This sounds very egyptian, even the 'pyramid song' title hahaha though the video doesn't reflect it, I picture this song in my mind as someone in a boat down the nile, with some imaginary images of the pyramids and the egiptian life, his life, which occurs while he goes through the river, and the river ends inside a pyramid, with the person in a sarcophagus, and his story to be told in the walls
The song is in 4/4. To understand the drum pattern though, I find it easier to break the rhythm into quarter notes (16/4), which is what Phil's ride signature is (count it out loud). The pattern is then 123-123-12-123-123-12 (the last 1,2 is a drum fill). However, to get the swing feel and the snare pattern, use a 32-beat measure - play it 6/8,6/8,4/4,6/8,6/8,4/4 and repeat... clear as mud?! There is nothing to fear, nothing to doubt...
@InglouriousBasterd Thanks alot. I also got the rythm pattern to be 6/8 6/8 4/4 by listening to the drums. But i didn't get that the whole song was actually in 4/4. Thx, it cleared out alot. :)
@tonyttt31 That depends on whether you think of Radiohead as a band or the people behind the music. I prefer saying Radiohead IS, as Radiohead for me is a band = therefore the singular form of the verb........ If you think of Radiohead as people, you could say Radiohead ARE. But that for me would be very wrong to say.
who cares timing its just a good son either way, and this doesnt sound very pop is its more of a slight wing so it wont have any exact measurement really
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Its a tad depressing its seems perfect song played over footage of soldiers getting treated by medics in vietnam or afghanistan to try save their lives after getting blew up or shot.
Ok, this is ridiculous. The song is NOT in a weird time signature! It's in 4/4, but the syncopation makes it appear otherwise. There are several analysis's of this song musically, and if you know how to count it, it really is in 4/4. Regardless, one of my favorite songs ever. The melody is the most incredibly evocative collections of notes ever committed to record. A true shame they weren't quite able to keep up this level of immediate beauty in their (undeniable still great) later work.
That's what I meant though, people were trying to count it as different time signatures than 4/4, regardless, I think songs like Reckoner were the closest they've come since then, but I was more pointing towards the fact that HttT was a bit spotty, but still brilliant for the most part. In Rainbows was great but for some reason a few of the songs I have a bit of difficulty wrapping my head around melodically. Tunes like Reckoner, 15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Nude, and Weird Fishes I can dig though.
I've seen it written in 4/4 and alternating 6/8 - 9/8 time. Traditionally Pop music is almost always written in 4/4 time with notes that carry across bars with ties. Both work, it just depends how the musician wants to read it. I'm wondering... does Radiohead write their music first or like other Pop musicians do they sit down, jam it out and write it later? That will determine the only "right" answer here I think.
Bands today are not apreciated for their musical ability or talent, just by how plain and boring they can make their music, and how they look on camera. Radiohead are some of the most unbelievable musicians I have ever seen, but their appeaarance and creativity has kept massive fame and glory from them, a crime and also a blessing. I will go to my grave loving this extrordinary group.
smacku666: what on earth are you talking about? radiohead is one of the most well known alternative rock bands still in existence, they were even featured on an episode of south park!... even after they changed styles they still sell out venues all over the world
@smacku666 I don't really understand your comments. Radiohead are one of the most famous bands in the world. I don't think their image has held them back at all.
@smacku666 Really. Radiohead hasn't acheived massive fame and glory? What planet do you live on? They are one of the biggest most artistically regarded bands in music. No offense, but they don't need you lamenting for them. They're doing fine.
@wearethespies I completely agree with what you said. No one wants an amazing band like Radiohead to be famous, deep down, because it ruins the "cool" image for them. The thing is..Thom Yorke thinks thats bullshit. While people are acting like Thom Yorke and the gang are just too cool to be famous, they are really contradicting themselves. Radiohead's fame is a great thing. They deserve it all. Its not like they're selling out. They're too good for that.
i think this is bad-ass, since i, myself am a dad. i'd love to think i could be appreciated thusly. i know privately what i do for my child, but if, for example she could thank me for the gift of kenny loggins (i kid). for real: pixies, smiths, certain phases of synthpop, m83, need i mention radiohead, boards of canada, my bloody valentine, &c.
cried the first 40 seconds when I first heard it 4 years ago and ever since then Ive been a big radiohead after my uncle gave me kid A and Amnesiac, then went out and bought Hail to the theif
It's 5/8, 8/8, 6/8, 8/8, 5/8... per rhyme. So "i jumped in the river what did I see? black-eyed angels swam with me" is in that signature. As for the rest... my head asploded before I could count it out.
