LISTED: Goosebumps Vol.3 - Radiohead's Let Down
*Goosebumps is a new recurring feature where we highlight on songs that what we perceive to be a complete artistic statement in terms of its melody, lyrics, and to a certain extent, its video clip as well.
Well, one thing led to another, from one article to another, and last week I found myself reading on something called Objective Reality. Have to say that it is currently what interest me the most because I've been having this conundrum between what is supposedly the Real Reality that each and every one of us are perceiving with all our senses, and the alternate version of it - since if and if it is true that everything applies to the logic of duality, then this version of Reality must have its' twin sister. But what I would like to posit is that this version of reality that we're in at the moment (I'm mildly suggesting that you the reader is in the same reality as I do since you're reading this blog) is the Perceived Reality, and that the alternate version of it is the real Real Reality.
I will admit that this idea that I'm having is pretty much flawed since it is only about, I don't know, two weeks old at most, and that the million dollar question of between use of perception and determination of reality is still left unanswered. But this question of trying to separate two out of what has always been a single unified entity is not a futile effort at rejection of the 'perceived' Real Reality. It is simply a case of a philosophical mind wandering far with the 'what if' question in hand. Call this an old age bull but I am starting to feel weary of this version of reality that I am currently in, and was hoping that somehow if I could step out of it and into a new one - the alternate version...
...and that theme of a man grown weary with the world that he is in, is the central theme to Radiohead's spine-tingling, raise-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck gorgeous, heartfelt tune "Let Down", taken from one of the most complete rock album ever created at the tail-end of the 20th century: OK Computer. It began with an incessant ringing, and Thom in dejected half-mumbling musing, opening with "Transport, motorways and tramlines / Starting and then stopping / Taking off and landing / The emptiest of feelings". We keep on having this imagery of a person standing on an overhead bridge over a busy highway, late at night, while gazing emptily at cars passing by, contemplating over the pointlessness and meaninglessness of his existence with that line, and it does have a nice ring round it. Then Thom added: "Disappointed people clinging onto bottles / When it comes it's so so disappointing". So the man on the overhead bridge is an alcoholic as well.
The song has perhaps one of the most unique opening part as far as we can recall because when the ringing kicks in, guitars and glockenspiel in perfect harmony, it sounded romantic like a scene that is playing on a moldy 20 years old film reel where the pictures are in sepia tone and some kid is on a tricycle cycling down the driveway, but all of that harking-back-those-golden-eras romanticism was then greeted by one of the most despirited singing lazily drawling all over the first verse; and it actually works with the lyrics. So here is the sound of a man who has given up on any last trickle of remaining hope on what is the purpose of his being, and is on the verge of letting go. And we said letting go because in the second verse, Thom picked up again his spirit and claimed "Shell smashed, juices flowing / Wings twitched, legs are going / Don't get sentimental it always ends up drivel / One day I'm going to grow wings / A chemical reaction..."
The way Thom sings the song is like an emotional roller coaster ride - it has its' ups and downs - and in the first verse, he sounded dejected and weary, and the following chorus line just reconfirms his restlessness. Then he picked up his spirit in the second verse, announcing his self-believe that one day his body will sprout wings and will allow him to soar above all the tedium of meaninglessness, before it came crashing down back again with the chorus: "Let down and hanging around / Crushed like a bug in the ground". Anyone who had gone through a rough patch in life can perhaps relate to that motion - in which the emotion is always constantly moving up and down, and not in a linear manner; and the rising and falling of tone in "Let Down" magically encapsulates that in a simple five minute pop number. Now if only our emotion is that easy to be explained.
P/S: Video embedded below is kind of poor actually, but alas it is among the nicest of the lot that I can find at Youtube.
*Goosebumps is a new recurring feature where we highlight on songs that what we perceive to be a complete artistic statement in terms of its melody, lyrics, and to a certain extent, its video clip as well.
Well, one thing led to another, from one article to another, and last week I found myself reading on something called Objective Reality. Have to say that it is currently what interest me the most because I've been having this conundrum between what is supposedly the Real Reality that each and every one of us are perceiving with all our senses, and the alternate version of it - since if and if it is true that everything applies to the logic of duality, then this version of Reality must have its' twin sister. But what I would like to posit is that this version of reality that we're in at the moment (I'm mildly suggesting that you the reader is in the same reality as I do since you're reading this blog) is the Perceived Reality, and that the alternate version of it is the real Real Reality.
I will admit that this idea that I'm having is pretty much flawed since it is only about, I don't know, two weeks old at most, and that the million dollar question of between use of perception and determination of reality is still left unanswered. But this question of trying to separate two out of what has always been a single unified entity is not a futile effort at rejection of the 'perceived' Real Reality. It is simply a case of a philosophical mind wandering far with the 'what if' question in hand. Call this an old age bull but I am starting to feel weary of this version of reality that I am currently in, and was hoping that somehow if I could step out of it and into a new one - the alternate version...
...and that theme of a man grown weary with the world that he is in, is the central theme to Radiohead's spine-tingling, raise-the-hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck gorgeous, heartfelt tune "Let Down", taken from one of the most complete rock album ever created at the tail-end of the 20th century: OK Computer. It began with an incessant ringing, and Thom in dejected half-mumbling musing, opening with "Transport, motorways and tramlines / Starting and then stopping / Taking off and landing / The emptiest of feelings". We keep on having this imagery of a person standing on an overhead bridge over a busy highway, late at night, while gazing emptily at cars passing by, contemplating over the pointlessness and meaninglessness of his existence with that line, and it does have a nice ring round it. Then Thom added: "Disappointed people clinging onto bottles / When it comes it's so so disappointing". So the man on the overhead bridge is an alcoholic as well.
The song has perhaps one of the most unique opening part as far as we can recall because when the ringing kicks in, guitars and glockenspiel in perfect harmony, it sounded romantic like a scene that is playing on a moldy 20 years old film reel where the pictures are in sepia tone and some kid is on a tricycle cycling down the driveway, but all of that harking-back-those-golden-eras romanticism was then greeted by one of the most despirited singing lazily drawling all over the first verse; and it actually works with the lyrics. So here is the sound of a man who has given up on any last trickle of remaining hope on what is the purpose of his being, and is on the verge of letting go. And we said letting go because in the second verse, Thom picked up again his spirit and claimed "Shell smashed, juices flowing / Wings twitched, legs are going / Don't get sentimental it always ends up drivel / One day I'm going to grow wings / A chemical reaction..."
The way Thom sings the song is like an emotional roller coaster ride - it has its' ups and downs - and in the first verse, he sounded dejected and weary, and the following chorus line just reconfirms his restlessness. Then he picked up his spirit in the second verse, announcing his self-believe that one day his body will sprout wings and will allow him to soar above all the tedium of meaninglessness, before it came crashing down back again with the chorus: "Let down and hanging around / Crushed like a bug in the ground". Anyone who had gone through a rough patch in life can perhaps relate to that motion - in which the emotion is always constantly moving up and down, and not in a linear manner; and the rising and falling of tone in "Let Down" magically encapsulates that in a simple five minute pop number. Now if only our emotion is that easy to be explained.
P/S: Video embedded below is kind of poor actually, but alas it is among the nicest of the lot that I can find at Youtube.
Labels: goosebumps, radiohead
posted by Hafeez at 6:32 AM
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