, it sends me back in time. It might be the earliest memory of a song that I have, from around when it came out. The music video is definitely part of this effect. I love it though. Weird.
Cool. It's the same for me. I started to listen to this album during a time when I was going through a lot of changes in life. I never really watched the music video, but the song and entire album is like a time machine for me.
music is beautiful aint it
as someone rediscovering popular music from older times, its super interesting looking into this world
I always say Radiohead makes me nostalgic for a life I haven't lived, or a time I haven't experienced. but it's there. it's like bridging timelines or something
The first time I heard paranoid android was in summer of ‘97. I wasn’t a radiohead fan at the time but as soon as I heard it I felt like it was a song I already knew somehow - so familiar like something I recognized from somewhere. I fell in love with it immediately. It was like I found the song I'd been looking for my whole life but never knew I was looking for a song. I bought ok computer as soon as possible and was immediately entranced by them for the next decade plus. That album changed the course of my life.
the effect that greenwood uses in the first section is a small stone phaser, not a flanger :)
It could also be either the Boss PH-2 or PH-3 too. He uses that and the small stone for different settings
@@RuffisInc that could be true for the studio recording, but in live performances he always uses the small stone
You’re right, it’s the Small Stone all the way during that period.
The vintage EHX Small Stones are amazing. I've never heard a phaser like them, not even the old MXRs
@@RuffisInc it's the DOD 401 in this specific song
it kinda shows how much i love radiohead that this song is not even in my top 50 songs and i still love it to death.
Same here they are the only band that I like almost their whole catalog, and even the handful of songs I do not like much I still can appreciate what they are trying to do.it is still interesting.
@@jameshannagan639 Same. And the live performances are a whole other level of brilliance,6 and can make you love songs that may not have grabbed you on listening to the studio tracks. King of Limbs from The Basement is sublime.
So true
there is an English hymn from the 1800's that is exactly the same progression and melody of the first section of paranoid android. was a bit of a surprise when I had to play that at mass.
I always think of them as like Bowie, really good a taking obscure types of music and repackaging for the mainstream audience.
Yeah, I’m a bowie fan and also love Radiohead, this song is one of my favorites . English music has such a great history .
@@laubowiebass i always wished bowie and radiohead could've collaborated
@@finchcarvingadiamond yeah, would have been a dream team!
well, what's the hymn!?
@telekmetyk whats the hymn called?
The reason thom holds on to “what’s that” for so long so the other band members can be more in the foreground. You can notice this in a lot of Radiohead songs. He hangs on to a single note for a long time so the guitars and drums can shine
This is freaky. In the last couple of days I just said to myself man Radiohead has really managed to avoid cliches in lyrics and music through a lot of material.
Haha, what a coincidence. Actually they do have quite a bit in common with other artists at the same time though. They were apparently very inspired by Miles Davies when making OK Computer. Amongst many other things of course. I think it's their depth and variety of inspirations that make their music stand out.
@@LieLikesMusic very good work by the way. Probably the best breakdown of this song that I've seen or read that really helped me tie the music and lyrics into the scene it describes. I had alternate meanings around the lyrics that pertain to my life as Radiohead is so great for allowing for.
Some of the lyrics I find kind of unimpressive but man, I love Thom Yorke wailing “the panic, the vomit, the panic, the vomit” so much. You’re right, they’re immediately *evocative* without being literal or on the nose or overwrought. He gets across his ideas perfectly with just a few carefully chosen words. It’s very impressionistic.
I'm curious, which lyrics do find to be unimpressive
@@miker2314 “What’s that?” for the chorus I find to be pretty uninspired and dull. The “why don’t you remember my name?” portion feels kind of phoned in, repetitive, and uncreative. The “rain down” portion is similarly bland and repetitive. Overall I find them to be really lacking in cleverness and poetry, all except for the ending from “That’s it sir, you’re leaving” on. Suddenly they become very evocative and vivid and they start to click with me. But most of the lyrics sound like low effort ramblings to me personally.