The deepest song I have ever heard. It doesn't matter where you are from, no matter waht language you speak, just the melody of this song is so powerful... It makes feel alive even though it seems to be about death. Is almost too good, it makes you think and feel too much, which could be dangerous sometimes. Its like a damn drug...
I know your feeling, I'm also terrified about death, but I guess that means we value and love life, which is good. We should try to enjoy it as much as we can (something that is sometimes easier said than done), but that is life, you get the whole Contract and death is part of it...
this song is about death. it's about realizing that you don't belong in this world anymore, you can't survive in the world you used to own, and that the time for running from the rising waters is over. it's time to let go. and there's nothing to fear in that. you accept death, cut the oxygen, and find peace.
One word WOW. Radiohead is amazing(and that's only part of it)its so sad though...*sigh*Thom Yorke is a Genius;it truly is a masterpiece,takes you someplace else beyond the obvious reality we live in.Go Radiohead!
this vid is based on a dream Tom had, and its about a creature whose friends and family had all died who wants to die in the comfort of his home which is undersea and he has no fear of death hence the lyrics nothing in fear, nothing in doubt so yeah this song is about death and i did notice the drum intro... is great :O)
Also it's so refreshing to see a video on youtube where nearly everybody who left a comment not only had something intelligent to say but didn't start any long and pointless arguments.
Again this song and video are simply musical perfection.
Wow, I can't even imagine that someone would say that. Don't get me wrong, I like Coldplay a lot, but there is another huge level of genius to Radiohead that is above Coldplay and above so many artists.
I challenge you to convince any hardcore Radiohead fans to find another musical group that emits such beautiful passion from song.
It's quite easy: The song is in 4/4, and is split into this amount of 1/16th beats for each note:
3 3 4 3 3
3 3 4 3 3
and so on
it's easier to hear when the drums come in, because then every ride cymbal counts as 1/8th of a beat.
I'm going to try to arrange this piece for my group, as it's my favourite piece of all time, it seems. I myself can play it on the piano already; I just think my fellows won't be able to manage this...
he switches between playing the note on the downbeat and the upbeat... makes it really hard to follow. It's 3 on the downbeat to start then pause, continues on the upbeat, then after 4 goes back to the downbeat without a pause... I think
This song sounds so unique, the beat is very dynamic and thats what I like about is song. I don't know how to count the beat though lol. I also like the chords and the mood. I don't understand the lyrics though, but lyrics don't matter in music anyways. I think I am going to make a song just like this.
I've pondered the question of the time signature of this song for years and have come to the conclusion that it's in groups of three bars that go 5/4, 11/4, 5/4, and repeat (i.e 1-2-3-1-2, 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2, 1-2-3-1-2). The trick is to listen to the drums rather than the piano, which is on the off-beat a lot of the time. Listen for the tapping of the cymbals. Abnormal rhythms have become more important to Radiohead over the years - witness the use of 5/4 in "Morning Bell" and "15 Step".
i thought it was in 4/4?.. at least that's how it is in the official sheet music. i know, it's pretty hard to believe that something that sounds so complicated can actually be in 4/4, but it works, and it's there in the sheet music..
Took me a while to figure it, but it's 4 (or 8... same difference). Thom "knows" what time it's in... he feels it... but would not know how to notate it (i.e. what the "time signature" is).
It's very much like my bandmates and their Jethro Tull playing. None of them, except me and the bass player know how to read music. Yet the band leader (Vance - my vids are uploaded / I'm on drums - he plays the weirdest time signatures, and does them consistently - and well).
Here's one way to look at it. Listen to where the drums start riding the cymbal (more or less). There are 16 of those rides that encompass the whole cycle. So if we call those "eighth notes" (the note with one flag on it... normally eight of them in one measure of 4/4), we have two measures of 4/4 across the whole cycle. (or one measure of 8/4, as ChristiaanC points out below).
The trick is that the pulses on piano are appox halfway between those eight notes.
The "regular" (more or less) cymbal ride I'm talking about starts around 2:17-2:18.
The piano pulses are in terms of these eight note rides on the cymbal:
(1.5 1.5) 2 (1.5 1.5) (repeat)
Or in notation, two dotted eights, a quarter note, and two more dotted eights.
Now to make it worse... these are not "straight eights", but "swung eights". Each eighth note is itself made of little 3s... little triplets. So it's really..
From wiki: ""If someone lays the notes on a page in front of me, it's meaningless... because to me you can't express the rhythms properly like that. It's a very ineffective way of doing it, so I've never really bothered picking it up."
My outline of exactly how it works is a case in point. What's going on in the head is much more "organic".
