Yorke formed Radiohead with schoolmates at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. Their 1992 debut single, "Creep", made Yorke a celebrity, and Radiohead went on to achieve critical acclaim and sales of over 30 million albums. Yorke's early influences included alternative rock acts such as Pixies and R.E.M. With Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A, Yorke moved into electronic music, influenced by Warp acts such as Aphex Twin. With the artist Stanley Donwood, Yorke creates artwork for Radiohead albums and his other projects. He often incorporates "erratic" dancing into his performances.
Yorke's solo work comprises mainly electronic music. His debut solo album, The Eraser, was released in 2006. To perform it live, in 2009, he formed a new band, Atoms for Peace, with musicians including the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and the Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. They released an album, [album artist=Atoms for Peace Amok[/album], in 2013. Yorke's second solo album, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, was released in 2014, followed by Anima in 2019. In 2021, Yorke debuted a new band, the Smile, with the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and the jazz drummer Tom Skinner. Yorke has collaborated with artists including PJ Harvey, Björk, Flying Lotus and Modeselektor, and has composed for film and theatre. His first feature film soundtrack, Suspiria, was released in October 2018.
Yorke is an activist on behalf of human rights, animal rights, environmental and anti-war causes, and his lyrics incorporate political themes. He has been critical of the music industry, particularly of major labels and streaming services such as Spotify. With Radiohead and his solo work, he has employed alternative release platforms such as pay-what-you-want and BitTorrent. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Radiohead in 2019.
And It Rained All Night
Thom Yorke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down New York air conditioned drains
The click click clack of the heavy black trains
A million engines in neutral
The tick tock tick of a ticking time bomb
Fifty feet of concrete underground
One little leak becomes a lake
So I give in to the rhythm
The click click clack
I'm too wasted to fight back
Tick tack goes the pendulum on the old grandfather clock
I can see you
But I can never reach you
And it rained all night and then all day
The drops were the size of your hands and face
The worms come out to see what's up
We pull the cars up from the river
It's relentless
Invisible
Indefatigable
Indisputable
Undeniable
So how come it looks so beautiful?
How come the moon falls from the sky?
I can see you
But I can never reach you
I can see you
But I can never reach you
Thom Yorke's song "And It Rained All Night" is a sobering and introspective look at the powerlessness we all feel when confronted with forces beyond our control. In the song, Yorke is examining the relentless, unstoppable nature of the forces of nature- the rain and the worms- and the overwhelming infrastructure of modern society. The lyrics are ominously foreboding and paint a bleak picture of a world teetering on the edge of catastrophe.
The opening line paints a picture of hope in the form of rain, symbolically washing away the filth and grime of the city. However, this oasis of cleanliness quickly gives way to the bleak reality of the city, the click clack of trains, and the ticking time bomb of a potential disaster. One little leak, the tiny voice in Yorke's earpiece warns, could become a lake, unleashing untold destruction. Yorke surrenders himself to the rhythm of the forces he cannot control, too wasted to fight back, as the tick tock of time beats away.
Line by Line Meaning
And it rained all night and washed the filth away
A cleansing downpour absolves the sins of the city
Down New York air conditioned drains
The rainwater flows through pipes and gutters in the modern metropolis of New York
The click click clack of the heavy black trains
The sound of trains echoes through the city, a constant reminder of industrialism
A million engines in neutral
The engines of the city lay idle and inactive, ready to be ignited at a moment's notice
The tick tock tick of a ticking time bomb
The ominous sound of a bomb's countdown clock ticks away, ever present and ominous
Fifty feet of concrete underground
An impressive amount of solid, impenetrable material separates us from the dangers lurking below
One little leak becomes a lake
A minor issue can quickly transform into a significant problem
Says the tiny voice in my earpiece
A voice speaks to me discreetly, warning me of impending danger
So I give in to the rhythm
I succumb to the beat, losing myself in the sound and abandoning resistance
The click click clack
The sound of machines and technology can be heard all around us
I'm too wasted to fight back
I'm too intoxicated, tired, or powerless to resist the effects of society
Tick tack goes the pendulum on the old grandfather clock
The immovable grandfather clock ticks away, marking the passage of time without fail
I can see you
I can detect your presence, perhaps physically or metaphorically
But I can never reach you
I cannot connect with you, reach your level, or achieve your status
And it rained all night and then all day
The rain persists, continuing to soak the city for hours upon hours
The drops were the size of your hands and face
The raindrops are large and heavy, almost as if they're trying to make a statement
The worms come out to see what's up
The rain inspires even the most hidden and timid creatures to emerge and investigate
We pull the cars up from the river
Vehicles that were submerged in the river due to the flood are being salvaged and retrieved
It's relentless
The rain and the world it represents never quit, slowing or taking breaks
Invisible
The world can hide its secrets and mysteries, especially ones that are not tangible
Indefatigable
The world can appear to be endless and tireless in its hunger and demands
Indisputable
The world's power and control cannot be denied
Undeniable
The world's hold on us is so strong it cannot be fully or effectively refuted
So how come it looks so beautiful?
Despite its harsh reality, why does the world still seem so appealing?
How come the moon falls from the sky?
A rhetorical question pondering the phenomenon of nothing being impossible or improbable in the world
I can see you
Just like before
But I can never reach you
Just like before
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind