How To Disappear Completely (track)
by Radiohead

From soundguardian 05/24/2013 21:40 | #77062

"How to Disappear Completely (and Never Be Found)" is at once dolorous and beautiful, dissonant and harmonic, and experimental but relateable. The composition is the heart of this piece, which calls for many interesting things. At any given point in the piece (except one particular, important soloed point), there are at least four layers of depth in the texture, and in the way it is executed these layers are all fairly well-balanced and complement one another (for example, the guitar and bass with the vocals floating on top during the front nine of the track). There's always this omnipresent, eerie, unsettling orchestral background throughout the first half of "How to Disappear Completely", too, which matches with the unsettling theme of the lyrics (elaborated further below).

Yorke can attest to the importance of this song. It at least holds a deep resounding meaning to him. When touring to herald the release of OK Computer, Yorke increasingly felt desensitized, alienated, and pressured, now that Radiohead had burst into the eyes of the public, developed a fan base, and was hounded by media and adoring fans. His close consort and peer Michael Stipe of REM fame recommended he imagine he's 'not here' and that 'this isn't happening' every time he walked out onto the stage. This escapist principle could enable Yorke to perform optimally while maintaining his sanity and reserve, and ultimately inspired this song's lyrics. Perhaps he wrote "How to Disappear Completely" after the Glastonbury concert, full of thousands of people and 'strobe lights and blown spearkers', to find humility that he was only one man among billions. The idea of 'floating down the Liffey' derives from Yorke's dream and gives the lyrics an even more lofty air.

In general, though, the lyrics to this song perfectly encapsulate the despondency of a worn, possibly depressed life and a person's physio-psychological response to exasperation with conscious life's hardships. This darkest stage of crestfallen spirit equates to a mentality of inadequacy, unfulfillment, or the violation of equality (when subjected to monotony, a dull humdrum of life, going through the motions). Vigor and self-worth are extinguished, there's no sense of being a citizen contributing to society with a purpose, aspirations, or a bright future. Which in turn leads to a rather complex psychological breakdown, or an existential out-of-body experience, similar to dissociative identity disorder. It's simply a way to isolate one's self away in a special place in the Mind, away from the weight of anxieties or responsibilities, just like Yorke would do when performing in a stadium full of people. It's also a way to step back and consider whether or not one person can be at all significant, or if one can only simply observe as the world expressly twists and shapes the lives of everyone.

It culminates to an improvised section of disorienting, dissonant and asynchronous strings. Naturally, the ear is attuned to harmony and inherently expects resolution to dissonance. This section pushes the boundaries of how long a listener can handle the almost grating discord until balance is restored in a glorious return to harmony. The confusion is like the unnecessary complexities of fitting into society, but eventually harmony is established first with Yorke's vocals alone, with the strings, only seconds ago swirrling in madness, serenely joining into one of the most magical moments in popular music history. It's this play between dissonances and harmonies that makes the song so unique, beautiful and powerful.

Fusing electronica, rock, and classical music is somewhat rare, let alone with a section based on indeterminacy, dissonance, asynchronisity, and randomness. This can be considered an extended technique to composition (like that of, perhaps, John Cage, or his predecessor Henry Cowell), or in other words... "experimentalism", although the word often invokes indefinite or negative sentiments. (Edited)

From corenfro TOP 100 COMMENTER 04/01/2017 01:18 | #188494

My favorite Radiohead song and among my favorite songs of all time. The orchastra, distant percussion, acoustic guitar and Yorke's voice is at it's peak. (Edited)

This song is simply breath taking, easily one of the best off of Kid A along with Idioteque. (Edited)

From Evandar 04/20/2013 21:33 | #74020

A perfect song. So distant, depressing, death-inviting, yet so warm, beautiful, longing, life-affirming. One of the best songs I've ever heard. (Edited)

A harrowing portrayal of disassociation, underscored by dissonant strings and existential cries from Thom Yorke that both weave in and out of each other towards the end of the track like a slowing heartbeat. (Edited)