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.
Everything in Its Right Place
Thom Yorke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything
Everything
Everything
In its right place
In its right place
In its right place
In its right place
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Everything
Everything
Everything
In its right place
In its right place
In its right place
Right place
There are two colors in my head
There are two colors in my head
What, what was that you tried to say?
What, what was that you tried to say?
Tried to say
Tried to say
Tried to say
Tried to say...
...Everything...
...Everything...
...Everything...
The lyrics of Thom Yorke's "Everything in Its Right Place" reveal a mind grappling with confusion, frustration and a longing for order. The repetition of "everything in its right place" is an attempt to find some form of order in the chaos of life. The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the human desire for control, and how we attempt to impose this order on ourselves and the world around us. Yorke is admitting that despite his efforts to control his life, he still wakes up feeling sour like he's "sucking a lemon." The chorus becomes more desperate as the song progresses, with Yorke repeating "everything" almost as a mantra, desperately searching for the order and control he craves.
The lines "there are two colors in my head" suggest that there are two sides to himself, a dichotomy of emotions that seem to be in conflict with one another. This inner struggle is compounded by the line "what, what was that you tried to say?" which can be interpreted as Yorke's inner voice trying to communicate with him but ultimately failing.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything
The repetition emphasizes the importance of everything being in its right place
In its right place
Stressing the need for everything to be orderly and organized
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Feeling sour or bitter upon waking up, possibly due to a negative experience or mindset
Everything
Reiterating the importance of having everything in its right place
Right place
Underscoring the significance of proper placement
There are two colors in my head
Possibly describing conflicting thoughts or emotions represented by different colors
What, what was that you tried to say?
Questioning a failed attempt at communication or understanding
Tried to say
Acknowledging a previous, unsuccessful effort to communicate or express oneself
...Everything...
Reinforcing the central theme of the importance of order and organization
Writer(s): PHILIP JAMES SELWAY, THOMAS EDWARD YORKE, JONATHAN RICHARD GUY GREENWOOD, COLIN CHARLES GREENWOOD, EDWARD JOHN O'BRIEN
Contributed by Gavin R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alexander Area
Kid A, Kid A, Kid A, Kid A
Everything, everything, everything, everything..
In its right place
In its right place
In its right place
Right place
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
Everything, everything, everything..
In its right place
In its right place
Right place
There are two colours in my head
There are two colours in my head
What is that you tried to say?
What was that you tried to say?
Tried to say.. tried to say..
Tried to say.. tried to say..
Everything in its right place
DanceOn
What a unique rendition of this classic track, I love how fast he played it! What's everyones favorite track off of KID A?
Opalo Garodiva
probably this one, it is so addictive...
海斗
Idioteque
SERVICER
morning bell
Esteban Valle
In limbo
Vishrut Upadhyay
Motion Picture Soundtrack
Omar Shaker
everybody's complaining about how fast he is playing it and ignoring how good he sounds live, his voice is still super clean after all these years
lebigfin
Yeah I noticed as well he sounds amazing here
Jack Foster
Omg you're completely right!
Pedro Pereira Neto
you can do both. they don't cancel each other out.