One last comment, I promise. I just noticed "thatboneguy's" explanation, and it's an equivalent way of expressing the same thing. In a way, more elegant. Add the numerators you get 24. This is the same as 3:2:3, where each of those numbers is a triplet (swung - giving it the jazz feel). Multiply those numbers by 3 gives you 9:6:9.
(and 24 is 6x4, so it can be simply notated in 4/4, with the word "swing" on it to convey they're not straight eigths).
1st chord (F#) on beat 1, and it repeats on "li" of 2, then the next chord (G7) is held through the 2 pulses of measure 2. The next measure has the same rhythm as the 1st measure, except the chord is A6.
The the 1st meas of the next line is A6 and then G7. The 2nd meas is a G7. The 3rd meas is F#, F#.
The 1st meas of the next line is F#, F#. 2nd meas: Eadd9. 3rd meas: Eadd9, Eadd9.
hmmm. i don't quite get that interpretation of the rhythm, although it adds up. i usually just count "[chord],2,3" or "[chord],2,3,4" so i guess my way of counting out the rhythm in terms of time sigs is:
3/8, 3/8, 4/8, 3/8, 3/8
3/8, 3/8, 4/8, 3/8, 3/8
...so two of those measures correspond to each line of lyric. this is how i count out the intro, with the counts between each chord:
I remember the first time I heard this song. Until today I never understood what the lyrics were about, but the music struck me. Also this video makes me some kind of sad, the prime character's loneliness as he finally sits in the old chair.
I'm curious how the band got the idea of the offbeat pattern for the piano. It's even for a pro-musician hard to find the beat in it at first.
I flipped past a History channel program on UFOs that was talking about dancing lights over the ocean and immediately had to come on youtube and watch this video again. Damn near perfect in every respect.
This sounds very egyptian, even the 'pyramid song' title hahaha though the video doesn't reflect it, I picture this song in my mind as someone in a boat down the nile, with some imaginary images of the pyramids and the egiptian life, his life, which occurs while he goes through the river, and the river ends inside a pyramid, with the person in a sarcophagus, and his story to be told in the walls
zubieta 2 weeks ago
i listened 2 this laying in thje sun watching the clouds go by, it sounded so good had 2 play it again and again
adrianlane2 6 months ago
This song sounds totally different when you are high (or at least it does to me),
otherwise it seems like the singer is skipping words :) Excellent stuff nonetheless. Peace.
...There was noting to fear, nothing to doubt...
nolimetangerex 1 year ago 2
I used to listen to this on the way to the bustop, in freezing cold wind and surrounded by busy traffic.
impossiblymelodic 1 year ago 2
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SkyAllViolet 1 year ago
everything in its right place ripoffish
essahrocks 1 year ago
@essahrocks How do you come to that conclusion?
clearyoeyez311 1 year ago
@clearyoeyez311 iv played both songs on the guitar they are same chords almost same progressin
essahrocks 1 year ago
Can we meet ? London.
TheEraserA 1 year ago
the beginning of the song is simply epic, makes me feel cry...
AdamIno86 1 year ago
Maybe the best rock/pop song ever. In my opinion, of course.
sebatorress 1 year ago
i think its about global warming flooding the planet .... lotsa dead people and..water and he only survives cuz hes on the tallest building
tprime999 1 year ago
@tprime999 thats what literaly happens in the video - not what the song actually means?
rogums 1 year ago
greatest vid of all time.. above average band!!
LITmonthly 1 year ago
The song is in 4/4. To understand the drum pattern though, I find it easier to break the rhythm into quarter notes (16/4), which is what Phil's ride signature is (count it out loud). The pattern is then 123-123-12-123-123-12 (the last 1,2 is a drum fill). However, to get the swing feel and the snare pattern, use a 32-beat measure - play it 6/8,6/8,4/4,6/8,6/8,4/4 and repeat... clear as mud?! There is nothing to fear, nothing to doubt...
InglouriousBasterd 1 year ago 4
@InglouriousBasterd Thanks alot. I also got the rythm pattern to be 6/8 6/8 4/4 by listening to the drums. But i didn't get that the whole song was actually in 4/4. Thx, it cleared out alot. :)
namemename 1 year ago
Radiohead ARE. Not Radiohead IS.
tonyttt31 1 year ago
lol that comment was expected from a radiohead fan
cgm7189 1 year ago
A band is a unit.
passiveMenis 1 year ago
@tonyttt31 That depends on whether you think of Radiohead as a band or the people behind the music. I prefer saying Radiohead IS, as Radiohead for me is a band = therefore the singular form of the verb........ If you think of Radiohead as people, you could say Radiohead ARE. But that for me would be very wrong to say.
namemename 1 year ago
who cares timing its just a good son either way, and this doesnt sound very pop is its more of a slight wing so it wont have any exact measurement really
Ducklord444 2 years ago
sounds like a song that just came out recently but i cant remember which one
CharlieRottenCore 2 years ago
The beautiful art of decay. Diving down into the deep subconcious past of disturbance is so peaceful. Thank you Radiohead.
mwadevilg 2 years ago 2
This is beautiful. I love dreams when they're like this.
