Thom Yorke has described completing the song as a cathartic moment, stating that he and the band were "bashing their heads against the wall for days and not getting anywhere" until they were finally able to capture it. However, his widely-cited quote about the song being "the dark tunnel without the light at the end" and how "it wrote itself" has never had a proper source and has been speculated by some to have been completely fabricated.
The music video for "Street Spirit" premiered in February 1996 and was directed by Jonathan Glazer, who said, "That was definitely a turning point in my own work. I knew when I finished that, because they found their own voices as an artist, at that point, I felt like I got close to whatever mine was, and I felt confident that I could do things that emoted, that had some kind of poetic as well as prosaic value. That for me was a key moment." Glazer would later direct the video for "Karma Police".
The video, entirely shot in black and white, is not narrative. It presents different unconnected scenes that range from the whimsical to the complex, including some that are uplifting. Several scenes in the video are shot using different frame frequencies, thus making different subjects in the same scene move at different speeds. A special ultra-high speed camera, normally used to photograph high speed projectiles for scientific purposes, was used to create the extreme slow motion effects. The general editing and lighting of the video provide a somber ambience and accentuate the lyrics of the song.
The setting of the video is a trailer park during nighttime, with a distant thunderstorm visible at times. The band members are seen sitting on chairs outside of a trailer. Some definitive scenes include:
The opening scene is of lead singer Thom Yorke standing on top of a trailer and letting himself fall backwards to the ground. The scene slows down and cuts before Thom reaches the ground.
A boy walks up to a chained Dobermann and then walks away, just before the dog is about to reach him.
The same boy sits on a chair in the left side of the frame and Thom Yorke stands in front of the camera, Thom then runs away and his running goes into slow-motion, as he runs past the boy, the boy picks up the chair, runs (in normal speed) behind Thom and out of the right side of the frame.
A group of three women dressed in long black shrouds perform a dance of sorts, shot in slow motion.
Thom smashing several sheets of glass with a hammer.
Guitarist Jonny Greenwood jumps into a trailer in slow motion.
Drummer Phil Selway with his eyes closed shot in slow motion while white feathers float around him.
Guitarist Ed O'Brien falling backwards in his chair (also shot in slow motion).
Thom standing in front of a duplicate of himself with a stick. The first Thom crouches and moves the stick sideways while the second Thom jumps to avoid it.
A dark horse is shown in the middle of the trailer park
A old man is shown with blood, or a tar-like substance covering his face
In the final scene Thom is seen jumping up into the air and opening up his arms. The scene slows down and he is left floating in the air as the song hits the last note.
The Darkness would cover this song live numerous times. Their version is delivered in a faster tempo, with significantly heavier guitar, and with lead singer Justin Hawkins' signature falsetto. There is a notable bootleg of this version circulating around the internet.
Stream of Passion has recorded this song on their 2009 album The Flame Within. It is sung by Marcela Bovio and adds a burst of heavy guitar playing.
Joe Budden had this song sampled on the track "Never Again" off of the 2009 album Escape Route.
Peter Gabriel's album Scratch My Back features a cover of the song.
Street Spirit
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can feel their blue hands touching me
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under
Before we all go under
And fade out again
And fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again
And fade out again
Immerse your soul in love
Immerse your soul in love
The lyrics of "Street Spirit" by Radiohead convey a sense of despair and hopelessness. The opening lines describe the feeling of being overwhelmed and suffocated by the rows of houses crowding around the singer. The "blue hands" might represent the depressing mood that is pervasive in the neighborhood. The next lines convey a sense of inevitability; everything falls into place, whether we like it or not. We swallow it all whole like a bitter pill that doesn't sit well. The repetition of the words "fade out" at the end of each verse conveys both the sense of resignation and the idea that everything is becoming increasingly obscured and difficult to understand.
In the second verse, we get a sense of the singer's thought process. The machine, which could represent society or the people around the singer, "will not communicate." There is a significant sense of isolation in these lines, and the singer is under tremendous strain. The reference to being a "world child" suggests that the singer longs to belong to a community, to something bigger than themselves. Still, the danger of being subsumed and swallowed by that same community is never far away. The call to form a circle before "we all go under" is both a desperate plea and a pessimistic prediction.
The final verse portrays a grim reality. The "cracked eggs" and "dead birds" are symbols of lifeless, hopeless objects. The scream of the dying animals is a testament to the violence and brutality of life. The singer can feel the presence of death, sees its "beady eyes" staring straight at them. However, there is a glimmer of hope with the final line's suggestion to "immerse your soul in love." It is a plea to find meaning and connection in the face of adversity, to reach out for something meaningful in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Rows of houses all bearing down on me
I feel suffocated and trapped by the uniformity and monotony of suburbia.
I can feel their blue hands touching me
The pervasive sadness and soullessness of suburban life feels like it's grabbing hold of me.
All these things into position
The numbness of the suburban landscape seems meticulously planned and deliberate.
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
We are doomed to lose ourselves in the monotonous routine of suburban modernity.
And fade out again and fade out
Our existence in the suburbs is fleeting and forgettable, just like the music itself.
This machine will, will not communicate
Despite our reliance on technology, we cannot truly connect with each other.
