As is often the case with musical genre labels, few of the bands concerned wished to see themselves pigeon-holed and, therefore, tended to eschew the term.
Characteristics
Krautrock is an eclectic and often very original mix of Anglo-American post-psychedelic jamming and moody progressive rock, mixed with ideas from contemporary, experimental classical music (especially composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, with whom Irmin Schmidt and Holger Czukay of Can had previously studied) and from jazz's new, experimental directions during the 1960s and 1970's. Moving away from the patterns of song structure and melody used in much of American and British rock, some in the movement drove the music to a more mechanical and electronic sound. The key component characterizing the groups gathered under the term is the synthesis of Anglo-American rock-and-roll's rhythm and energy with a decided will to distance themselves from specifically American blues origins. Instead, they drew on German or other sources. Jean-Hervé Peron of Faust: "We were trying to put aside everything we had heard in rock 'n' roll: the three-chord pattern, the lyrics. We had the urge of saying something completely different.”
Bands typically dubbed "krautrock" in the 1970s included: Tangerine Dream, Faust, Can, Amon Düül II, Ash Ra Tempel, plus others also associated with the celebrated Cologne-based producers and engineers Dieter Dierks and Conny Plank, such as Neu!, Kraftwerk and Cluster. Bands such as these were reacting against the need to develop a radically new musical aesthetic and cultural identity for the post-WWII. Many of these groups began their musical careers with little or no awareness of (or interest in) rock and roll; exposure to the increasingly radical and innovative music of, in addition to the Velvet Underground, the Silver Apples, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, or the Beatles, for example, led members of groups like Can or Kraftwerk to embrace popular music for the first time.
The signature sound of krautrock mixed rock music and "rock band" instrumentation (guitar, bass, drums) with electronic instrumentation and textures, often with what would now be described as an ambient music sensibility. A common rhythm featured in the music was a steady 4/4 beat, often called "motorik" in the Anglophone music press.
History
By the end of the 1960s, the American and British counterculture and hippie movement had moved rock towards psychedelia, heavy metal, progressive rock and other styles, incorporating, for the first time in popular music, socially and politically incisive lyrics. The 1968 German student movement, French protests and Italian student movement had created a class of young, intellectual continental listeners, while nuclear weapons, pollution, and war inspired protests and activism. Avant-garde music had taken a turn towards the electronic in the mid-1950s.
These factors all laid the scene for the explosion in what came to be termed krautrock, which arose at the first major German rock festival in 1968 in Essen. Like their American, British and international counterparts, German rock musicians played a kind of psychedelia. It was however, strikingly innovative as a fusion of psychedelia and the electronic avant-garde. That same year, 1968, saw the foundation of the Zodiak Free Arts Lab in Berlin by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Boris Schaak and Conrad Schnitzler, which further popularized the psychedelic-rock sound in the German mainstream. Originally Krautrock was a form of Free art, which meant that Krautrock bands gave their records away for free at Free Art Fairs.
The next few years saw a wave of pioneering groups. In 1968, Can formed, adding jazz to the mix (and in that way the krautrock scene can be seen to parallel the emerging Canterbury scene in England at the same time), while the following year saw Kluster (later Cluster) begin recording electronic instrumental music with an emphasis on static drones. In 1970, Popol Vuh became the first krautrock group to use an electronic synthesizer, to create what would be known as "kosmische musik". The bands Tangerine Dream (formed in 1967), Ash Ra Tempel, and Cosmic Jokers (all linked by collaboration with Klaus Schulze), would follow suit in the years to come. Faust also made use of synthesizers and tape manipulation in a way foreshadowing the noise rock of the future.
In 1972, two albums incorporated European rock and electronic psychedelia with Asian sounds: Popol Vuh's In den Gärten Pharaos and Deuter's Aum. Meanwhile, kosmische musik saw the release of two double albums, Klaus Schulze's Cyborg and Tangerine Dream's Zeit (produced by Dieter Dierks), while a band called Neu! began to play highly rhythmic music. By the middle of the decade, one of the most well-known German bands, Kraftwerk, had released albums like Autobahn, Radioaktivität ("Radio-Activity" in English), and Computerwelt ("Computer World" in English), which laid the foundation for electro, techno and other styles later in the century.
The release of Tangerine Dream's Phaedra in 1974 marked a divergence of that group from Krautrock to a more melodic sequencer-driven sound that was later termed Berlin School. In that same year Klaus Schulze delivered one more LP of pure Krautrock, Blackdance, and began to release more hypnotic versions of what TD was doing.
Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The bottom of the sea
Your eyes
They turn me
Why should I stay here?
Why should I stay?