WerewolfMorgue 2 years ago 2
me too
assroads 2 years ago
el mundo es un mundo mejor gracias a que existe la musica de radiohead.
SebasMoren 2 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Its a tad depressing its seems perfect song played over footage of soldiers getting treated by medics in vietnam or afghanistan to try save their lives after getting blew up or shot.
chromedagger 2 years ago
this song make me feel spirit
freakmoth 2 years ago
shynola the great!!
kcfd3s 2 years ago
this might just be Radiohead's best song
dan564891 2 years ago 6
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This song proves that God exists.
MagusGod 2 years ago
No, this song only proves that there's no need for any god... ¬¬ xD
animaulet2 2 years ago 7
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Your bird intelligence is no match for my people intelligence.
GOD EXISTS GG.
MagusGod 2 years ago
hahahaha yes... i'm sure you think that... be happy :) xDDD
animaulet2 2 years ago
AND VICE VERSA! xD
MagusGod 2 years ago
or it just proves that radiohead is brilliant
franzferdinand345 2 years ago
w.o.w.
abannana1184 2 years ago
i love this song
leurbantoaster 2 years ago 2
Ok, this is ridiculous. The song is NOT in a weird time signature! It's in 4/4, but the syncopation makes it appear otherwise. There are several analysis's of this song musically, and if you know how to count it, it really is in 4/4. Regardless, one of my favorite songs ever. The melody is the most incredibly evocative collections of notes ever committed to record. A true shame they weren't quite able to keep up this level of immediate beauty in their (undeniable still great) later work.
Schpoonfish 2 years ago
"Weren't"? Don't bring your past-tenses here, g.
I kinda prefer it when songs take a while for me to 'get'. The magic lasts longer.
penguinworm 2 years ago 3
Reckoner? ...no?
bleh9999 2 years ago
What do you mean 'if you know how to count it'?
It's simply 1 2 3 4... but still an awesome song, easy to play, easy to sing, yet still so brilliant.
gazzaguff 2 years ago
That's what I meant though, people were trying to count it as different time signatures than 4/4, regardless, I think songs like Reckoner were the closest they've come since then, but I was more pointing towards the fact that HttT was a bit spotty, but still brilliant for the most part. In Rainbows was great but for some reason a few of the songs I have a bit of difficulty wrapping my head around melodically. Tunes like Reckoner, 15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Nude, and Weird Fishes I can dig though.
Schpoonfish 2 years ago
Its not, it has a odd time signature, i think its 12/8 with swung eights and think the fills are in 3/4 time
dickies1922x 2 years ago 2
I'm pretty sure it's a two measures of two and a measure of 3.
Ilovemyfender2 2 years ago
@Ilovemyfender2 ive got the sheet music and its what i wrote earlier so ill stick with that
dickies1922x 2 years ago
@Ilovemyfender2
Count it like this 3 2 3 3 2 3... it's in 4/4 but the syncopated patterns seem to confuse everyone...
MaNiAtA2 1 year ago
I've seen it written in 4/4 and alternating 6/8 - 9/8 time. Traditionally Pop music is almost always written in 4/4 time with notes that carry across bars with ties. Both work, it just depends how the musician wants to read it. I'm wondering... does Radiohead write their music first or like other Pop musicians do they sit down, jam it out and write it later? That will determine the only "right" answer here I think.
ThatDesignGirl 2 years ago
Pop is often in non-4/4.
It's not alternating 6 and 9, it would be 9-6-9-9-6-9
More likely if classically written it would be "3+2+3/8" which avoids all ties over the bar lines.
LondonProphet 2 years ago
Radiohead is not 'pop' music.
Jasn1111 2 years ago 3
radiohead is absolutely one of the 10 best bands ever
huavospatodos 2 years ago 9
agree with you...and who are the rest, by the way?
rene0g0ade 2 years ago
beatles, zeppelin, pink floyd.
personally i have others but they just dont look right here beside those bands!
anyone else care to continue?
ambrosia14 2 years ago
make that 1
sfcwarners 2 years ago
so sad
anderfisch3 2 years ago
The best sad song I've ever heard !
so beautiful but full of sadness !
doras666 2 years ago 5
this song is in 4/4
Kevosk 2 years ago
I played this the other night, walking home in the rain. Got soaked and it was worth every step.
