radiohead - lift (Pinkpop 1996)

[morvelification]

ed OBRIEN SING TO ME

[millochucho1984]

Fantastica!!! Seria genial que la tocaran en alguno de los shows en Mexico pero creo que es imposible...

[pikyia]

was this the one that they prefaced it with "This is a new song. So, if you're dry in the throat, go and get a beer. If you're not, it's called "lift""?

[escalonarr]

@pikyia YES!

[marcuspessoa3]

Their best unreleased song.

[Photochroming]

Anyone who will be at their next show - try to sing-a-along this song to tease them a little bit, so they will play it again on encore... 15 years too late.

[SaucisseMerguez]

the intro reminds me of yellow but isnt this song older ?

[Alkali64]

@SaucisseMerguez yes, thats exactly what i thought. it could totally have been inspired by this.

[cammyleenic]

Press 2 to find out who's the man!

[fujifour]

this is an absolute gem

[IWILLEATYOUHEAD]

WHAT IS HE WEARING

[Banged147Chicks]

if radiohead were to go back to this song, it would be a hit. no doubt about it. they woyuldn't have to work hard at it, release it exactly as-is, studio quality.

[agk971]

@Banged147Chicks Radiohead don't care about 'hits'...quite right too...

[NoNoseProduction]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddddd­dddddddddddddddd

[orajeladdict]

This song is recognized for being unreleased. If it is released it will lose its value.

[xRyan5]

@orajeladdict And I doubt Radiohead will ever go back to this sound. So this probably won't fit it any of their new albums.

[JohnnyMarr03]

inspired by the rockford files tv theme song. the synths anyway.

[Boomkin1337]

When they release their last album 10 years from now this will be the last song on it and it will be glorious

[AndroidSpirit1]

La amo ! La amo ! Amo !! ♥

[GriffD1992]

Ive listened to this video so many times that ive realised that whoever uploaded this had a Skype(?) message at exactly 3:26 in the video, commitment.

[moe29]

@GriffD1992 LOL... i never heard that either!

[helix4404]

this is an amazing and such a different light to radiohead... why not recorded it! PLEASSSSEEEEEE! IT DESERVES RECOGNITION! all the way!!

thumbs up if you agree!!

[JesusEclipse]

the day this song is recorded.... I will be very happy :)

[wolfman3902001]

Now I know what Thom would look like in a rain coat

[plasius]

they are going to have a hell of a b-side album one day

[Guitarfan1995]

@plasius

If you buy the limited editions of all the studio albums (except In Rainbows and The King Of Limbs, which don't have limited editions) then they each come with a second CD that has all the B sides and extra tracks from the era of that particular album.

However, this song isn't a B side, it's never been recorded.

[Acceptable76]

amazing song :X

[PouringDownAStream]

Ed's screams in this are so good... and everything else aswell... obviously.

[thechief1981]

I was there, 14 year old and loving it ;)

[SamuellMatthews]

One day they will release this along with Big Boots and the 12 minute version of Cuttooth on the True Love Waits EP. Then we will all be very happy...

[bernlin2000]

A surprisingly personal song from Radiohead, the only one where they use one of their names in the lyrics ("Thom"). Likely the reason it won't make it onto any album, their music tends to be much more abstract.

[essay87]

The song that got away...

[stereosanctity7]

what song is this? its beautiful.

[seapockets]

this sounds like a good version of christian worship music. its very uplifting. radiohead is the best.

[basman2006]

i wished thi would have been put in ok computer instead of the tourist

[Sm3gH3adx]

blow out acoustic is really beautiful

[bernlin2000]

Not a bad song, but Thom's hair...geeze :-)

[MrDuchAss]

Wow..the strings parts Jonny played in the verse really bring a dreamy, happy ending element .. Just gorgeous....

[AustinBrock]

Search rLsmMozsJEA for 12 songs of this performance in a single video :).

[Drenex00]

@AustinBrock ahem.STOP.

[crazyplan9]

I love how Ed is yelling his own name in the chorus. haha..

[LuisDivision]

@crazyplan9 hahaha

[AndImEmpty0001]

I had forgotten how beautiful this song is.

[Sm3gH3adx]

have you guys noticed that the opening sort of sounds like yellow by coldplay (i sort of listened to them way back before i discovered radiohead but i dont really like them now so dont hate me!) yellow came out after this so who knows since chris martin's a radiohead fan..

[bernlin2000]

@Sm3gH3adx It didn't make it on any album and it's STILL deeper than most Coldplay songs.

[clioclio73]

@bernlin2000 you mean deeper than ALL coldplay songs ; )

[TotzthePlaid]

Once you read this comment, you'll never be able to un-hear it, but doesn't it sort-of sound like Ed's just singing his name in the background?