These thoughts and the strain I am under
The stresses of modern life are overwhelming and take a toll on our mental health.
Be a world child, form a circle
We should embrace our common humanity and come together to live as one.
Before we all go under
If we don't do something to preserve our humanity, we will be swallowed up by the soullessness of modern life.
Cracked eggs, dead birds
The imagery of destruction and death represent the danger that surrounds us in the suburbs.
Scream as they fight for life
The natural world is struggling to survive against the forces of human progress.
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
The sense of dread and mortality that surrounds us in suburban life is inescapable.
Immerse your soul in love
In spite of all this sadness and despair, love can still offer a glimmer of hope and connection.
Immerse your soul in love
Love is the only refuge from the barrenness of suburban life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, 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
@Haroupi
LYRICS:
Rows of houses all bearing down on me
I can feel their blue hands touching me
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under
Be a world child, form a circle
Before we all go under
And fade out again
And fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again
And fade out again
Immerse your soul in love
Immerse your soul in love
@marsellaputri5293
Rows of houses, all bearing down on me
I can feel their blue hands touching me
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under
Be a world child, form a circle
Before we all go under
And fade out again and fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
Fade out again
Fade out again
Immerse your soul in love
Immerse your soul in love
@dokcreations
LYRICS
Rows of houses all bearing down on me
I can feel their blue hands touching me
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under
Be a world child, form a circle
Before we all go under
And fade out again
And fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again
And fade out again
Immerse your soul in love
Immerse your soul in love
@sagisagi9684
Том: «Самая чистая из всех наших песен, но я её не писал, она написалась сама. Мы только посредники. Биологические катализаторы. Её суть, основа – полнейшая тайна для меня. И знаете... я бы никогда не пробовал написать нечто настолько безнадежное... Все, даже самые печальные из наших песен, несут в себе хоть проблеск решения, а здесь такого нет... Это темный тоннель без света в конце. Она передает трагические эмоции, столь болезненные, что единственное проявление этого – звучание мелодии. У каждого из нас свой способ уживаться с этой песней... Он называется отстранённость. Отчужденность. Особенно у меня. Я отстраняю свой эмоциональный радар от этой песни, иначе я не смогу её играть, рассыплюсь на кусочки. Вырублюсь на сцене...
Поэтому стихотворная основа песни – просто набор мини-историй или визуальных образов, - как противопоставление единому, связному объяснению её смысла... Я использовал образы, положенные на музыку, которые, как надеялся, передадут эмоциональную цельность, единство стихов и музыки... Именно это означают «всё разобщенное, что поглощено целым» ('all these things are one to swallow whole'). Я имел в виду эмоциональную цельность, потому что во мне этого не было, я не мог четко сформулировать эту эмоцию... (пауза) Иначе я бы просто разломился, развалился на части. Наши фэны наверное смелее меня, они позволяют песне проникнуть внутрь, а может, просто не понимают того, что они слышат... Они не понимают, что 'street spirit' это пристальный взгляд в глаза самому дьяволу... и еще о понимании: что бы там ты ни делал, дьявол смеётся последним... и это действительно так... это правда.
Дьявол на самом деле посмеется последним, всегда, без исключения, и если я позволю себе слишком долго над этим раздумывать – я развалюсь. Не верю, что у нас есть фаны, способные эмоционально воспринимать эту песню... Поэтому я убежден, что они просто не знают, о чем здесь речь. И поэтому мы всегда играем её в конце выступлений. Она меня истощает, сотрясает, ранит как черт, каждый раз, когда исполняю её, глядя на тысячи людей, смеющихся и вопящих, не обращающих внимания на трагический смысл, словно когда собираются бросить собаку, а она при этом виляет хвостом. Так выглядят наши слушатели, и это разбивает мне сердце.
Я бы хотел, чтобы эта песня избрала своими катализаторами не нас. Я не заявляю своих прав на неё. Она требует невозможного. (очень долгое молчание). Я не писал этой песни».
Джонатан Глейзер осаждал группу, подкарауливая известие что песня будет синглом и потребуется видео; так оно и вышло, и результат претендует на звание лучшего из всех хэдовских видео вообще. Клип снимался в предрассветной тьме в пустыне возле Лос-Анджелеса... и очень близко передает настроение песни и музыки группы в целом.
Теперь мне все стало более менее понятно : безысходность !
@-BestRockSongs
Leaving this comment so that whenever someone likes it I'll comeback and listen to this masterpiece
@alitaghipourattari2268
Like now?
@stephenclark9594
what about now ❤😂
@shekinahmagbago3177
And now?
@pzakp311
Smart. Cheers from Germany.
@jonbee3596
Cunning plan. Enjoy. 👍
@miguelneto4608
Radiohead is not depressive. Is not the perfect music to be depressed. It is the perfect music to come to terms with anything that caused grieve, that makes us feel small and powerless. It's the perfect music to remind us that is ok to not be ok. It's part of the human experience.
@redskies4530
Hi I recommend a song called 'Looking Into The Mirror' By Robert Nix
@lindahill2868
Miquel, this is the best comment!! I totally agree with you. And yes, it is ok not to be ok all the time.
@br1ght5ide
yes, they are depressive mate. but this is why we like them ;)