The SONG itself is incredible, though. The music is top notch and is a total masterpiece, melody included-it’s just the words of that melody that I find unimpressive. It’s a real testament to the band’s and Thom Yorke’s talent though, imo, to be able to ramble semi-coherently about “Gucci little piggies” and somehow make that work *so god damn well.* I think the majority of the lyrics are bad, but they still work with the song, and the overall effect is amazing. I think the way the lyrics pull together at the end really helps the overall song, since those graphic and evocative lyrics are what the listener is left with when the song ends, a bitterly sarcastic “God loved his children” being the last words you hear.
@@Jay-qh6uv its interesting you use the word "ramblings" to criticise a song painting the picture of a deeply troubled and paranoid character. I think in that sense theyve accomplished exactly what they set out to.
Totally agree with you.. great song but lyrically not the best
The same way actions and dialogs serve the plot in movies and TV shows, the lyrics serve the music here.
I’m glad people still remember this song
Of course. It's epic af
It's on the radio 24/7 lol
@@LieLikesMusic how's that epic af?
@@Andrew-zb8fn What radio are you listening to nothing good comes on the radio where I’m from
@@ok-ug7ul literally any popular rock radio
Those are some crazy good mspaint skills
Great video Lie, keep it up, you're killing it!
Haha cheers mate! Thanks for watching fellow Fallout fan.
One part that i love from this song is where greenwood switches from guitar to rhodes piano, and suddenly all the percussion noises fade away. its such an amazing change.
I'm surprised you didn't comment more on the 3rd section. The "Rain Down" section. For a lot of people, that's the most beautiful part of the song. There's two really cool ways that section avoids cliche:
#1- Instead of using an actual choir, or a more typical synth substitute, instead they use a mellotron to make the choir sounds, which has this weirdly "human but not quite" feel to the choir, and adds a strangeness to the otherwise traditionally beautiful arrangement. One song I hear a lot of in that section is "Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum.
#2- The 2nd ingenious move is how they composed for the beginning of the melody (the first "rain down") to start one half-key lower than it SOUNDS like it will resolve on at the end of the passage. After the last 'heiiiiggggggghhhhhhtt", the ear thinks it'll resolve a half-key higher than it actually does, which just adds even more unpredictability and peculiarity to the passage.
These two techniques do something that's hard to do, which is keep a very slowly and repeating section of a song actively interesting to listen to. The first movement of Moonlight Sonata does this too, where it has some peculiar and delicate resolutions that provide enough unusualness that the ear welcomes the surrounding slowness of it all.
Radiohead are no doubt masters of composition.
This song has an album's worth of material for most artists packed into it.
This video makes me appreciate this song much more, thank you man!!!
this has to be the most indulgent video analysis ever. "Whats thaaaat?" reminds you of a cliffhanger in a thriller series? stops time? its a great song , but this is nuts.
Okay bruh
OK, computer.
I love it, please do more of these analysis
Nice video! I appreciate how accessible yet substantial you made your analysis. It's a testament to the quality of Radiohead's work that - even so many years removed -so many people here (on CZcams) and elsewhere can analyze this song, and I get something new from it every time.
Hey i'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Nice! I started listening to this song again this week an I’m blown away at how amazing it is.
The first time I heard this song was in my Mom's car on the way to middle school. I remember it freaked me the fuck out. Then I heard it again on the way to my first week of high school before I moved to where I currently live. A song hits you really well the first time you hear it, but the second time I heard it I was losing my shit with frantic joy.
You’re mom listened to good tunes. She didn’t turn the station during the raging guitars making a face like she was sucking a lemoonnnne 🍋.
Ed O'Brien's delay pedal wizardry still amazes me.
The origin of the title is Marvin The Paranoid Android from Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy
This is my favourite song of all time, it is just perfect in any way! Great analysis!
Good video! Really broke down everything great about the song. Quick tip: when your voice track cuts in and out you can hear some audible background white noise. This is easily fixed by using the Noise Reduction feature in Audacity. It doesn't take long but it really helps the audio quality.
Thanks for the tip. I didn't even notice that. There is a noise reduction asset I can use in premiere, my editing software. But for some reason it makes the sound all mangled and weird. So I stopped using it. But definitely worth looking into to up the quality even more
This is some great content, you will give so many great ideas to songwriters looking to learn
This is so cool. I love how you dive in and examine every part of these songs. I don’t know too many people who listen to music the way I do. Sometimes I will listen to an entire song and just focus on the guitar and then next listen just listen to the percussion and it really changes it with some music. It’s so cool how on some songs you can take everything out and just hear the drums or guitar and you could totally recognize it but with other instruments you can’t tell at all which song it is. Anyway, I love these deep dives into these artists or songs and I love how you love so much of the same music as me. I love this channel so much!
Me too, I have to listen to a new song many times each time I'll focus on something else to get the whole picture
Yeah, I like to do that, single each one out several times and then listening to all at once to really get how they interlock and pull a song one way then the other. It's apparently called "classical listening" when you do the latter one I mentioned, but you definitely have to listen to the parts more singled out before doing it (at least doing it coherently takes that, for me at least). I don't think I ever would've learned to do this but because I started playing music and transcribing things by ear it helped me greatly.
Hey man, I think you’ve a dead pixel on your camera, it doesn’t show on clips you play but it’s right in the middle of your face and it stay in the same point even on zooms and different shots
I think you’ve seen it in the editing process but still fair pointing it out
Great vid btw, very nice explanation
Love lyrics in Radiohead huge inspiration for more subtlety/depths in songwriting
awesome video, and your drawings are absolutely adorable
Really awesome that you play the parts that you're talking about. Most CZcamsrs just play the whole track and it can be difficult to mentally pull out a thing when you're not quite sure of what's being described.
Hey thanks for that
Jonny’s luthier built a custom on-off “kill switch” into his Tele Plus, which is what he uses during the first part of that solo. He uses it in some other songs, too.
This video is soo good to be free, very nice work!! Love from italy
The verse: "when I am king, you will be first against the wall"
My god, I know that feeling all too well...
I dont know why, but it sounds to me like some sort of a fanfiction.
@@amargabela7018 Well, it is from a book called hitch hikers guide to the Galaxy so that might be why, infact the entire song was inspired by that book
Great video, nicely edited and super informative thanks loved it ❣❣
Thank you
I really enjoyed this video. Paranoid Android is a great song.
Those are such pretty guitars dude!
Terrific vid on a terrific song.
Ur videos are always so good man keep it up !!!
Cheers, glad you enjoy them :)
Thanks for the tip about using volume/bridge selection as a cut out.
great analysis! paranoid android needed a video like this
edit: i would just like to add that the first bit of the song and the chorus are in G dorian not G minor.
the verse chords are basically Cm(iv) and Gm(i) with a lot of bass note movement.
and then the pedal point part comes in and give us the last clue about dorian: A#Mb5/E - Asus4/E - Em7. (the note E here being the 6th degree of the G dorian scale)
and in the chorus we get: Gm6(i) - FM13(bVII) - E7(V of ii)
which gives the song a lot of unresolved tension and adds to the whole idea.
Why are all German people great at analysing music? Hehe. Thanks for your input! I'm still learning music theory, so it's not my strong suit. More of a technique freak.
@@LieLikesMusic man this was a banger video!
music is so much more than some nerdish theory nonsense and you captured so many important points about the song here.
glad i found such a great channel. keep it up!
@@actuallythepie Thanks again. I sure will.
amazing video
fantastic video man
great video!! 👏🏾👏🏾💕💕
Great video. I have discovered your channel recently and I find your content vv interesting!
Awesome, thanks for stopping by. More vids are on the way.
Awesome video man.
Thanks. Glad you liked it.
wonderful job explaining the intricacies of this song. Thank you!❤️
good video! I`d like so much the graphic objects that you use for explain. I´m just getting know your channel (this is the third video that I saw) and really like it. saludos from Chile
Amazing!!