Oh, and this is my favorite Radiohead song, and that's saying something.

[neolithics]

@TotzthePlaid EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE­DDDD! Oh blast.

To his credit, his backing vocals on this are sublime!

[TotzthePlaid]

@neolithics No argument there!

[talk45]

Now I know where Coldplay got Yellow from. Dang. I wonder if they were in attendance.

[gisforgillett]

don't cut electioneering!

Lift should have replaced the frankly quite dull 'tourist' as album closer

[thefekks]

@gisforgillett no no no no no the tourist is quite possibly the best album closer ever. dont diss the tourist.

[gisforgillett]

@thefekks

i've never really connected with the tourist, which is wierd because radiohead album closers are often my favourite. To me, th tourist seems like such an anticlimax compared to what has come before, but oh well

[thefekks]

@gisforgillett

but have you not listened to it all the way to the end? that's the climax of it. either way, this song wouldnt fit on OK Computer, it would only really work on The Bends

[gisforgillett]

@thefekks

yes, i always listen to it to the end, i just think that a closer to such a great album should end in an epic style, not just with a slow song that doesn't really do anything. But i do agree that they'd have to change 'lift' a bit to put it on OK Computer

[thefekks]

@gisforgillett

the lyrics to that song are what are important in making it a good album closer, but we'll agree to disagree anyways :D

[gisforgillett]

@thefekks

lol cool

[LuisDivision]

@thefekks i agree

[Duckshmm]

I LOVE THIS COLDPLAY SONG!

i mean wat....

[blasphemied]

WHY HAVE I NOT HEARD THIS BEFORE?!

I hate myself for not being a good Radiohead fan. ):

[JohnnyCagePro]

this song is just perfect, i love ed's vocals.

[guitarplayer2242]

if only they made a studio version.... damn

[TotzthePlaid]

@guitarplayer2242 Why would they need to? I don't think it'd be possible to top this. Just like they ultimately picked the Astoria performance to be the official "My Iron Lung", this should've been the official "Lift". At the VERY LEAST, this should've been released as a b-side.

[miraeja]

boring song

[arnevanhoof]

A B-side that owns most bands their album songs.

[cynthiailly]

@arnevanhoof lift isnt even a b-side sadly enough. they never did record and release this song at all. it would have been one of their most amazing songs if they had.

[arnevanhoof]

@cynthiailly Non-recorded songs still are B-sides. You want to know why they never recorded it? Check Yellow from coldplay. Coldplay ripped parts of Lift..

[cynthiailly]

@arnevanhoof oh man i never noticed that before, you're right it does sound like coldplay ripped off parts of lift. thats terrible.

[thenoisecode]

@arnevanhoof this isnt even a b-side!

[arnevanhoof]

@thenoisecode How do they call an unreleased song..

[thenoisecode]

@arnevanhoof I guess they call it an unreleased song.. :P

[bernlin2000]

@thenoisecode Yeah...it doesn't quite make the cut, it's a very conventional-sounding song, which isn't the direction they were going in at that time anyhow (or anytime since then!).

[andrewjcmillar]

@arnevanhoof its not evena B-side

[SpoonHysteria]

perfection.

[mz244]

beautiful song his voice is still young.

[celinioid]

@odelayed thanks.

[celinioid]

i want thom's voice..but im a girl..dammit.

[sugarkang]

such a london suede vibe to it.

[Famehater]

radiohead man!!

the undisputed lords of music : )

[lvergirl2006]

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh ok?

[reCupcake]

The smell of air conditioning The fish are belly up Empty all your pockets 'cause it's time to come home This is the place Remember me I'm the face you always see ... about Thom's experience pretty much isolating and locking himself up ("airconditioning"). upon coming out, he finds the fish in his pond have died. it's from an old interview, people say they remember reading it but i can't find it for the life of me! anyway, clears up the misheard lyrics problem i think! Beautiful version. :')

[AnOriginalPenguin]

I agree, Ed's voice is brilliant in this, i love the same effect his vocals have on wierd fish as well

[arnevanhoof]

this song must be on lp8!

[SpoonHysteria]

ed said they've abandoned it :(

[fizzlewinks]

@arnevanhoof If only...

[arnevanhoof]

if only.. ? ;)

[fizzlewinks]

I'm hoping it will be on LP8 as well, it just doesn't seem likely. =/

[EtcEtcAndEtc]

YEAH!

They've abandoned it?!

it would be so awesome if they went in more of a sort of dreampop direction on the next Album, if they make it. Always felt that they were kind of avoiding making deliberately pretty and purely positive music, that's part of what makes them great, but I think maybe they might allow themselves to go legs akimbo joyful now!

'Lighten up squire'

[biggerbrother]

Ed should should lend his soaring vocals to more Radiohead songs. Really lifts the the chorus.

