This was my youth. Growing up with a physical handicap fucking sucked. This song actually helped me. I wasn't alone. Gave me comfort. As an adult, I'm fine. But, I needed this song as a young person.
This is the kind of song that lonely, awkward teenagers hear and realize that someone else feels the same way they do. That's why it was such a success. That's why the people in the audience were happy and singing along. This song is validating.
When you spend every day feeling like you're a stranger in a strange land, hearing someone sing and give voice to something you don't have words for, and noticing everyone around you is experiencing the same thing, you find yourself suddenly surrounded by your people, by your tribe, your family. They smile and laugh because they belong. Tl;dr: I agree completely.
Everyone listens to this song , it is smash hit And mostly it is not the lyrics. Although everyone has insecurities and a psrt of it will feel kathartic. But overall it is the wonderful music, wonderful and wonderful guitar and also the honest, and also the openess of insecurity expression. This guy has spectacularly beautiful voice. When Roger Taylor from Queen was asked to name one guy , maned this guy as voice. And about people singing along, it happens in all songs and happily
I think that a lot of the crowd did "get it". Certain songs, including this one, become anthems for people who are psychologically troubled and experiencing the song live becomes a celebratory, communal event for those who normally feel alone and like outsiders.
Yeeesss! This!! For so many of us this song was representative of our very SOULS. It was almost like "church music". Like the way Amazing Grace can make you feel happy and mournful all at once.
Tom Yorke says this is about being in love with someone, but not feeling good enough. He describes the feeling as, "There's the beautiful people and then there's the rest of us."
I guarantee you everyone in the crowd knew exactly what was being said, because they felt it too. This song resonated with some many people of the generation.
Unrequited love, teen angst, depression, self-hate, societal conditioning, pain, sorrow, worship, alienation. He worships what he considers a deity, a goddess with perfect skin, an angel. He's the loner who doesn't fit in and just lets it all out in a cathartic musical scream. Or something :)
That is exactly what he sings about, and the girl then came and saw them live in concert and he had to vomit backstage bc he had to perform this in front of her. Everyone in the crowd knows what the song’s about and the sing along bc they can relate to the feeling of not being worthy.
Yes, the lyrics are very depressing. The crowd do understand it, it's just that combined with the music and amazing vocals, it's a cathartic experience. That's why its great.
The crowd is listening...I mean, this is the anthem for the dejected and rejected for GenX. I guess you just had to be there. Love this version for the long run at the end, it's amazing.
Most of the people in the crowd, have already sat in their bedroom and listened to this when they were depressed and this helped them get through a tough time, so now, when they're in a crowd with others, they're cheering because they feel connected to the other fans, and they are there to have fun....they mean no disrespect
I think this is where you and the guy in this video disagree. Concerts are not parties, they are performances. I never went to a Radiohead concert to party, and I've seen them more times than I can count, over three decades. The thing that has always bothered me is people who show up with the idea that they are at a party, acting like dumbasses, blocking your view with their goddamn phones trying to film the show so they can post a crappy video with crappy sound on FB and toot their horns that they've been to a party 🙄, because tooting their horn is higher in their priorities than enjoying the show, ruining it for the rest of us who care to enjoy the show just because THEY don't care to enjoy the show. If you want to party, go to an actual party. I am not the only Radiohead fan who sees it that way. I am there to hear the band, not to hear you drunkenly scream, precisely because I want to connect with their music and the performance, not with you.
I was one of the people singing. We were happy and it became our theme song of sorts because we were so happy that we weren't the only one. This is the anthem of a large group of kids and young adults who couldn't fit the mold our parents wanted us in. Ours was the last generation that the "good" moral majority tried to control. And we rebelled so hard that a lot of that crap like anti sad, anti gay, ignored mental issues stuff is unfathomable to the current generation and some of our own. And I'm happy to explain it knowing we did it. And our children can express their feelings and get help. RIP to those that died to drugs and suicide that could have been saved with a little understanding.
You're missing the point man. In England we know exactly what the song is about. We sing along because we know the pain and we're joining in. It's not a question of not listening, it's kinda like solidarity. We've all been in the same situation, being young and longing for someone who doesn't notice you or even acknowledge your existence. Been there myself for sure. Many times.
Did you really just say that only the English can make sense of the feeling of the person you have a crush on being out of your league? Seriously? 🤦♀️ You do know there are pubs in England for when you want to party and get wasted? You do know that scores of people go to a concert alone and are absolutely not interested in the crowd and don't want to feel connected to it? Or only the English fail to grasp these concepts? 🙄
@@chrish6547 That's exactly what they said. "In England, we know exactly what the song is about." Everything the describe in their comment as English is universal. There is zero cultural difference mentioned. Reading comprehension is your friend.
@@Gomba13 it is indeed which is why they didn't say "only the English..." They just reffered to the fact that in England its a extremely popular song and the crowd would have known what Thom was singing and what he meant by it. Nothing to say that other audiences wouldn't understand it in the slightest. Just speaking from their own experience, from their country.
@@chrish6547 Yes, speaking of their own country, as if what they are speaking to were different somehow in their own country when it comes to something as basic and universal as the way a person feels about themselves. The comment IMPLIES that somehow the English have more empathy and a better understanding of emotions. Funny, I don't feel the need to mention my country when something as universal is discussed. Nobody ever does, save for the very few exceptions like this one, which begs the question: what exactly is the point of this comment?
The crowd gets it. Radiohead got me into therapy and turned my life around. Thom Yorke put words to my feelings so that I could feel comfortable talking with another human being about them.
The crowd gets it. You should absolutely be doing more Radiohead! I would recommend you do “Paranoid Android” next with the official music video. Great reaction 🙋🏻♀️👏🏼🙌🏼👍🏼💜🇨🇦
As everyone seems to be saying... The audience knows exactly what this song is about! By singing along, they validate that the feelings that make you feel so alone are actually something felt by so many others. What an empowering moment to have your voice join with others and truly realize you're not alone in that!
And there, in that place, at that time, for once they're not the unwanted outsider who somehow never quite fits in. For once they're surrounded by people who get it, and who do accept them. And that's why they can smile.
I totally disagree with you! I don't think you've been listening. A lot of it is actually funny. For instance, Nude is one long laugh from beginning to end, even though so many people consider it to be this really serious love song. It describes an ecstatic state and pokes fun at it. Even the way they put their albums together, the succession of songs, and the sounds themselves, are literally joyrides. Even when they tackle moody topics, they dedramatize and poke fun at it. And they constantly mess with the heads of the listener, poking fun at US. Either you need to read the lyrics with no music, or you need to get acquainted with English humour. 🤷♀️
Trust me; the crowd totally get it. It's how they feel/have felt, about themselves and they are happy someone else gets it too, that's why they are enjoying it. Finally, someone is singing about them; oh they get it.
This song has become an anthem for all the rejects, outcasts and those that never fit in. I has been covered by many. The original captures the raw emotion.
I'm almost 50 years old and have felt this way every day of my life. After awhile you learn to accept your punishment and live the best life you can. Choose to laugh instead of crying.
Man you're on a roll. This song has so much meaning to me. It's like someone recognized my and so many others existence for a mere second, and told people what we were feeling.
This song made me realize that I had a raging drug problem 20 years ago and helped me change my life! The crowd knows exactly what he is saying! Now 20yrs clean this song still reminds me of a life that I never want to go back to but it has so much positivity also! Much love! Have an amazing day!
I saw one of their last USA concerts for a LONG time in 1998 in Austin, it was amazing. Highly recommend High and Dry as a song, and the whole OK Computer album is a trip.
I am a fairly long time subscriber and I've watched tons of your videos. This is the first comment I am ever leaving. First off, let me say that I thoroughly enjoy your reaction videos. Your commentary and depth of knowledge is second to none in the reaction community, and I am an aficionado. Our musical tastes align very significantly, especially on the Harry Mack tip, but I am very eager and excited for you to begin your Radiohead journey. Knowing what I know of your musical tastes, I believe wholeheartedly that you will only be more surprised and impressed with wherever this journey takes you. I heard this song and "High and Dry" back in the 90's, then I kind of just slept on the band for the next 20ish years. I recently came across "Vinyl Junkies" youtube channel reacting to the entire "OK Computer" album (AMAZING VIDEO BTW), and became instantly hooked and fell down a rabbit hole. Anything from here is good. Peace and love and keep up your hard work. I am without a doubt recognizing you!
Radiohead will be a whole journey. This song is so old, when you listen to something from In Rainbows From the Basement, like "Nude" or "Weird Fishes", you'll see how the band evolved over the years. They're my favorite of all time so I was really excited to see this video pop up.
They have had quite the evolution. Still yet to put out a bad album, but The Bends remains my favorite…probably nostalgia lol. OK Computer is a close second…
the heartache.. the feelings of inadequacy.. the self torment in this song... all these things tugged at my heartstrings as a young teen and were just so relatable.. the amazing rhythm and melodies in the song are secondary for me, as great as they are.. Radiohead is an incredible band I highly recommend more by them.. check out Karma Police or Plastic Trees
Post Modern Jukebox with Haley Reinhardt singing Creep is something you should most definitely check out and is exactly how you reinvent a song and make it your own.
I sure hope you do a deeper dive into this band. There's so much more. Also, I think you have to take into account that the people in the crowd are fans. They've spent years weaving these lyrics into the meaning of their lives. They absolutely know what's going on and what's being said. It's an anthem. That's how they're able to find joy in the pain.