I LOVE the way you play
Thank you. Creds goes to my friend Mikael as well for playing the acoustic guitar
love that better call saul coffee cup on your left!
by far one of the most under rated content creators on this site
That's very nice of you. What's a good game you've played recently?
@@LieLikesMusic I've been playing Metal Gear Solid 5
I always thought the, 'Rain down, from a great height' part sounded like someone going through depression.
A nice look into a bit of the brilliance that is Radiohead. BTW, love the Golden Sun poster on the door lol. Takin it back!
Thanks for the kind words. And yes Golden Sun is one of my favorite game series of all time.
It's a small stone phaser instead of a flanger as mentioned. Bit a difference for those who want to replicate it properly.
great video, mate! radiohead is one of my favorite bands in terms of composing unusual melodies and filling the song with little yet important details, also its interesting that i have this same black guitar, does anyone knows it's name?
awesome!!!!!
For some reason, I usually don't understand or know the lyrics of the sounds of my favorite bands. I'm French so understanding song is pretty hard, but really, Radiohead's song are something else. I read the lyrics online, but i just can't remember them, Karma police first verse, Black Star and Man of war the exception (it's my favorite song so I had to learn the lyrics lmaoo) but yeah, apart from the chorus, and a few lines of my favorites, I can't understand the lyrics so thank you for this video
Awesome breakdown dude 💯💯
Hey Tim. Wassup? Thanks for the kind words.
Dope Golden Sun poster!
I know this to be utterly random but people fail to recognise the impact the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy has on Radiohead music at this thing.
Planet Telex is a planet they try to colonise. OK Computer is a phrase uttered all the time in the story, a prompt almost exactly the same as “Hey Siri/Google”, to get the “computer” to do something. Marvin the Paranoid Android is one of the main characters. Hell even the breakdown into Happier Healthier is pretty much the same as the spaceship decelerating on the 8O’s TV show.
They’re amazing at taking one idea and redirecting it. For example a noisy LA bar full of wankers being a metaphor for societal breakdown being caused by, greed, hubris & ignorance.
That's interesting. I heard the book is great so i'll get a hold of it at some point. Thanks for pointing this out.
me: Spots Better Call Saul cup
Lie Likes Music: **plays basic A chord**
I could have sworn the chorus is “what’s there?” not “what’s that?”, need to dig out my old CD for the lyrics to be sure.
“What’s there?” sounds more existential and less specific to me. 🤔
I thought the same
But it's what's that
I still refer to it as what's there
Fits better in my eyes.
What's with the white dot, is it just dirt on the lens? e.g. over the face (under the eye) at 9:22
They're releasing a new album (kind of) this Friday - KID AMNISIA
Don't know why I'm mentioning this I guess I'm just really excited
Yeah,I'm excited for it. I guess it's material from their Kid A and Ammesiac era. Hence the title. Maybe?
Yea I'm excited for it too. Hope there are some gems on there
Only three new songs right?
@@kvr8986 there's about 10 it's a new album that goes with the remastered version of kid a and amnesiac
I'm kind of resentful that as a fan, I want the bonus disc but I obviously own the albums.
I really like the music at the end of the video, what is it?
The first verse "please could you..." refers to the recording session in a remote mansion. It is actually Yorke trying to get some rest while the band was rehearsing downstairs. According to an interview it is a verse out of context that blended into the song.
That’s funny because you’d think they’d all be aware of that problem and would all have fantastic ear plugs to use when trying to sleep! But then again I’m not surprised. They’re musical geniuses but might lose their glasses 15 times a day 😁
Hey Lie Likes Music, I love Radiohead and they are my favorite band!!!!
Same
Nice Les Paul, I have the same one!
This is off topic, but I didn't expect to see a poster of my favorite game in your video, it's always nice to see someone out there, still appreciating this underrated game.