[poorthom]

great song, i always thought that this would be a number one when i first heard it. maybe had they released it at the time it would have been but now i listen back i hear the intro and i think of coldplay's yellow.

aside from this thom yorke's vocals are absolutely awesome, none of the mad head shaking and mumbling he usually does now at live gigs, just cooly delivered and spot on.

i'm loving johnny greenwood's input in the song too.

[reusablecatmilk]

thats so weird, i was thinking the exact same thing about Yellow and the intro 30seconds ago

[bowyer56]

thats some kick arse vocals from ed i must say

[budwhite1]

fsvfwdvfsvsdvd

[begily]

they need to release this song.

[tmbgfan5]

agreed. this is fucking awesome.

[budwhite1]

always loved thoms apple mac telecaster circa 1995-2000 :D

[ed1art54]

why 2000? he's played it after 2000

[budwhite1]

cause i i just noticed a lot during that period and then later he seemed to not use it as often, used a rickenbacker and basic acoustic a lot

[ed1art54]

he still plays it for talk show host and other few, but he's changing it for the gibson.

[budwhite1]

cool, well as your clearly his guitar supplier, i'm sure you know what guitars he's using

[ed1art54]

i was just sharing information...

[budwhite1]

as was i

[tHoM0r]

epic

[rahah00]

jejeje ammmm i dont remember.

[pwid2004]

Yeah man. This was the only time I ever saw Radiohead.

Kind of prophetic that it was pissing in down at the time. Some good orange bud can soon warm the soul........ ;-p

[PSlo0over]

Thom was stuck in a lift?

[lyrics]

This is the place

Sit down, you're safe now

You've been stuck in a lift

We've been trying to reach you, Thom

'don't blame him.. I always had that fear of lifts:'(

[TheActualActuals]

I think being stuck in a lift is more of a metaphor for isolation than it is expressing a phobia.

[PSlo0over]

yeah I think so

the lift always makes you feel like sufficating and worse, if you get stuck in it

it has many meanings anyway.. a MASTERPIECE!!!

[maximuski02]

is a metaphor for isolation... but not only this... the song makes me think  about lost and found yourself

[catsoulkeeper]

I thought it was a metaphor for life, the lift is the physical plane and getting out of it, is dying, freeing your spirit. or whatever.

[sn0wsh00]

I like this version much more than the 2002 version. Has a lot more energy. Really hope this song (especially this version) gets release in a future album.

[mivvm]

Beautiful.

[mariamheadinlimbo]

solo,me encanta... Radiohead woow!!

[rahah00]

you are so stupid

[TheActualActuals]

Awful...most people don't like radiohead the first time they hear it, but everyone I know grows to LOVE them eventually.

[PSlo0over]

I thought it was only me

I mean the first song I saw was no surprises and I was like what the ...?!!

too shame my mind was too short to understand it and I remember giving them another chance to hear more from them (which I never do with other bands)

THANK GOD I did or I'll never know what music is!!!

[hgldypgldy]

why would they put electioneering on and not this?

[skylineiiigtr]

on ok computer? are you serious?

[coscheee]

i can't understand this guy.. this song is really amazing.. but electioneering is supreme!

[skwerlfish33]

why does no one like electioneering? i really love that song.

[Luvinhas]

@skwerlfish33 Why talking about electioneering here? ahah

because thom is yellow?

Where i end and you begin, Myxomatosis, Up on the ladder, are all better songs

[skwerlfish33]

@Luvinhas haha uh. I forgot why I mentioned electioneering. I disagree about all of the songs you listed, though, I prefer Electioneering to all of them.

[HomicidalPicnic]

@skwerlfish33 I love it too!

[MandoLA323]

@skwerlfish33

This song is 20 times better, and deserved t get in OK Computer over Electioneering.

[skwerlfish33]

@MandoLA323

Doesn't fit the vibe at all. A great song, there's no argument about that, but it would have been a little out of place on OK Computer.

[MandoLA323]

@skwerlfish33

Honestly, Electioneering doesn't fit well either. It sounds like a Bends reject track.

Lift wont fit either, but it's a better track.

[stereosanctity7]

@skwerlfish33 I love that song too...it sux they don't do it live...

[johnqpublic2718]

@skwerlfish33 i really like that song, I've considered the fact that the tone on Thom's telecaster for the opening riff has so much treble in it that it might be a bit uncomfortable to listen to, just enough abrasion to get your attention. Some people just might not like the way it makes them feel and consequently have negative emotions toward the track.

[skwerlfish33]

@johnqpublic2718 That's totally understandable, it is a bit trebly. Although, if feeling uncomfortable isn't your thing, Radiohead probably isn't your thing either haha.

