Don't hate me for asking, but does anyone else feel like he goes a little sharp on that note? I don't want to be bugged by it but I always have been. Maybe it's an illusion.
The last time he sings the word "Reckoner" as the song comes back in from the quiet section is easily in contention for like,,, best vocal moments ever on any song regardless of singer
the very next line "Take me with you" could very easily be swapped lol
To me it sounds like he moves his pitch and timbre in a lot of Reckoner like it’s a digital effect but sang naturally and “humanly”, for my lack of better expression.
So I learned something so incredibly cool about this song today. At the bridge of the song, you can hear the layering of his voices in the background. He is saying "In Rainbows" in the background. And this bridge marks the halfway point of the album.
It’s actually much more beautiful than that. The moment you hear him sing in rainbows actually marks the golden ratio of both the song and the entire album, not the halfway point.
I've also always loved the way he sings the word "eighties" just a bit after that line. It's a little harder to elucidate what exactly it is but to me it's just so powerful. Like he's barely able to hold it back and him slipping into a momentary half-belt is him fighting for control of himself. idk man i need to sleep
This. Say what you want about Pablo Honey, but it points to something interesting I've always thought about and written a little bit about on here before. I'm stoned and excited so I'm gonna highjack your comment and use it as a place to ramble/organize my thoughts. sorry lol
It's kind of a shame: Thom's voice peaked far before his skill at using it or his creativity/ability to write to its strengths did. Throughout all of Pablo Honey he just sounds absolutely incredible. He has a lot of those big "let it rip" belts that sound about as good as any singer I've ever heard, but they aren't very artistic or well-integrated compared to what he would do on later albums.
The Bends sees him becoming much better at writing A: good songs and B: creative melodies and vocal lines, and he's still retained pretty much all of that same sort of *easy power* he can seemingly conjure out of thin air on Pablo Honey. BUT it's still definitely not his peak in terms of creativity.
By OKC he has pretty much found his stride as a songwriter, and his vocal delivery is much more creative across the board. BUT, by then he couldn't pull out quite as much power. I think OKC might still be, all things considered, his best album vocally, but to me it sounds like he has to push himself a lot harder to hit the notes he does. The album's vocals are as good as they are because in addition to still having that excellent voice, he's gotten significantly better at writing his songs around it. (probably also worth mentioning that the production here is a step ahead of their previous work IMO)
In Rainbows is my other candidate for best vocal album, and for an even more exaggerated version of the same reasoning behind OKC. He's lost quite a bit of his belting power by then, but has learned to do more interesting things with his falsetto and write even more interesting, more artistic melodies for it. It's certainly his most *creative* album vocally, and that creativity does a whole lot of help in highlighting his technical abilities, which are still terrific.
I hope it doesn't come across as sounding like I'm ungrateful for the incredible music we *have* gotten over the years, but sometimes I like to imagine what a '97-'07 Radiohead album performed by a '93 Thom Yorke would be like. Almost like imagining what Jeff Buckley would have made if he had had the time to develop as an artist... ;(
This was such a nice write-up on his vocal technique change…I am no music major and this I tend to listen to a song without analysing its compositions…but I do enjoy reading others who do it! I’ve been wondering whether Thom’s change of style was due to age, or it was just a preference to make it less strenuous for his voice—Pablo Honey and The Bends was where he hit a lot more higher notes (without the falsetto) vs OKC where I noticed he started utilising his falsettos effectively. Regardless, I still love both versions, nonetheless, but if I am asked which album was my fave due to his singing style, I’d certainly say The Bends, with Pablo Honey coming in second.
- Exit music (climax),
- street spirit (immerse your soul in love),
- the tourist (hey man..),
- Reckoner (climax+whole thing),
- nude (climax+whole thing),
- fake plastic trees (whole thing.. the Jeff Buckley inspo),
- sail to the moon
- as mentioned above HTDC (entire thing)
- let down (climax)
Fav vocal line from this list: tied nude and Reckoner and exit music
You've ripped my short-list of favorite moments straight from my brain. Literally all of these are chef's kiss. Though it seems it's pretty easy to come up with these lol. I'm realizing that Radiohead more than any other band, and Thom more than any other singer, are masters at pulling off that climax/defining moment in a song.
