Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Be a world child, form a circle

Before we all go under

I just want to start off by saying that this was not an easy task. Radiohead is one of my favorite artists and probably the band that really opened the doors for me into the world of "rock." Prior to that, my favorite band was the Red Hot Chili Peppers (and really, who doesn't like RHCP?) and my taste in rock was pretty random and mostly comprised of whatever I heard on the radio or bands whose music videos I'd always see while watching TV as a child (The Box, anyone?). I still remember sitting in my brother's room and hearing my very first Radiohead song--"Idioteque." Up until that point (10th grade), I'd heard nothing like it and was immediately blown away.

Thus, the difficult part was actually picking which song to recommend. The song I ended up choosing is an older one off their 2nd album--The Bends. "Street Spirit," was one of my favorite obsessions in high school. It's one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I've ever heard. According to the lead singer, Thom Yorke, "'Street Spirit' has no resolve. It is the dark tunnel without the light at the end. It represents all tragic emotion that is so hurtful that the sound of that melody is its only definition." He goes on to say:

"Our fans are braver than I to let that song penetrate them, or maybe they don't realise what they're listening to. They don't realise that Street Spirit is about staring the fucking devil right in the eyes, and knowing, no matter what the hell you do, he'll get the last laugh. And it's real, and true. The devil really will get the last laugh in all cases without exception, and if I let myself think about that too long, I'd crack."

In August I was fortunate enough to catch Radiohead's last show for their North American tour. The concert was at the Santa Barbara Bowl, a relatively intimate setting in a residential neighborhood. Although there was at least a handful of songs missing from their setlist that I would've loved to hear, I was in awe of their performance. What I loved most was that even though each song had album quality sound to it, the songs didn't sound exactly like they do on their albums. The entire concert was webcasted live.The most amusing, and probably my favourite part other than the quality, was the way Thom would gyrate during the songs he was only singing in (see: video).

The most disappointing part of the concert was that they failed to play "Street Spirit," what is typically known to be a given on their setlist. I'm guessing Thom couldn't handle it anymore:

"I can't believe we have fans that can deal emotionally with that song. That's why I'm convinced that they don't know what it's about. It's why we play it towards the end of our sets. It drains me, and it shakes me, and hurts like hell every time I play it, looking out at thousands of people cheering and smiling, oblivious to the tragedy of its meaning, like when you're going to have your dog put down and it's wagging its tail on the way there. That's what they all look like, and it breaks my heart."

In conclusion, Thom is a little bitch. But I love him nonetheless.