I'd be crazy not to follow
Follow where you lead
Your eyes
They turn me
Turn me on to phantoms (way out)
I follow to the edge of the Earth (way out, way out)
And fall off
Yeah, everybody leaves (way out)
If they get the chance (way out)
And this is my chance (way out)
I get eaten by the worms
And weird fishes
Picked over by the worms
And weird fishes
Weird fishes
Weird fishes
I'll hit the bottom
Hit the bottom and escape
Escape
I'll hit the bottom
Hit the bottom and escape
Escape
The opening lines of the song ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’ by Radiohead talks about the unknown depths of the ocean, and how the eyes of a certain someone captivate and draw the singer towards them. The singer then contemplates why they should stay, but realizes they would be foolish not to follow the person they’re drawn to. The chorus talks about the singer getting lost in the allure of these phantoms and following them to the ‘edge of the Earth.’
The second verse of the song takes a darker turn, where the singer realizes that following blindly can lead to doom as they mention getting ‘eaten by the worms’ and ‘picked over by the weird fishes.’ Despite this realization, the chorus repeats, but this time with a different ending. Instead of talking about falling off or being lost in the abyss, they talk about hitting the bottom and escaping, taking control of their destiny.
The song is open to interpretation and can be seen as a metaphor for an individual's desire for a purpose, something that drives them forward. It can also be seen as a warning that diving headfirst into something without a clear understanding of what one is getting into can lead to destruction. The song encourages individuals to take charge of their lives and escape from the pitfalls and traps set by life.
Line by Line Meaning
In the deepest ocean
We are diving deep into a vast and unknown ocean, representing the uncertainty and mystery of life.
The bottom of the sea
We are exploring the crux of humanity, where emotions lie deep and buried within us.
Your eyes
The eyes represent the singer's obsession and infatuation with a person.
They turn me
The artist is irresistibly drawn to this person's gaze.
Why should I stay here?
The artist is questioning why they should stay in their current state of being, perhaps contemplating change or escape.
Why should I stay?
The singer is emphasizing their desire for change and new experiences.
I'd be crazy not to follow
The singer is acknowledging the risks of following this person, but believes it is worth it regardless.
Follow where you lead
The artist is entrusting their fate to this person they are drawn to, no matter where it may take them.
Turn me on to phantoms (way out)
The artist is entranced by illusions and fantasies, a manifestation of their desire to escape reality and follow this person.
I follow to the edge of the Earth (way out, way out)
The artist is indicating their willingness to go to great lengths and distances, even if it means risking their life.
And fall off
The singer recognizes the danger inherent in their chase of this person - it may lead them to a place of no return.
Yeah, everybody leaves (way out)
The artist is acknowledging that people are always changing and leaving, but still desires to pursue a relationship with this person.
If they get the chance (way out)
The singer is acknowledging the fickle and uncertain nature of relationships and how circumstances may influence them.
And this is my chance (way out)
The singer recognizes that this is their opportunity to pursue a relationship with this person, and is willing to take the risk.
I get eaten by the worms
The worms represent both physical and metaphorical death, the consequence of the risks the singer is taking.
And weird fishes
The weird fishes are a symbol for strange and otherworldly creatures - perhaps representing the unknown or unexpected consequences of risk-taking.
Picked over by the worms
The artist is acknowledging their own mortality and how they will eventually succumb to it.
Weird fishes
The strange and unknown consequences of risk-taking continue to haunt the singer, blurring the line between fascination and fear.
I'll hit the bottom
The singer is preparing themselves for the inevitable consequences of their risky behavior, accepting the worst possible outcome.
Hit the bottom and escape
The artist recognizes that hitting bottom is not the end - it is only the beginning towards rebuilding and creating a better life.
Escape
The artist is emphasizing their desire to break free from their current state of being and start anew.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kaylafrost6140
In the deepest ocean
The bottom of the sea
Your eyes
They turn me
Why should I stay here?
Why should I stay?
I'd be crazy not to follow
Follow where you lead
Your eyes
They turn me
Turn me on to phantoms
I follow to the edge of the earth
And fall off
Everybody leaves
If they get the chance
And this is my chance
I get eaten by the worms
Weird fishes
Get towed by the worms
Weird fishes
Weird fishes
Weird fishes
I'll hit the bottom
Hit the bottom and escape
Escape
I'll hit the bottom
Hit the bottom and escape
Escape
@peterrobert3223
Amazes me how Ed's brief backing vocals matter so much to this...
@markscott4969
You are so right .. imagine in the studio Ed says ok right here I go AAAAAAAHHHHHH
@peterrobert3223
@@markscott4969 lol!!
@scottboyd3838
I love when the use Ed's vocals in certain tracks, big bloke too!!
@rolphy4338
I always think that
@michaellynch5637
@@markscott4969 lol i don't know why your comment was so funny
@morgan4212
"Your eyes, they turn me"
I could hear that a thousand times and it would never get old
@ppbootybot
It was old before listened to the song
@eliasmsv3156
The guitar sounds like rains dripping from leaves
@syncops834
which guitar