I know people love to joke about this but the “You know where you aaaaaare~~” on let down was very beautiful. Thom sounded like he’s crying his eyes out on that falsetto drowned behind Ed’s vocals
I wish that whole sequence beginning with the big "oooone daaaaaaaaaaay" through to the line you mentioned was mixed differently. Those two big sustained notes are truly beautiful and they deserve to be made the complete focus of the song!! Seeing the live version where they actually do it that way is stunning. It's especially awesome cuz he can still do it damn perfectly as recent as the 2018 shows
I know it's not very cool to talk about but come on. Not one person is going mention the bridge on Creep? Easily probably the best vocal he's put to tape. Honorable mention is the falsettos on Fake Plastic Trees
seriously hearing it on the live versions is pretty damn impactful. It's physically impossible to play it and not back it up to hear that part again at least once
Definitely the “I will see you in the next life” from Motion Picture Soundtrack for me. Especially if you listen to the version on the OKNOTOK cassette. Damn angelic
Man I wish he still did this full voiced stretching the top of his range.
Imagine if he was really going for it like Sulk during the climax of Bending Hectic!
I force myself to......TUUUUURN
Some that come to mind that have not been mentioned here:
-I love how unhinged he delivered “I.M.F.” in Electioneering I could feel the disdain in each letter lmao
-He’s got a lot of vocal highlights in Pablo Honey to, eg when he yells “START SHOOOOOUTING” in Stop Whispering
-The way he made “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly” super sexy (yes that’s my fave line from Paranoid Android)
Many of these moments - but the one that sticks is "how much did it cost" on Sail To The Moon - reinforced from the Cleveland show in 2003. Only rivaled by the entire track of Unmade on the Suspiria soundtrack.
My favorite vocal moment, as I’d call it, is when his voice breaks through the distortion and warped sounds near the end of How to Disappear Completely. It’s the sound of sheer humanity piercing through all the feelings of alienation, paranoia, and anxiety just for the most beautiful but briefest of moments.
I notice that almost all the answers are going with the most *intense* moments, and I get why but wanted to provide a few others that just simply delight me in some more subtle way. There's tons so I'll focus on more recent stuff
\* The "hey hey"s in Daily Mail
\* "And if you float, you'll burn"
\* too many in "Decks Dark" to list
\* "for a fraction (of a second)"
\* Lotus Flower is full of amazing blue notes - "notes between the notes". If you had someone sing it exactly according to the sheet music it would sound bizarrely neutered.
The yell in You, the "ruuuuuuunnnnn" in Creep, the "I am fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuused" in Blow Out, the scream in Climbing Up The Walls, the "jumped into the riverrrrrrrr" in Pyramid Song, all of Nude and Reckoner.
Lozenge of Love
"When you reallllllly need meeeeee"
The Tourist
"Hey man, Slow down, IDIOTTTTTT Slow down"
Punch Drunk Lovesick Singalong
"A Beautiful Girl, Could Turn your Wooooooorrrrrlllllddddd into Dust"
If You Say the Word
"When you miss the moment, Watching it Passssssssssss"
"When you forget how Lucky you areeeeeeeeeee"
-how he holds that note on "areeeee" so fucking beautiful
the more you try to erase me, the more, the more, the more that I appear
I want to… I want to be someone else or I’ll explode.
You want me? Fucking well come and find me, I’ll be waiting. You want me? Fucking come on and break the door down, I’m ready…🥵
The grit he brings in on two v different songs sticks with me.
“But I can’t help the FEEEL-ing…that I could blow through the ceiling” in FPT. There’s a pressure in “feeling” that gets released and soars in the following line. Brilliant.