This song first came out while I was in jr high. We thought it was about us. My son's generation now listens to it and thinks it's about them. It's just such a great teen angst anthem.
Very much enjoyed your lyrical analysis. A lot of the react channels I watch offer in depth vocal technique observation with some nod to the lyrics, but you went right to the lyrics. Big thumbs up!
We went SPECIFICALLY deep into INCEPTION from “the more that you like this content, the more that I know that you SPECIFICALLY would like to see more of this SPECIFIC type of content.” Into this, “If you feel like you need to change yourself to get a SPECIFIC person, then you should probably not be with that SPECIFIC person. Love it! The man knows how to make sure everything is clearly laid out, with all the cards on the table.
Thom Yorke is a musical genius. OK Computer is still today one of my top five albums of all time. Post divorce this album plus Creep was in my tape deck constantly. I miss the 90s. Radiohead’s catalogue is fantastic. Please react next to ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ and ‘High and Dry’ or anything off ok computer. Thanks. Cheers from Tasmania Australia.
It's so cool seeing someone new to Radiohead!! You have gotta listen to some stuff other than Creep though. I don't want to sound like a snob, because even though I do like Creep, but they have 3-4 albums where every song is better than Creep. My three song suggestions for someone new would be: 1. How To Disappear Completely - Probably the most beautiful (and haunting) song I've ever heard. Also an incredible song title. 2. Let Down - A great song, an unusual guitar melody, and when the second chorus hits and there are two vocal lines, it gives me goosebumps. 3. Nude - Possibly Thom Yorke's greatest vocal performance. The mood this song exerts is fantastic. And of course, Radiohead is really an Album type of band. OK Computer, Kid A, and In Rainbows are generally accepted to be 3 of the greatest albums of all time. If you can, I highly recommend listening to those 3 albums (and The Bends).
I highly recommend you get acquainted with the notion that music is subjective. No one, not a one, is qualified to declare things like "they have three or four albums on which every song is better than Creep." Also, when you have heard tons about an artist you have never heard, which song do you listen to first? I am pretty sure it will be the one that comes up first on streaming services, RU-vid and in articles that discuss what the artist is most notable for. And that in this case IS Creep.
Firstly I'd like to say that there are literally thousands of reaction channels now on RU-vid but for me this is the best. Not only do we get to hear your running commentary of what you think the lyrics mean, but also your pearls of wisdom and motivation peppered throughout. This particular song though, it's iconic and has been for 30 years. The earlier Radiohead albums were an accompaniment to my coming of age. Although people gleefully sing along to this song, as i would at home, I find it very difficult to imagine the crowd not knowing what the song was about. It's pretty literal in its presentation.
Honestly, some may just be all about the melody, many songs are never truly heard for what they mean/represent. Yet most of the people that chose to be at this concert were there for this song. Most of us have felt this way throughout our lives at one time or another. Sadly, some of us feel this way all too often! I am 50 yrs old and this is still an anthem I play as loud as my speakers will go to belt out my angst from time to time. Sometimes we need his pain to remind us we are not alone. I thank him everytime I hear it.
This song introduced me to radiohead some 5 odd years ago and now I've listened to their entire discography and have had many nights just crying to their albums
When my wife die suddenly Radiohead really helped me get over the shock and grieve they provided me so many cathartic moments their music does not always make me sad at all.
I happened to stumble across your Channel. Instant follower!!! It’s amazing how fluid music is to us depending on our maturity, emotion at the time, and how we are interpreting life in general. Mic drop to you for this review. I would love to see you comment listening to “Hurt- Johnny cash version” comparing it to the nine inch nails version of hurt. Mic Drop to you. Thanks for the content!!
It's more subtle & complex than you're giving it credit for. The clue is the " so 'fucking' special" . His feelings are ambiguous - part of him is mesmerised by the sheer other-worldly yet physical beauty of this girl (& the people she mixes with), but he knows he's got his own individual worth in other ways, & by the end of the song he has, regretfully, come to terms with his situation. It's an age-old story that many of us go through.
Good Sir, Now that you've heard this you absolutely must hear the cover by Haley Reinhart. Not for us so much, but you owe it to yourself. I'm going to listen to it right now, come to think of it. Thanks for the mental health heads up and awareness messages. Good on ya.
So I was 11 when this song first played on MTV, I cried my eyes out because I knew exactly what he was singing. I thought of all the pretty blonde perfect girls I wasn't and how I was so not even close to as perfect as I saw my sister as. Now I wish she could be the person I imagined she would grow up to be and hope she will look to me for inspiration.
I think they do know the lyrics. It is because the song resonates deeply with so many people that they find joy in its expression.... so beautifully. It makes them feel better about being less than.
