‘How To Disappear Completely’: The song Thom Yorke says is Radiohead’s “most beautiful” track ever
Everybody wants to be remembered, fondly or otherwise, and musicians are certainly no different. Music occupies multiple different roles within life and humanity, but, on one level, songs are time capsules that are capable of carrying on memories, themes, and lives long after the artist who wrote those songs has departed. Radiohead and its ray-of-sunshine frontman, Thom Yorke, have often drawn upon themes of mortality and memory within their discography, so it should come as no surprise that Yorke hopes to be remembered by one song in particular.
Although the band has achieved a great deal of mainstream and commercial success since their initial inception back in 1985, Radiohead have always seemed to exist in opposition to mainstream trends. Their debut, Pablo Honey, drew upon themes of grunge rock that were, at the time, dominating the American rock scene, but the Oxfordshire band’s take on the style was worlds apart from the Washington groups on Sub Pop. Similarly, The Bends arrived at the peak of the Britpop movement, but Yorke and the gang didn’t partake in the phoney optimism of that era.
In fact, optimism is among the few descriptors that cannot be pinned to Radiohead. From their earliest demos right up to 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool, the band have always been famed for their ability to create intensely emotional and – for want of a better word – sad songs. Virtually all of their most popular tracks feature themes of self-loathing, alienation, or misery, with the exception of only a few comparatively cheery efforts.
Their consistent misery is, of course, not the predominant appeal of a group like Radiohead. Records like OK Computer completely changed the game when it came to alternative music and production, and Yorke’s outfit has always strived for innovation. Couple that with the undeniable songwriting talents of the Oxfordshire band, and you can start to see why they have amassed such a dedicated following over the decades. It must be noted, however, that many of those fans revel in the downbeat alienation of the band’s material.
Among those depressive anthems, ‘How To Disappear Completely ‘is a firm fan favourite. Originally written in 1997 during the OK Computer tour, the song did not see a widespread release until 2000. Told from the perspective of a narrator in a dream-like state, the ballad was reportedly inspired by Yorke’s own dreams. “I dreamt I was floating down the Liffey and there was nothing I could do,” he recalled. “I was flying around Dublin, and I really was in the dream. The whole song is my experience of really floating.”
Featuring themes of denial, alienation, and a sense of hopelessness, the song is a route-one choice for Radiohead fans looking for an excuse to wallow in sadness for six minutes. Accompanying those emotive lyrics, however, are swathes of musical experimentation, with the band drawing upon everything from ambient music to folk ballads. ‘How To Disappear Completely’ is a bold track by anybody’s standards.
Yorke seems to concur with that take, often highlighting the 2000 track among his favourite Radiohead efforts. Back in 2006, when asked for his proudest moment during a BBC interview, he promptly responded, “‘How To Disappear [Completely]’, off Kid A. It’s the most beautiful thing we ever did.” Although it is worth noting that Yorke went on to create multiple other groundbreaking songs with the band following that 2006 interview, the single from Kid A always remained a firm favourite for the songwriter.
Radiohead have always been adept at summoning a sense of beauty within their melancholic offerings, which is perhaps why so many fans across the globe can find something to relate to within their extensive body of work. ‘How To Disappear Completely’ is a prime example of that fact, and it appears as though the song will live on long after Radiohead throw in the towel.