runts101 2 years ago 44
wow, me too.. i was walking to work one morning and as the drums kicked in, it started pouring.. one of the coolest moments ever, i got chills
SimMaster 2 years ago 3
@runts101 Beautiful comment- beautiful song.
killkittykill85 1 year ago
@runts101 cool story bro
trollingforpoo 11 months ago
Comment removed
radioportis 2 years ago
Bands today are not apreciated for their musical ability or talent, just by how plain and boring they can make their music, and how they look on camera. Radiohead are some of the most unbelievable musicians I have ever seen, but their appeaarance and creativity has kept massive fame and glory from them, a crime and also a blessing. I will go to my grave loving this extrordinary group.
smacku666 2 years ago 27
To true
liquidfreak 2 years ago
smacku666: what on earth are you talking about? radiohead is one of the most well known alternative rock bands still in existence, they were even featured on an episode of south park!... even after they changed styles they still sell out venues all over the world
troublesaway 2 years ago 8
@smacku666 I don't really understand your comments. Radiohead are one of the most famous bands in the world. I don't think their image has held them back at all.
CardinalJim 1 year ago
@smacku666
i'm not a religious guy but the only words that came to my mind when i read your comment were :"Amen"
lord2313 1 year ago
@smacku666 Really. Radiohead hasn't acheived massive fame and glory? What planet do you live on? They are one of the biggest most artistically regarded bands in music. No offense, but they don't need you lamenting for them. They're doing fine.
wearethespies 1 year ago 4
@wearethespies lol
TheCohen2008 1 year ago
@wearethespies I completely agree with what you said. No one wants an amazing band like Radiohead to be famous, deep down, because it ruins the "cool" image for them. The thing is..Thom Yorke thinks thats bullshit. While people are acting like Thom Yorke and the gang are just too cool to be famous, they are really contradicting themselves. Radiohead's fame is a great thing. They deserve it all. Its not like they're selling out. They're too good for that.
YarblesYarblesYarble 1 year ago
@smacku666 Radiohead are one of the biggest bands in the world and are multi millionaires. What are you talking about?
RoboDouche 1 year ago
sorry, i meant it's 8/8. 8/8 people, count. 3 3 2.
Ambercat90 2 years ago
Comment removed
Ambercat90 2 years ago
The first three are 13/8 11/4 and 4/4.
4woffd4 2 years ago
I love Radiohead.
Ever since my dad got me into them.
thgirlskater31797 2 years ago
i think this is bad-ass, since i, myself am a dad. i'd love to think i could be appreciated thusly. i know privately what i do for my child, but if, for example she could thank me for the gift of kenny loggins (i kid). for real: pixies, smiths, certain phases of synthpop, m83, need i mention radiohead, boards of canada, my bloody valentine, &c.
hookysun 2 years ago
cried the first 40 seconds when I first heard it 4 years ago and ever since then Ive been a big radiohead after my uncle gave me kid A and Amnesiac, then went out and bought Hail to the theif
RADIOHEAD FAN FOR LIFE
ElBandido321 2 years ago 6
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS TIME SIGNATURE?!
psychomonkey62 2 years ago 2
It's 5/8, 8/8, 6/8, 8/8, 5/8... per rhyme. So "i jumped in the river what did I see? black-eyed angels swam with me" is in that signature. As for the rest... my head asploded before I could count it out.
Zimbabweland 2 years ago
don't mind these people.
throughout the entire song, the time signature is 16/8. count it out.
thewhaleking92 2 years ago
The deepest song I have ever heard. It doesn't matter where you are from, no matter waht language you speak, just the melody of this song is so powerful... It makes feel alive even though it seems to be about death. Is almost too good, it makes you think and feel too much, which could be dangerous sometimes. Its like a damn drug...
hiphopispoop 2 years ago 4
I know what you mean...This is my first time hearing this song and my heart is beating really fast!
iTSMEE01 2 years ago
great song, very peaceful....
lzrdkng19 2 years ago
Esta rola es diamante puro...
Yorkoholic 2 years ago
Incredible. Got no other word to describe it with.
1ll1dar1 2 years ago 4
this song makes me feel cold
etheoreal 2 years ago 2
amazing...
justmelisa2006 2 years ago 3
Thom Yorke said this was a "good vibe" song... but it's actually really depressing. At least for me and others who are afraid of death.