I got to say I think you've swung and missed here. the people in the crowd singing along maybe 10% of them are singing long just cuz they like pop songs, the vast majority the 90 80%. They're singing along because they felt this way at some point they felt exactly that way and if someone can encapsulate their darkest moments, days, weeks even in a beautiful way like this song does for a lot of people 90% of that crowd and 90% of the people who sing along to it. I've been there I sing along to the song and admire the guys ability to make me remember the bad times in a beautiful light.
Daydreaming is a more current song done by them and I think you will be surprised how their sound has grown and changed... absolutely ethereal. Great reaction. Those of us on our late teens and 20s that didn't fit in felt like this at times...this song really connected to a lot of people that felt like an outsider. I would also recommend "Lotus Flower" as an incredible song they did mid career ( well, in their late 30s). Sorry to gush, but I am a huge fan of Radiohead.
Yes, he poured his heart out on the stage and it was beautiful, because he talked about those things we tend to keep inside. Love the song, and it isn't about depression but rather about a moment in time, when we just don't feel so hot.
Listen to any tracks from Radiohead In Rainbows, From The Basement version. Not only do you get to hear amazing music, but you get to watch them create it real time in a studio space. It’s beautiful.
The people in the crowd know the lyrics. The singer's crying because he sees people who feel the same in front of him and there's a bond there that is literally..so special.
You 💯 need to get into Radiohead, they are quite plausibly the most important and innovative band to come out of the UK. There's so many you could do, I'd recommend: Paranoid Android (the live version on Jools Holland is incredible) Pyramid song Idioteque Where I end and you begin If you want to check out an equally iconic and heartbreaking track from another awesome UK group, react to Roads by Portishead - the live version from Roseland NYC is immaculate. ✌️
Dude i’ve watched no joke like 30+ reactions to this amazing song and you are the only one to immediately pick up on “your skin makes me cry”, like I did. Wow what a line huh
1st part of song. -Start of depression episode . Insecurities , rejection , self-loathing / hate e.t.c 2nd part of song. -Mental / pyscotic breakdown / episode , self harm e.t.c 3rd part of song. -broken / defeated , hopelessness , in hosipital , jail or worse death ( suicide ). That's my quick brief interpretation of this classic anyway.
The people in the crowd absolutely know the words and what the song means. Thom Yorke's words are unmistakable and speak especially well to those of us who grew up in the 90s and felt this way about life (that doesn't mean we were all "psychologically troubled" as another commenter said). The crowd was singing back to him with a sense of "We're not as alone as we think we are" - and that's something to be happy about. You should absolutely get into more of their music - Karma Police, Fake Plastic Trees, Paranoid Android, many, many others! Really appreciate your reactions!
This is one of those songs that does a beautiful job of relating the awkward emotion of not fitting in, not feeling good enough. All of us have felt this way at some point in time and that’s why this song hits people so hard! Very emotional, very good!
My late teens and early twenties this was my song. It described perfectly how I felt. It definitely saved my life because in my darkest moments it gave me something I could identify with. You saying and insecure person who thinks their life is worthless hits the nail right on the head.
I used to sing this song to myself through the long nights of a battle with Anorexia Nervosa. It is powerful and sad and lovely. It makes me cry every time. Every time.
I would also be singing those words right back at him in solidarity and familiarity. Listening to this song brings tears to my eyes because of how relatable it is. I can't attest to everyone there, but a lot of people feel the same way I do
I'm going to say much the same thing that others have said in the earlier comments. This song is so powerful because everyone can relate on some level to the singer's lack of self-esteem. We all have fazes in our lives where we feel lonely and out of place. This song is so great because it lets us know that this is a normal human reality. Even when you are in a place in life and you feel like you are on top of the world you can listen to the song and be reminded of where you once were, and at that moment you can realize that you have grown. It's actually a positive song.
I grew up with in extremely fundamental Christian family, homeschooled, in church 4 times a week, and gay. This song still roars through my soul when I hear it. The years of silently holding on and almost not making it to adult hood so many times. I remember having the radio on in my room super quiet and sitting with my ear on the speaker listening to this just crying with relief knowing I wasn't alone. Music was literally my salvation. That was why the crowd was smiling though. They weren't alone for a moment. For a moment someone acknowledged that pain of otherness in a tender and beautiful way.
I believe a lot of music like this carried many through their depression, gave em a way to grasp it, understand it, and sing, and feel ok about it... I know it did for me... quite a few songs did this in that era, songs that hit the soul, not just entertained gave people an outlet they needed... for me, Hurt (Johnny Cash version) also was in this.
Radiohead may be the most influential alternative band of the last 30 years. As great as it is, this song is pretty normal and was off of their first album. Their musical evolution was wonderful. Try a few from their second album High And Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, The Bends.