[technolust14]

@skwerlfish33 Thank you! Everyone compares it to Revolution 9 or some shit like that and I never got it. It's the ONLY song on the album that could be put after Fitter Happier and not fuck up the flow of it. Plus it's an awesome Jonny-freakout song.

[oneswtwld]

@skwerlfish33 es mejor

[23111681]

so emotional this is fcking great

[thyy]

Everytime I heard this song, it moved me lots.

Radiohead at that time.

Radiohead at present.

They are different, but they are all perfect creatures.

[farfle10]

Are you kidding? This is one of the best Radiohead songs period

[necrolyptic]

i wanna cry...

[TehWinnerz]

you have to be kidding

[hateismine]

One of the best Radiohead songs ever.

[tanzwut15]

where do i can get the you know the record i know this song isnt in any of their albums but where the hell can i get it? it is beautifull

[drewthegoo]

ever since someone pointed out a drum fuckup after "belly of a whale," my ears go right for it. It's annoying. This is one of RH's better Bends-sounding songs (altho it was recorded after TB, it qualifies as a Bends song). I think the flaw is that the strict verse-chorus-verse structure robs the song of build; the backing vocals and drum crescendo sound like their forcing their song towards its chorus. "Lift" sounds like a precursor to "Let Down," which transcends its own pop structure.

[decky100]

I play in a band myself and love radiohead. This is my favourite ever song by them and I'm very frustrated that it never made any of their albums (and apparantly won't...EVER..according to Ed). In my frustration i've made it my goal to record this song myself via homestudio and post it on youtube. I would try my utmost to replicate everything you can hear in this video.Then maybe we'd have an idea how it was supposed to sound.what do you guys think? All feedback welcome

[bugoobiga]

Of all their songs, THIS one is your favorite? This one?? After having heard it, I now see why it's a throw away song.

[thyy]

In certain extent, it could be your favourite for some time.

Man, you just could not get that feel.

[ztoigo]

hi lucas!

[victoryrose7]

LP8... Please...

[okrahe]

perfect voice!

[TREWLYKEWL]

awsome!

[rygrawz]

This would have been perfect on The Bends... great song!

[chemysoul]

exactly!!

[Cammertime]

Probably either too underdeveloped or not even created in The Bends era. They should definitely record a proper version of it, but it's kind of weak to make any of their albums.

[franknirvana]

They recorded it in the OK computer session.

[DokterRamses]

This video needs more views

[23111681]

q pedo nunca sacaron esta ni en ep?? qreo q ubiera sido una cancion famosa si hubiera salido en algun album pero bueno asi sta mejor y q slo los q buscan bien encuentran lo mejor como en nuestro caso

[dholmestar]

Coldplay owes everything they've ever done to Radiohead, and even they acknowledge it.

Also, this song predates Yellow by at least 3 years.

[walkup15]

Thom looks like a sexy, partially peeled banana here. Amazing song!

[thegofdd]

amazing performance, this song and the "Man Of War (Big Boots)" performance from toronto are my favorite radiohead unreleased cuts (in these forms of course, not the later versions)

[HailTTThief86]

I cant believe this didn't make an album. Its fucking incredible.

[w00t624]

interesting question: this was in 1996, one year after "the bends" and one year before "ok computer". which album do you think it would have been better on? i would imagine itd be better on "the bends" in my opinion

[apaboy50]

i agree, it wouldnt fit on ok computer really, its a great song =) just wouldnt fit.

[FollowThatTempo]

i agree...

the bends is probably my favorite album by them.

[TKisLIVE]

2:20.

fuck yes.

[Yoga1978]

man i'm amazed that this song never went on an official album. it's such an amazing song.i remember this song while waiting so long for Kid A. I was just figuring out how the new album will be, heheh...it was great times..

[christianbrookland]

thoms voice is so unique and so 'radiohead' in this performance

[Ultimatiorama]

Its funny when Phil messes up a little around 2:10 and Ed looks over at him like "wtf?"

[mongrelcat12]

wow thats great. in all the times ive seen this video i never noticed that. good catch.

[Davepumpkinhead]

Haha I love how every time there's a mistake or little blip in their performances it just makes me appreciate them more.

[davidfersure]

Coldplay got the idea for the song when one of the members went out for a bit of fresh air and told everyone to "look at the stars" then it went from there really.

[useless987]

yeah, the open chord and the rhythm is similar. maybe coldplay saw this live and were inspired by thom yorke's yellow outfit to write yellow.

anyway this doesn't demeanish the beauty of coldplay's song...

[floaty32]

actually radiohead ripped coldplay off...nice try!

[LunchMonster]

lol wut? i hope youre trolling :C

[bridgesmatt]

Do you even know what trolling means? Trolling doesn't mean he's joking.

[eddiemcgregory]

You must kidding... lol

[imitebwrong]

dickhead