Radiohead signed to EMI in 1991 and released their debut album, Pablo Honey, in 1993; their debut single, "Creep", became a worldwide hit. Radiohead's popularity and critical standing rose with the release of The Bends in 1995. Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), brought them international fame; noted for its complex production and themes of modern alienation, it is acclaimed as a landmark record and one of the best albums in popular music.
Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A (2000), marked a dramatic change in style, incorporating influences from electronic music, jazz, classical music and krautrock. Though Kid A divided listeners, it later attracted wide acclaim. It was followed by Amnesiac (2001), recorded in the same sessions. Hail to the Thief (2003), with lyrics addressing the War on Terror, was Radiohead's final album for EMI.
Radiohead self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), as a download for which customers could set their own price, to critical and chart success. Their eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011), an exploration of rhythm, was developed using extensive looping and sampling. A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) prominently featured Jonny Greenwood's orchestral arrangements. Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Selway, and O'Brien have released solo albums; in 2021, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood debuted a new band, the Smile.
By 2011, Radiohead had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Their awards include six Grammy Awards and four Ivor Novello Awards, and they hold five Mercury Prize nominations, the most of any act. Seven Radiohead singles have reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart: "Creep" (1992), "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" (1996), "Paranoid Android" (1997), "Karma Police" (1997), "No Surprises" (1998), "Pyramid Song" (2001), and "There There" (2003). "Creep" and "Nude" (2008) reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone named Radiohead one of the 100 greatest artists of all time, and Rolling Stone readers voted them the second-best artist of the 2000s. Five Radiohead albums have been included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time lists. Radiohead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead
Studio albums
Pablo Honey (1993)
The Bends (1995)
OK Computer (1997)
Kid A (2000)
Amnesiac (2001)
Hail to the Thief (2003)
In Rainbows (2007)
The King of Limbs (2011)
A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
How to desappear completely
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's not me
I go
Where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
I'm not hereThis isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
In a little while
I'll be gone
The moment's already passed
Yeah, it's gone
And I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
Strobe lights and blown speakers
Fireworks and hurricanes
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
The lyrics to How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead are metaphorical and suggest a desire to escape reality, to disappear, and to exist in a world where nothing is happening. The repetition of “I’m not here, this isn’t happening” emphasizes this feeling of detachment and unreality.
The first lines, “That there, that’s not me, I go where I please,” suggests a feeling of disconnect from oneself and others. The lines “I walk through walls, I float down the Liffey” suggest a desire to be invisible and free, able to move through the world effortlessly.
The second stanza further reinforces this feeling of wanting to disappear, with the lines “In a little while, I’ll be gone, the moment’s already passed, yeah it’s gone.” The use of past tense in these lines suggests that the singer longs to be removed from the present, living in a world where time has no meaning.
The final stanza, with its images of strobe lights, blown speakers, and fireworks, suggests a feeling of overwhelm and a desire to escape from external stimuli. The repetition of “I’m not here, this isn’t happening” throughout the song suggests a fear of being consumed by the present moment and a desire to disappear completely.
Line by Line Meaning
That there
The thing that is currently in front of me or happening is not really a part of me or something that I identify with.
That's not me
That thing/person/situation is not a reflection or accurate representation of who I truly am.
I go
I am free to make my own choices, especially when it comes to leaving or avoiding uncomfortable or unpleasant situations.
Where I please
I have the power to move or exist in any physical or mental space that I desire, regardless of what others may expect or demand of me.
I walk through walls
I possess the ability to overcome obstacles and barriers that would normally prevent me from achieving my goals or realizing my true potential.
I float down the Liffey
I am not anchored or restricted by any particular location or circumstance, but rather have the freedom to explore and experience new things.
I'm not here
I am disassociating myself from the current moment, either because it is too difficult to handle or because it doesn't align with my true desires or nature.
This isn't happening
I am struggling to accept or come to terms with what is occurring, or I am simply choosing to remove myself from the situation by denying its existence or reality.
In a little while
Soon, I will be gone from this moment or situation, as I have the power to change my circumstances and move on to something new.
The moment's already passed
I cannot go back or undo what has already happened in the past, so I must accept it and move on from it in order to grow and thrive in the present.
Yeah, it's gone
I acknowledge that the past is truly and finally over, and that I must let go of any lingering regrets or attachments that may be holding me back.
Strobe lights and blown speakers
I am overwhelmed by the chaos, noise, and confusion of the world around me, which is preventing me from focusing on my own goals and desires.