Zimbabweland 2 years ago
I know your feeling, I'm also terrified about death, but I guess that means we value and love life, which is good. We should try to enjoy it as much as we can (something that is sometimes easier said than done), but that is life, you get the whole Contract and death is part of it...
hiphopispoop 2 years ago 2
it is a passage
marticus9 2 years ago
Beautiful, just simply beautiful
Minou1414 2 years ago 3
best radiohead song ever!!!
luciferswife1234 2 years ago 2
this song is about death. it's about realizing that you don't belong in this world anymore, you can't survive in the world you used to own, and that the time for running from the rising waters is over. it's time to let go. and there's nothing to fear in that. you accept death, cut the oxygen, and find peace.
eldavoballyboy 2 years ago 11
Thanks eldavoballyboy, I actually didn't understand the video until I read your comment.
OnlyGoodwin 2 years ago
how do you know ? I like your interpretation
mmanoob 2 years ago
absolutely beautiful
eldavoballyboy 2 years ago 2
My favourite song. Ever.
libelle156 2 years ago 2
One word WOW. Radiohead is amazing(and that's only part of it)its so sad though...*sigh*Thom Yorke is a Genius;it truly is a masterpiece,takes you someplace else beyond the obvious reality we live in.Go Radiohead!
SleepinButifly 2 years ago
A masterpiece.
Jamilia303 3 years ago 3
I love what they did with the timing of this song, It reminds me of a daycare center with some toddlers banging on some instruments. its really good.
postpatrol 3 years ago
emotional bomb....
semacomer 3 years ago
this vid is based on a dream Tom had, and its about a creature whose friends and family had all died who wants to die in the comfort of his home which is undersea and he has no fear of death hence the lyrics nothing in fear, nothing in doubt so yeah this song is about death and i did notice the drum intro... is great :O)
bitingolive 3 years ago
god number two..
Carloscmsk8 3 years ago
the efect in the minute 2:56 is fuckin awesome!!!!
ip188888 3 years ago
Comment removed
YourLuckyBreak 3 years ago
Just the timing of this song... genius. Its got to be about death.
templeofcoy 3 years ago
This song....I can't find the words. This song is a masterpiece.
Mobachi 3 years ago 9
how? no offense its kinda boring =/ like i can kinda understand how some people would like it but honestly im to into it.
b0mbtrac 3 years ago
Forget the piano intro. The best bit is without doubt the greatest drum intro of all time...around 2 min 9. Bet you never knew it was there...awesome
lightbulb75 3 years ago 2
This song is absolutly stunning.
Also it's so refreshing to see a video on youtube where nearly everybody who left a comment not only had something intelligent to say but didn't start any long and pointless arguments.
Again this song and video are simply musical perfection.
YourLuckyBreak 3 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Is this were I say "LOL RADIOHEAD ARE SIMPLY COLDPLAY RIPOFFS?" ;P
Oxenpar 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
your a fucking ripoff you fucking pussy
lsdshroomz420 3 years ago
Comment removed
YourLuckyBreak 3 years ago
Wow, I can't even imagine that someone would say that. Don't get me wrong, I like Coldplay a lot, but there is another huge level of genius to Radiohead that is above Coldplay and above so many artists.
I challenge you to convince any hardcore Radiohead fans to find another musical group that emits such beautiful passion from song.
ScotterS69 3 years ago 7
Tool
admiralparty 2 years ago
There was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt...
erictellez 3 years ago 2
A song of rare and mysterious perfection
matowana 3 years ago 6
strange... but very nice!
caucet 3 years ago 4
this is the best peace of music I've ever heard.
herrmurvel 3 years ago 6
A very sad song. But a powerful one [and the video].
TwistedAcrobat 3 years ago 12
This song is a masterpiece of musik.
sebatorress 3 years ago 12
these 2 albums are like ambient rock.
newportvtman 3 years ago 3
que bonita cancion deverdad que bonita y fragil que bueno que va a venir a mex.
lawlietkike 3 years ago 2
i heard this in a movie or a show and its driving me crazy! Anyone know?
vivalavida814 3 years ago 3
it was on a vh1 or mtv thing about kids that were addicted to drugs. hope that helps.
Zeus0331 3 years ago 2
wow, u music guys get very tech but its still one of the saddest melodies that ive ever hear aside from classical music. blissfully painfull...
thevoids74 3 years ago 3
かなし
godzilla5211 3 years ago
Sooo very lovely!!
WildHeartGrace 3 years ago
I think I want this one to be played on my funeral... Bit of a weird thought... !?
justalittlebitharder 3 years ago
very weird thought.
but now that you said this i agree, i also want this played at my funeral...
rteyber12 3 years ago 2
Beautiful song! Wonderful video! 5*
Of Course, I enjoyed it M!!
My Goodness, you never give me anything but the freaking best! It's why you are so wonderful, I thank you!!~Suze
DejaVuSu 3 years ago
sry, I actually meant 'bar' instead of 'beat' before...
giusten 3 years ago
It's quite easy: The song is in 4/4, and is split into this amount of 1/16th beats for each note:
3 3 4 3 3
3 3 4 3 3
and so on
it's easier to hear when the drums come in, because then every ride cymbal counts as 1/8th of a beat.
