Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2000
How to Disappear Completely
Buy How to Disappear Completely now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'How to Disappear Completely'" is a song by English rock band Radiohead, listed as the fourth track on their fourth studio album 'Kid A', released on 2 October 2000. The song is titled after Doug Richmond's 1985 book 'How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found'. The song also appears on the special edition of 'Radiohead: The Best Of', released in 2008.
Background and writing
Prior to recording the song for 'Kid A', Radiohead wrote "How to Disappear Completely" during the sessions for 'OK Computer' in 1997 and played an early version of the song while on tour in 1998, titled "How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found". This version of the song is purported to have been ten minutes in length.
For the song, Radiohead booked a session at Dorchester Abbey, a 12th-century church located about five miles from their Oxfordshire studio, where strings were performed by the Orchestra of St John's. The band chose the orchestra to perform on the track because they had previously performed pieces by composers Krzysztof Penderecki and Olivier Messiaen. Multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood, the only band member trained in music theory, composed the string arrangement by multitracking an ondes Martenot. Upon seeing Greenwood's score, the orchestra, said producer Nigel Godrich, "just sort of burst into giggles, because they couldn't do what he had written, because it was impossible or impossible to them, anyway." Nonetheless, conductor John Lubbock encouraged the orchestra to experiment and work with the idea. Concerts director Alison Atkinson commented that the session was more experimental than typical bookings for the orchestra.
Lyrics
The lyrics for "How to Disappear Completely" were partially inspired by a dream Yorke had of floating down the River Liffey and around the city of Dublin. Yorke explained, "There was nothing I could do. ... I really was in the dream. The whole song is my experiences of really floating." The song's refrain stems from advice given to Yorke by R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe on how to deal with stress from touring in support of 'OK Computer', who told Yorke to repeat the phrase "I'm not here, this isn't happening" to himself.
Composition
"How to Disappear Completely" is an ambient song backed by strings and an acoustic guitar.
Simon Reynolds likened the song to a Scott Walker ballad composed by Penderecki. Reynolds later reiterated his characterization of the song as a ballad in a retrospective review of 'Kid A'. 'Melody Maker', in an article published prior to the release of 'Kid A', characterized the song as "severed '(sic)' minutes of music that sounds like the Smiths produced by DJ Shadow." Cam Lindsey of 'Exclaim!' called the track "a moody acoustic number" and "the most radio compatible track on ['Kid A']," drawing comparisons between it and the 'OK Computer' track "Exit Music (For A Film)." David Fricke of 'Rolling Stone' felt that the song "moves like an ice floe: cold-blue folk rock with just a faint hint of heartbeat."
Critical reception
'NME' wrote fondly of the track in a retrospective review of 'Kid A', seeing it as "heralding a return to the big ballad template, as massed strings swoon and Yorke's voice soars transcendentally for the first time." 'Billboard' called the track "haunting," noting that "vocalist Thom Yorke is as tortured as ever, proclaiming 'I'm not here/This isn't happening' ... as if he'd already vanished long ago." Brent DiCrescenzo of 'Pitchfork' characterized the song as a "string-laden ballad," claiming it "boiled down 'Let Down' and 'Karma Police' to their spectral essence." DiCrescenzo further described the track as "com[ing] closest to bridging Yorke's lyrical sentiment to the instrumental effect. ... The strings melt and weep as the album shifts into underwater mode."
Legacy
Thom Yorke cited "How to Disappear Completely" as his favorite track from the sessions for 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac', explaining, "we didn't care how it could be seen as pretentious or anything. It just sounds glorious. What Jonny did to it is amazing." Yorke further named the song as the one he wanted Radiohead to be most remembered for during a 2006 interview on BBC Two's 'The Culture Show', calling it "the most beautiful thing [the band] ever did." 'Rolling Stone' readers voted the track as one of the ten best Radiohead songs of all time.
Personnel
'Radiohead'
* Thom Yorke - lead vocals, acoustic guitar
* Jonny Greenwood - ondes Martenot, orchestral arrangements
* Colin Greenwood - bass guitar
* Ed O'Brien - effects, backing vocals
* Philip Selway - drums, percussion
'Additional musicians & personnel'
* Nigel Godrich - co-production (with Radiohead)
* Orchestra of St John's - strings
** John Lubbock - conduction
References
Category:2000 songs
Category:Radiohead songs
Category:Songs written by Thom Yorke
Category:Songs written by Colin Greenwood
Category:Songs written by Jonny Greenwood
Category:Songs written by Philip Selway
Category:Songs written by Ed O'Brien
Category:Songs about depression
Category:Rock ballads
Category:Ambient songs
Category:Songs about dreams
Buy How to Disappear Completely now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 2000