Fireworks and hurricanes
The unpredictable and uncontrollable aspects of life are making it difficult for me to navigate and find stability in my own existence.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lullaby1473
That there
That's not me
I go
Where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
In a little while
I'll be gone
The moment's already passed
Yeah it's gone
And I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
Strobe lights and blown speakers
Fireworks and hurricanes
I'm not here
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
@derk486
That there, that's not me
I go where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
In a little while
I'll be gone
The moment's already passed
Yeah, it's gone
And I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
Strobe lights and blown speakers
Fireworks and hurricanes
[Chorus]
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
@paulinagamboa8165
That there
that's not me
i go
where i please
i walk through walls
i float down the liffey
i'm not here
this isn't happening
i'm not here
i'm not here
In a little while
i'll be gone
the moment's already passed
yeah it's gone
and i'm not here
this isn't happening
i'm not here
i'm not here
Strobe lights and blown speakers
fireworks and hurricanes
i'm not here
this isn't happening
i'm not here
i'm not here
@BrenMurphy1
SOundtrack - back in the day - to expose the abuse of mental health patients - how they were left to their own devices in prisons instead of being offered treatment. Which often led to self harm and even worse.
Mental Health patients like me and you are deserving of space and time and access to "medication" so we can heal and rest and recover.
Using tasers and then pulling guns and eventually killing them/us is ...
I'm not here
this isn't happening
i'm not here
i'm not here
#mentalhealth #zerowaste #mindfulness
@edboggo5488
New years eve 2019 was one of the lowest points I've been in my life. I told my parents i was having some friends over to celebrate, while they were off celebrating with someone else. I did so, when really, i was just saying it so i could spend the night all alone, and though i would've liked having some friends over, nobody was able to come anyways. So there i was, drinking alone and listening to music.
Though i don't remember particularly much from that night, one certain moment really sticked with me. I can remember going outside after the fireworks had started coming, and listening to this very song on full volume through all the noise. It was a moment so hauntingly beautiful as well as extremely depressing. And I've never enjoyed feeling low more than i did that exact moment. It's hard to explain why, but feeling depressed has somehow grown on me as something comforting.
I will always love this song, but for some reason i never play it during the day. It's just a "night song" to me if you could call it that. I just love how this song makes me feel, even if it makes me anxious, stressed and sad.
Edit:
I just came back to this comment after a year, quite randomly. Man, a lot of shit has happened this year, but I'm only talking for myself here. About three months ago, i tried to take my own life. I was straying down that dark tunnel, disintegrating more each day, until one day, i broke on the act of an impulse. I can't explain how thankful i am to still be here right now. I got help, and i got better. Having all those surpressed emotions hidden away for so long, it blurs the view of yourself and the world around you. And you're not even aware of it.
But then, life suddenly does a 180, and people know what you've been carrying. There's this sense of relief, because you don't have to hide anymore, though you did everything you could to hold it all to youself in the past. I might sound strange here, but I truly have a whole new perspective on life. It seems that for the first time, in a long time, im living again. Please, remember that you are loved, and that anyones life can change in a heartbeat. But believe me when I say that you can't simply carry all that weight by yourself. That's what i tried to do. Seek help, and be loving and understanding if someone close to you is feeling low. Lots of love <3
@christopherdeblasio4512
So many times I’ve come back to this one song. I always feel like I’m a forgettable person. People may talk to me one day then never again speak to me. I always feel like I’m not here,
but I am here. There’s always someone
Someone that can help you
Someone that cares
That’s why I want to keep living
I want to be that someone
If I can’t be happy with myself, then I want to make people happy
Make people smile
Make people laugh
Give people hope
I want to share the little happiness I have with everyone
As long as I can help even if it’s a little bit, I can be happy too :)
@imani828
[Verse 1]
That there, that's not me
I go where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
[Chorus]
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
[Verse 2]
In a little while
I'll be gone
The moment's already passed
Yeah, it's gone
[Chorus]
And I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
[Bridge]
Strobe lights and blown speakers
Fireworks and hurricanes
[Chorus]
I'm not here
This isn't happening
I'm not here
I'm not here
@vixoxoaltf5188
It's one of those nights again, isn't it?
@pibeboludo4533
yes.
@jamesw3036
I've been happier, but I wish I could say the same for everyone else. The weights are heavy, and I don't know if I can bear it forever.
@nath8327
Exactly
@reiswag8434
Yea
@palomaamaya387
11:44 pm not even knowing why i'm depressed but writing about it and soaking in it
@milkshakeofpower
Dying is such a hassle, I just wanna disappear completely like I was never here to begin with
@zagorakis88
I feel that way from the time I wake til i sleep. Always need to distract myself with anything to make it through the day.
@UncleGwendolyn
You never were.
@hailmaary8616
I feel you