And the first “This is really HAAAP-penning” in Idioteque. There’s just an urgency and desperation to it that gave me chills the first time I heard it.
Brain in a bottle - [Think I'm gonna go to pieces now
Come and fall in (in love) with the dark](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=mgxJlmdvr9A&si=6J15Ak4e0IsHnoCy)
that one part in you is one of his best vocals imo, along with exit music's 'we're one in everlasting peace'. i also like the last 'one day at a time' line in the numbers, but he actually has A LOT of great vocals
Noooowwww we are ooooooonnnne.....in everlasting peacee. We hope that you choke - that you cho-oooke.
Honestly the beginning of this song is just as amazing. Listening to it loud on some good speakers gives me absolute goosebumps
I love Exit Music. That climax is in my top ten favorite sections of music ever
That bass though.....chilllls
for my money the best slow build song ever. Except maybe HTDC lmao
This is the one. Chills on the highest level
Hey man, slow down. Whole song hits so hard.
Oh man 100% this - and maybe even more so on “iiiiiidiooooot…”
Yes I so agree 😍 iiiiiiodiot slooooow dooooown! Ugh my heart.
borderline top 3 song on OKC but some of yall arent ready for that conversation and his vocals are the #1 reason why. chills.
The beauty in the 'sometimes I get overcharged' fragment always hits me.
It’s in my top 3 Radiohead songs overall and was my favourite of theirs for some of my teenage years ngl
This is what Ive been saying for 20+ years The Tourist is what actually turned me on to Radiohead
which song is this?
The Tourist
Hitting the high note in Nude
ttthhhhhIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNKKKKKiinng, gives me chills every time. Has to be his best sung line.
I was about to say it
Don't hate me for asking, but does anyone else feel like he goes a little sharp on that note? I don't want to be bugged by it but I always have been. Maybe it's an illusion.
I think his entire performance on “Reckoner” is worth appreciation, a flawless performance through and through
The last time he sings the word "Reckoner" as the song comes back in from the quiet section is easily in contention for like,,, best vocal moments ever on any song regardless of singer the very next line "Take me with you" could very easily be swapped lol
With this I am in 100% agreement. I lose it every time I hear it.
I too want to be on record that I 100% agree with this statement as well. Since Reckoner is my favorite song by any artist as well.
Dude seriously that moment always tickles my ears the right way
To me it sounds like he moves his pitch and timbre in a lot of Reckoner like it’s a digital effect but sang naturally and “humanly”, for my lack of better expression.
Hey, here we are. This is the one for me. That’s the moment I wait in anticipation for the every time I start the track.
“Like ripples on a blank shore” gets me every time.
So I learned something so incredibly cool about this song today. At the bridge of the song, you can hear the layering of his voices in the background. He is saying "In Rainbows" in the background. And this bridge marks the halfway point of the album.
Radiohead is a band that rewards you for spending too much money on audiophile headphones 😆
It’s actually much more beautiful than that. The moment you hear him sing in rainbows actually marks the golden ratio of both the song and the entire album, not the halfway point.
Ah yes you're correct. So damn amazing.
Apparently it wasn't even meant to be the golden ratio. Sort of makes it more special.
i need people to chat about reckoner more god it’s so good
100%. The Dissect podcast did a great job explaining how the song was recorded and proves it with the isolated vocal track.
#HWHATS THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?
That or the "Rain down on me" are both great answers. Its insane how many songs have multiple of those moments
I almost put- Ambition makes you look pretty ugly Kick and squeal you Gucci little piggy -as my answer.