Edit : oh shoot i forgot to mention that the game is golden sun, the poster is at the wall
Noticed the golden sun, subbed
It's a fantastic game series. Thanks!
ok, says the one who thinks the end of the information album is unexciting. Radiohead is a cliché itself
what year is your guitar?
Better call saul mug, nice!
Great series! I'm looking forward to season 6 next year
@@LieLikesMusic 100%, shaping up to be an explosive season!
Intro make me remember Nova Tristan theme from Diablo 2
I tried to clean a dot on the middle top of the screen but it is from the video.
Johnny greenwood uses small stone which is a phaser, not a flanger by the way 😊
Does anyone know what live show he uses
2:55 "Better Call Saul!"
Nice
I always thought Jonny used a phaser pedal?
He is using a phaser pedal! I dunno how “Lies” got it wrong, it’s been documented everywhere and it even sounds like a phaser
@@jonahlouque9621 guess you can say he made a Lie
I'll see myself out
@@typicalfurry2747 Comedian in the house
@@jonahlouque9621 yeah. And theirs *A Wolf At The Door*
It's definitely a phaser. It could be an EHX small stone, DOD, or one of the boss phasers he's known for using them all. I hear a small stone, personally.
is that cover of an aphex twin song in the end?
You're talking about Radiohead and there's a Golden Sun poster in the background. That, alone, gets a subscribe.
Great band and great game eh? I actually sat down to play the game again recently. So nostalgic
Jon and Ed. That's how.
Impressive Appraisal - IA
My favorite band!
Great. They're definitely in my top 10 somewhere.
@@LieLikesMusic cool😋
Imagination is more important than knowledge Einstein !!!!
So basically Radiohead is goated imagine the effort they or only yorke made is something, that’s why I love Radiohead
From most videos I’ve seen they seem to try out parts on each other as a group but most footage I’ve seen. They’re all just too good at what they do that someone may think of a melody or bass line and they each release their magic. Ok the end of that sentence wasn’t the best😂
Just me who thought i had a dead pixel on my screen when watching this? Damn you cam
2:56 Saul Goodman moment
bro tried to sneak in saul goodman theme
Thought he was saying, "What's THIS?"
I love this song but these type of deep dive videos make me chuckle - I can only think that these YT dudes have never written a song without spending countless hours studying song writing techniques etc. I don't think Radiohead put anywhere near the thought into this as you are trying to make out - many times it's just like "hey that sounds good lets do that" and then maybe analyse it afterwards. Sometimes lyrics will just fit the flow of the song and then you will try and make sense of it later - the whole creative process is usually about instinct, feel and emotion not academic study. The Beatles are a classic example of this
Totally agree
He did mention it around 14:25
i was always under the impression that Rain is a play on Reign, as we have already established kings its almost a feeling of oppression. I think in the same way the Pigs are a nod to Pink Floyds pigs also are figures of authority
2:56 is Slippin’ Jimmy
The only thing I hate about these types of videos is that the people making them make each guitar lick or sound has a whole meaning of it own when it’s not like that at all 😂
It's mostly a way to make it seem like the band/ song is deeper than it is. When in reality, most talented musicians and artists I talk to just go: "this sounds awesome, let's add/keep that"
Not to say that you cannot think it has or adds meaning, but that happens in the mind of the listener.
Yeah, also a lot of the theory was lacking or just wrong. Oh well
@@nilsolofleif8886 the feeling evoked by the music is immediately evident to listeners, but that doesn't mean there is no value in trying to figure out why it makes us feel the way it does. Music theory is not made up. Certain chord patterns and techniques can consistently evoke a certain type of feeling.
@@samueljett7807 pray tell, which parts were incorrect
@@nilsolofleif8886 Imagine believing Radiohead weren’t intentional in how they composed their music. Bless your little heart
You should really do How To Disappear Completely analysis
Progressive rock: hello
'Off with his head'/'Off with their heads' is a reference to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Hearts_(Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland)
But he doesn't say what's that the lyric is what's there?
He does. He just says it really weirdly on the studio version
Here before you break to the million of views
What’s that? Or what’s this?