I'm going to try to arrange this piece for my group, as it's my favourite piece of all time, it seems. I myself can play it on the piano already; I just think my fellows won't be able to manage this...
giusten 3 years ago 2
he switches between playing the note on the downbeat and the upbeat... makes it really hard to follow. It's 3 on the downbeat to start then pause, continues on the upbeat, then after 4 goes back to the downbeat without a pause... I think
Failment 3 years ago
3/4, 4/4, 7/8, 11/8, whatever.
I'm pretty sure this is the ONLY version we will ever hear as i know of no other band capable of playing it.
Masterpiece!
NineShagnasty 3 years ago
Great song. It's 4/4 in my opinion.
JHCBMD2008 3 years ago
he sounds drunk to me, in this song.
but its still amazing.
its so moving.
TheCrazyistAli 3 years ago
God isn't in the sky, he's here, listen his voice...
come back in france thom please...
piedenlair 3 years ago
Yeah right...
heebooh 3 years ago
wow i haven't heard this in ages.... amazing song.
dasher1982 3 years ago
the beat is 1,2,3,1,2, then I am lost. I know that it starts with 3/4, then 2/4 then IDK.
judenihal 3 years ago
This song sounds so unique, the beat is very dynamic and thats what I like about is song. I don't know how to count the beat though lol. I also like the chords and the mood. I don't understand the lyrics though, but lyrics don't matter in music anyways. I think I am going to make a song just like this.
judenihal 3 years ago
nobody can do it better than radiohead
Alehandro12 3 years ago 3
yeah, i guess.
judenihal 3 years ago
Also this song has allot of classic Spanish undertones.'If you will'. (however you say it.)
SpecterDeath 3 years ago
I think 'johnnyopinion' is just trying to say this music is genus. Maybe.
SpecterDeath 3 years ago 2
I've pondered the question of the time signature of this song for years and have come to the conclusion that it's in groups of three bars that go 5/4, 11/4, 5/4, and repeat (i.e 1-2-3-1-2, 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2, 1-2-3-1-2). The trick is to listen to the drums rather than the piano, which is on the off-beat a lot of the time. Listen for the tapping of the cymbals. Abnormal rhythms have become more important to Radiohead over the years - witness the use of 5/4 in "Morning Bell" and "15 Step".
jonnyopinion 3 years ago
The whole thing is actually in 4/4. Yorke just avoids playing on the downbeats with his piano. It's easier to tell when the drums come in.
undie666 3 years ago
thom yorke doesn't read sheet music
so the fact is he doesn't know what time signature it is
crazyedd123 3 years ago
Right, because he can't count either. Good post!
thefossor 3 years ago
hardyhar -.-
i just meant that not even he would know the time signiature, he just feels the music
crazyedd123 3 years ago
i thought it was in 4/4?.. at least that's how it is in the official sheet music. i know, it's pretty hard to believe that something that sounds so complicated can actually be in 4/4, but it works, and it's there in the sheet music..
kamysch 3 years ago
Took me a while to figure it, but it's 4 (or 8... same difference). Thom "knows" what time it's in... he feels it... but would not know how to notate it (i.e. what the "time signature" is).
It's very much like my bandmates and their Jethro Tull playing. None of them, except me and the bass player know how to read music. Yet the band leader (Vance - my vids are uploaded / I'm on drums - he plays the weirdest time signatures, and does them consistently - and well).
It's 3, 2, 3 (=8).
sqmuth 3 years ago
Here's one way to look at it. Listen to where the drums start riding the cymbal (more or less). There are 16 of those rides that encompass the whole cycle. So if we call those "eighth notes" (the note with one flag on it... normally eight of them in one measure of 4/4), we have two measures of 4/4 across the whole cycle. (or one measure of 8/4, as ChristiaanC points out below).
The trick is that the pulses on piano are appox halfway between those eight notes.
sqmuth 3 years ago
The "regular" (more or less) cymbal ride I'm talking about starts around 2:17-2:18.
The piano pulses are in terms of these eight note rides on the cymbal:
(1.5 1.5) 2 (1.5 1.5) (repeat)
Or in notation, two dotted eights, a quarter note, and two more dotted eights.
Now to make it worse... these are not "straight eights", but "swung eights". Each eighth note is itself made of little 3s... little triplets. So it's really..
(1.666 1.333) 2 (1.666 1.333) repeat
Confused? Thom would be
sqmuth 3 years ago
From wiki: ""If someone lays the notes on a page in front of me, it's meaningless... because to me you can't express the rhythms properly like that. It's a very ineffective way of doing it, so I've never really bothered picking it up."