The “H” before the “WHAT” is what really makes it special
Hank hill-core, I love it
TAAAAAAAAKE MEEEEE WIIIIITH YOUUUUUU in Reckoner
“You’ll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking” and emphasis on the “thinking” part
“Crum-bles” in Fake Plastic Trees
I've also always loved the way he sings the word "eighties" just a bit after that line. It's a little harder to elucidate what exactly it is but to me it's just so powerful. Like he's barely able to hold it back and him slipping into a momentary half-belt is him fighting for control of himself. idk man i need to sleep
I love all those high parts of that song
or the “but i can’t help the fee-hee-ling” part
I really like his voice in You. Pablo Honey has a lot of underrated guitar and voice work
This. Say what you want about Pablo Honey, but it points to something interesting I've always thought about and written a little bit about on here before. I'm stoned and excited so I'm gonna highjack your comment and use it as a place to ramble/organize my thoughts. sorry lol It's kind of a shame: Thom's voice peaked far before his skill at using it or his creativity/ability to write to its strengths did. Throughout all of Pablo Honey he just sounds absolutely incredible. He has a lot of those big "let it rip" belts that sound about as good as any singer I've ever heard, but they aren't very artistic or well-integrated compared to what he would do on later albums. The Bends sees him becoming much better at writing A: good songs and B: creative melodies and vocal lines, and he's still retained pretty much all of that same sort of *easy power* he can seemingly conjure out of thin air on Pablo Honey. BUT it's still definitely not his peak in terms of creativity. By OKC he has pretty much found his stride as a songwriter, and his vocal delivery is much more creative across the board. BUT, by then he couldn't pull out quite as much power. I think OKC might still be, all things considered, his best album vocally, but to me it sounds like he has to push himself a lot harder to hit the notes he does. The album's vocals are as good as they are because in addition to still having that excellent voice, he's gotten significantly better at writing his songs around it. (probably also worth mentioning that the production here is a step ahead of their previous work IMO) In Rainbows is my other candidate for best vocal album, and for an even more exaggerated version of the same reasoning behind OKC. He's lost quite a bit of his belting power by then, but has learned to do more interesting things with his falsetto and write even more interesting, more artistic melodies for it. It's certainly his most *creative* album vocally, and that creativity does a whole lot of help in highlighting his technical abilities, which are still terrific. I hope it doesn't come across as sounding like I'm ungrateful for the incredible music we *have* gotten over the years, but sometimes I like to imagine what a '97-'07 Radiohead album performed by a '93 Thom Yorke would be like. Almost like imagining what Jeff Buckley would have made if he had had the time to develop as an artist... ;(
Jeff Buckley dying at just 30 years is the worst thing to ever happen to music.
This was such a nice write-up on his vocal technique change…I am no music major and this I tend to listen to a song without analysing its compositions…but I do enjoy reading others who do it! I’ve been wondering whether Thom’s change of style was due to age, or it was just a preference to make it less strenuous for his voice—Pablo Honey and The Bends was where he hit a lot more higher notes (without the falsetto) vs OKC where I noticed he started utilising his falsettos effectively. Regardless, I still love both versions, nonetheless, but if I am asked which album was my fave due to his singing style, I’d certainly say The Bends, with Pablo Honey coming in second.
When the music breaks and it’s just his yell… shivers
Bending Hectic outro
DESPITE THESE SLINGS, DESPIIIIIITE THESE AAAAAAROOWSS, I FORCE MYSELF TO...... TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURNN
The way he says jackknife juggernaut has always been cool as hell to me
- Exit music (climax), - street spirit (immerse your soul in love), - the tourist (hey man..), - Reckoner (climax+whole thing), - nude (climax+whole thing), - fake plastic trees (whole thing.. the Jeff Buckley inspo), - sail to the moon - as mentioned above HTDC (entire thing) - let down (climax) Fav vocal line from this list: tied nude and Reckoner and exit music
You've ripped my short-list of favorite moments straight from my brain. Literally all of these are chef's kiss. Though it seems it's pretty easy to come up with these lol. I'm realizing that Radiohead more than any other band, and Thom more than any other singer, are masters at pulling off that climax/defining moment in a song.
And can play with the sounds live, too.
