O Radiohead has become a reference when we talk about sad songs. Through its lyrics and instrumentals full of melancholy, the band was one of those responsible for bringing songs of this type to the mainstream when this was much rarer than today.
Much of this is thanks to Thom Yorkeowner of an impressive voice and an incredible talent for tirelessly composing songs that address more delicate themes.
Recently, Far Out recalled the day the British vocalist revealed which Radiohead song is, in his opinion, the saddest of his entire discography.
Describing “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, one of the group’s most famous tracks in their early career, as “hopeless”, Yorke declared:
I didn’t write it. She wrote herself. We were just her messengers. Her core is a complete mystery to me. I would never try to write something so desperate. All of our saddest songs have somewhere at least a glimmer of resolution – ‘Street Spirit’ has no resolution. It’s a dark tunnel with no light at the end.
The vocalist also made it clear that, for him, even though there are other extremely sad tracks such as “How to Disappear Completely”, “Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was” or the hit “Creep” itself, none will be able to have the same meaning as “Street Spirit”. Do you agree?
Radiohead’s saddest song according to Thom Yorke
The song released in 1995 was a true watershed for Radiohead. When talking about the track, Thom Yorke explained what he needed to do to be able to play it in the group’s performances:
I separate my emotional radar from that song, or I wouldn’t be able to play it. I would break. I would fall apart on stage. This is why the lyrics are just a bunch of mini-stories or visual images, as opposed to a cohesive explanation of their meaning. I used images set to the music that I thought would convey the emotional totality of the lyrics and music working together. This is what ‘all these things can be swallowed whole’ means. I brought the totality of the emotions because I couldn’t articulate the emotions. I would break.
Still talking about the song’s lyrics, he pointed out that many fans “don’t realize that ‘Street Spirit’ is about looking the damn devil right in the eye… and knowing that no matter what the hell you do, he’s going to have the last laugh.” Heavy!
Check out the video for “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” below.