My outline of exactly how it works is a case in point. What's going on in the head is much more "organic".
sqmuth 3 years ago
One last comment, I promise. I just noticed "thatboneguy's" explanation, and it's an equivalent way of expressing the same thing. In a way, more elegant. Add the numerators you get 24. This is the same as 3:2:3, where each of those numbers is a triplet (swung - giving it the jazz feel). Multiply those numbers by 3 gives you 9:6:9.
(and 24 is 6x4, so it can be simply notated in 4/4, with the word "swing" on it to convey they're not straight eigths).
sqmuth 3 years ago
it's 8/4 time. Simple as that, it just sounds weird because of where they accent the notes. But it's most surely 8/4 time.
CristiaanC 3 years ago
9/8 , 6/8, 9/8
And those three times repeat forever.
Here's the main repeating riff:
1st chord (F#) on beat 1, and it repeats on "li" of 2, then the next chord (G7) is held through the 2 pulses of measure 2. The next measure has the same rhythm as the 1st measure, except the chord is A6.
The the 1st meas of the next line is A6 and then G7. The 2nd meas is a G7. The 3rd meas is F#, F#.
The 1st meas of the next line is F#, F#. 2nd meas: Eadd9. 3rd meas: Eadd9, Eadd9.
The next line is all G7.
thattboneguy 3 years ago
hmmm. i don't quite get that interpretation of the rhythm, although it adds up. i usually just count "[chord],2,3" or "[chord],2,3,4" so i guess my way of counting out the rhythm in terms of time sigs is:
3/8, 3/8, 4/8, 3/8, 3/8
3/8, 3/8, 4/8, 3/8, 3/8
...so two of those measures correspond to each line of lyric. this is how i count out the intro, with the counts between each chord:
F#,2,3, F#,2,3, G7,2,3,4, A6,2,3, A6,2,3
A6,2,3, G7,2,3, G7,2,3,4, G ,2,3, G ,2,3
...who's still confused? =)
psychedelicbrian 3 years ago
Bliss.
SuspiciousFrog94 3 years ago
i've learned to count out the interval between each chord this way:
3-3-4-3-3
so that's one measure. but actually the song goes thru two measures at a time:
3-3-4-(3-3-3)-3-4-3-3
i put in those parentheses because in the middle of the progression, there's 'usually' a thrice-repeated chord that carries into the next measure...
so yeah that's how i count it. yes, i'm a nerd.
psychedelicbrian 3 years ago
at 4:20 it looks like batman in the clouds...
cordellcarrier 3 years ago
And at 4:20 you were getting stoned. No wonder you can see Batman! lol
thattboneguy 3 years ago
This song is just brilliant.
After many lunchtimes working with my friend, we finally figured out that the time signature goes up and down in a pyramid each repetition.
3/4-2/4-3/4
OR, it can be called 8/4 with subdivisions of 3, 3 and 2 (which some people divide in two to get 4/4)
OR it can be 3/4 the entire way (but thats hard)
Any of those ways, this song is brilliant. Please stop bickering and enjoy the damn song. Just amazing really.
MachineMalfunction 3 years ago
"3/4-2/4-3/4"
whoa. thanx for the tip, mate.
mferrusca 3 years ago
This song is like a dream...the video is so amazing, just the best radiohead song for me.
stroke79 3 years ago
lol it is based on a dream, the lead singer had
kr8zychick101 3 years ago
I remember the first time I heard this song. Until today I never understood what the lyrics were about, but the music struck me. Also this video makes me some kind of sad, the prime character's loneliness as he finally sits in the old chair.
I'm curious how the band got the idea of the offbeat pattern for the piano. It's even for a pro-musician hard to find the beat in it at first.
bpewien 3 years ago
But there was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt, so why the sadness?
franth 3 years ago
what is the time signature?
david8233 3 years ago
good question
coldswift7 3 years ago
The time signature is a bit odd but still a g00d song
24caratJosh 3 years ago
does anyone know the time signature of this?!!! a packet of pineapple lumps depends on it
kwak123456789 3 years ago
the time signature is unbelievably still 4/4 its just got an offbeat in it. hope u win them pineapple lumps
david8233 3 years ago
I flipped past a History channel program on UFOs that was talking about dancing lights over the ocean and immediately had to come on youtube and watch this video again. Damn near perfect in every respect.
DoomsdayDevices 3 years ago
Can i recommend watching "Esoteric agenda". There are relations to this video.
DividedLove 3 years ago
Guau, I love the piano in this song, but what's the name of the electronical instrument that sound in