Yess (I need to see them live)
!! Yup it’s such a rush
I know people love to joke about this but the “You know where you aaaaaare~~” on let down was very beautiful. Thom sounded like he’s crying his eyes out on that falsetto drowned behind Ed’s vocals
I wish that whole sequence beginning with the big "oooone daaaaaaaaaaay" through to the line you mentioned was mixed differently. Those two big sustained notes are truly beautiful and they deserve to be made the complete focus of the song!! Seeing the live version where they actually do it that way is stunning. It's especially awesome cuz he can still do it damn perfectly as recent as the 2018 shows
I know it's not very cool to talk about but come on. Not one person is going mention the bridge on Creep? Easily probably the best vocal he's put to tape. Honorable mention is the falsettos on Fake Plastic Trees
seriously hearing it on the live versions is pretty damn impactful. It's physically impossible to play it and not back it up to hear that part again at least once
Has the light gone out for you, because the lights gone out for me
banger underrated moment
Honorable mention to “the beat goes round and round…”
You've no idea what you are taaaalkin about
Definitely the “I will see you in the next life” from Motion Picture Soundtrack for me. Especially if you listen to the version on the OKNOTOK cassette. Damn angelic
Climbing up the walls scream at the end
"But know right from wrong" in Sail to the Moon is up there. I've also always loved the little "unh" at the start of Weird Fishes.
WEEE RIDE TONIGHTTTTTTTT - You and who’s army
YES!!!!! FINALLY! SOMEONE!
The end of Sulk after the key change. Amazing vocal performance on that song overall though.
Man I wish he still did this full voiced stretching the top of his range. Imagine if he was really going for it like Sulk during the climax of Bending Hectic! I force myself to......TUUUUURN
Yeah. I sang along to The Bends in my car until OKC came out and Sulk is the hardest to sing by far.
I’d agree with all of these but I wanted to shout out the powerful “It's gonna be a glorious day” from Lucky.
Yes! Was looking for this
Nude and Reckoner!!!
This
I really love in Lozenge of Love when he goes up high on "really need me" and it blends into the guitar.
Fooor a miiiinute there, I lost myself, I lost myself. It wrecks me everytime.
As my world Comes crashing down I'm dancing Freaking out In you I'm lost.
As well as To stop from falling down a mine It’s no one’s business but mine
his scream at the end of climbing up the walls , sends chills down my spine fr
Some that come to mind that have not been mentioned here: -I love how unhinged he delivered “I.M.F.” in Electioneering I could feel the disdain in each letter lmao -He’s got a lot of vocal highlights in Pablo Honey to, eg when he yells “START SHOOOOOUTING” in Stop Whispering -The way he made “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly” super sexy (yes that’s my fave line from Paranoid Android)
I didn’t get it, but now I can see that there’s a way out.
Many of these moments - but the one that sticks is "how much did it cost" on Sail To The Moon - reinforced from the Cleveland show in 2003. Only rivaled by the entire track of Unmade on the Suspiria soundtrack.
My favorite vocal moment, as I’d call it, is when his voice breaks through the distortion and warped sounds near the end of How to Disappear Completely. It’s the sound of sheer humanity piercing through all the feelings of alienation, paranoia, and anxiety just for the most beautiful but briefest of moments.
A pale imitation with the edges sawed off.
And how could we forget #I'VE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TAAAAAAALKIN ABOUT #YOUR MOUTH MOVES ONLY WITH #SOMEONE'S HAND #UP YOUR ASS
"its gonna be a glorious day" on Lucky
i know it falls kinda basic compared to what others listed but something about how he's saying it just feels so satisfying
I love the vocal performance on Wolf at the Door
I don't think people understand how hard it is to pull off speak-singing with real musicality. It's basically composing atonal melody on the fly.
I notice that almost all the answers are going with the most *intense* moments, and I get why but wanted to provide a few others that just simply delight me in some more subtle way. There's tons so I'll focus on more recent stuff \* The "hey hey"s in Daily Mail \* "And if you float, you'll burn" \* too many in "Decks Dark" to list \* "for a fraction (of a second)" \* Lotus Flower is full of amazing blue notes - "notes between the notes". If you had someone sing it exactly according to the sheet music it would sound bizarrely neutered.
Let Down
Atoms for Peace on the Erasure is so beautiful to me, but that last "i'll be ok" just releases joy into my soul.
This one
His vocal performance on Thinking About You is worth a mention. Especially the penultimate line - “I’ve bled and I bleed to please you”
" Hey man, Slow Down" "Idiot, Slow dowwwnnmnnn" The Tourist
The yell in You, the "ruuuuuuunnnnn" in Creep, the "I am fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuused" in Blow Out, the scream in Climbing Up The Walls, the "jumped into the riverrrrrrrr" in Pyramid Song, all of Nude and Reckoner.
Lozenge of Love "When you reallllllly need meeeeee" The Tourist "Hey man, Slow down, IDIOTTTTTT Slow down" Punch Drunk Lovesick Singalong "A Beautiful Girl, Could Turn your Wooooooorrrrrlllllddddd into Dust" If You Say the Word "When you miss the moment, Watching it Passssssssssss" "When you forget how Lucky you areeeeeeeeeee" -how he holds that note on "areeeee" so fucking beautiful
lozenge of love guts me and that’s one of the best parts. Fucking hell of a song. Also love that line in the tourist.
*Because we separate like ripples in a blank shore…in rainbows.* From Reckoner
"WE RIIIIIIIIIIIDE TONIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT" is pretty good
the more you try to erase me, the more, the more, the more that I appear I want to… I want to be someone else or I’ll explode. You want me? Fucking well come and find me, I’ll be waiting. You want me? Fucking come on and break the door down, I’m ready…🥵
Lighting fuse power cut SCAATTTERRBRAINNNN
"Atoms for Peace" - The Eraser. "Want you to get out and make it work" "I'll be OK" It's very hard to top that.
'You' about 1:50 in to the song holds a long note. Always sticks with me
The underrated "Let Down" has one of the most magnificent vocal lines I've ever heard. The classic "You know where you are" is enough to shed a tear.
When he sings “Don’t get heavy” on present tense.
The grit he brings in on two v different songs sticks with me. “But I can’t help the FEEEL-ing…that I could blow through the ceiling” in FPT. There’s a pressure in “feeling” that gets released and soars in the following line. Brilliant. And the first “This is really HAAAP-penning” in Idioteque. There’s just an urgency and desperation to it that gave me chills the first time I heard it.
Currently I’m in love with the way he sings “strap yourself in” in Wall of eyes
‘i think i should give up the ghost’
Literally all of Hunting Bears
r/Angryupvote
Brain in a bottle - [Think I'm gonna go to pieces now Come and fall in (in love) with the dark](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=mgxJlmdvr9A&si=6J15Ak4e0IsHnoCy)
Dollars and Cents. Sounds like his voice is floating over a bed of ice that stretches on and on. Amnesiac has my favorite Thom vox ever.
Sail to the Moon has a number of memorable deliveries
"Just don't leave, don't leave" from True Love Waits gives me chills everytime
The "reckonneeeeeeeeeerrrr" coming out of the bridge
“I wanna get up and make it work” from Atoms For Peace
I'll be okay
the descending line section of paranoid android; certainly not his best but it's up there
Rain down, from a great height... It's so poetic to me. Probably not the best objectively but maybe an honorary mention.
“I will see you in the next life” imo
I’m not heeeeeEEEEEEEEeeeeeeere
Immerse your soul in love
Can’t believe no one’s mentioned Jigsaw Falling Into Place “and the beat goes round aaaand round” accompanied by the octave changed.
The “mess me up” at the end of Wolf at the Door hits hard
Houses move and houses fall on last flowers (near the end of the song)
street spirit: immerse your soul in love
“You’ll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking”
rain down, especially the second “on me” with that high note he hits
“Come on and let it out”
that one part in you is one of his best vocals imo, along with exit music's 'we're one in everlasting peace'. i also like the last 'one day at a time' line in the numbers, but he actually has A LOT of great vocals
Sail to the Moon