This was intense… Thank you to all who recommended! What does this song mean to you? What’s your analysis of its meaning? \m/

One of the greatest songs ever created in my opinion. Absolutely stunningly beautiful.

How to Disappear Completely is about Thom being completely burnt out and overwhelmed by Ok Computer's success. Thom says "The lyrics came from something Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) said to me. I rang him and said, ‘I cannot cope with this.’ And he said, ‘Pull the shutters down and keep saying, ‘I’m not here, this is not happening."

This song is my go-to when I get really depressed or sad. It's pure perfection.

This song seems to border the edges of the sublime the ethereal the angelic and simultaneously having a nervous breakdown... profound and truly genius!

Thom once said this was the best song that he’d ever made. On that topic, the guitarist Ed O’Brien once said ‘There, There’ was the best song they’ve ever done, so you could listen to that one next. It’s a fantastic song

The strings were performed by an orchestra at Dorchester Abbey, when the musicians saw the music they said it was not possible, so the conductor told them to experiment and work with the idea.

This is how my insides and my heart felt almost 7 years ago when my only son died at age 31, those discordant violins exactly echo the shattering I felt inside and in my sense of order and reality. Nowadays I sometimes play this when I become overwhelmed with caring 24/ 7 for my adult special needs daughter--sometimes I just have to detach myself from my own daily existence and the 'this is not happening' part helps me go to another place that is untethered from time for just that interval of the song. I still have this album on cd, I bought it when it first came out but it wasn't until my son died that the album really spoke to me and made sense of my own spiritual/ emotional state.

Not many people can talk about their reactions so articulately, so thoughtfully and with such depth. It's refreshing, thanks

Imagine how it feels to have had this song 'in your life' for 22 years. Some comfort blanket.

Pyramid Song is like a cousin of this song -- a bit more chill, but just as beautiful.

this song is a masterpiece.

Emotionally, I take it how you’ve interpreted it. It calms the riot within. In this video, at approx 5mins 55secs, as the strings withdraw and Thom’s voice soars, I feel at absolute peace with the world around me.

Pretty damn cool take on this song. I personally love how chaotic the violins play towards the end and the harmony just falls in line thereafter. This song is actually Thom Yorke's favorite as it symbolizes his struggle and how he almost had a meltdown but was able to pull through. Thanks for this.

I think the mix on this is just brilliant. The bass line carries the whole song; this haunting melody played beautifully by Colin.

I get someone dealing with trauma. A death of somebody close, trying to cope and going into a disassociated hibernate state. A state of intense depression. Truly haunting und unsettling.

Speaking of limbo, one of the tracks of Kid A is “In Limbo” Thank Jonny Greenwood for those strings. The bass line doesn’t resolve, so it adds to the tension like the strings & the drone in the background, which is actually an Ondes Martenot keyboard.

you nailed it. Song is about disassociation

Oh yes, yes, YES......!!!! Love the whole......eerieness of the track. Sublime. All of Radiohead's music reaches me deeply, I can just never tire of it and it feels borne out of personal and heartfelt experiences. By the way really like your full song treatment and reaction, and the fact the song kicks off instantly. I absolutely hate it when reactors interrupt a piece of music - how can they love music if they're prepared to do that? Keep it going with Radiohead too, am enjoying this journey. Also, glad to hear you've left your old mental 'paralysis' behind...

This song to me has always been about exactly what you said: Dissociation. When I'm really depressed, this song will be a blanket for me. Something to wrap myself in, and take comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one who has been here before. It's really lovely, and raw.

KID A IS A MASTERPIECE

Absolutely incredible song. Radiohead are just unparalleled at evoking incredibly specific emotions in their music. "Glass Eyes" from their latest (A Moon Shaped Pool) feels to me like what reaching out to someone from within a panic attack or depressive episode, begging for help sounds like.

I must admit. I’m really here for the moment at “5:55”. It brings me back to the kidA tour when I saw them.

‘Pyramid Song’ is in a similar vein to this, if you want more of the same

Yes this is about dissociation

You should give How to Dissappear into Strings a listen, even if it's not for a reaction. It's the stripped back, strings only version of this song from Kid A mnesia. Irs harrowing and beautiful.

this song is ahead of its time. over 20 years old and still sounds new.

This is a beautiful explanation of this beautiful song. The kind of song that blast you into space and so far away you start to see you are part of everything. Then you cry a bunch. Great breakdown. Cheers!

mate that was a great react. was nice to get back into the song with someone new who was clearly able to appreciate it. i agree with your feel about the song. i never looked into it, didn't need to, for me the song is an ode to the worst moment of our lives... that one we saw coming and just had to accept and deal with. the biggest mistake we ever made. and the lesson is acceptance. once you finally accept where you are, you'll feel so free that everything is beautiful. for me, the lyrics are all subconscious thoughts, and the music is all mood. can't really compare radiohead songs at this level, they're just magical

What a wonderful reaction. I, too, have difficulty with being overwhelmed and dissociating. I have autism, so I often get overwhelmed very easily. I have post-traumatic stress, so it's really easy for me to completely lose where I am. I have anxiety and depression, so I live under a suffocating and smothering blanket. It's hard to even talk about. This song is 100% about that coming to terms with overwhelming stress. Thom Yorke has proclaimed it to be his magum opus (paraphrasing), and I'm inclined to agree. There's something about this song that just transports you to that headspace of dissolution, like you mentioned, especially when given the alien world it resides in amidst the frigid churning of Kid A. The resolution of the song, where the strings break into a dizzying and nauseating array over Thom's falsetto, only to give way to a triumphant building swell, before slowly sinking back into waves like the rest of the song to close it out, is one of the most cathartic experiences I've ever felt from music. I've never seen your content before, but your forthrightness and emotional maturity have earned you a sub. Keep up the quality content.

Long time Radiohead fan here. Give "Moon Shaped Pool" a listen - blew me away on first listening. Simply beautifully worked songs. Different level artistry - mesmerising. And live....

In fact Thom’s favourite song. At least he said that long term me ago, this song and “nice dream” made me cry sooo many times

This song always puts me in my feels bro

Love all of what you said. I find all of Radiohead's songs intensely emotional, it's Thom's voice and his ability to convey that pure emotion, as well as the beautifully constructed arrangements, just the whole band, the songs, I've often found myself in tears, and I'm not embarrassed to say so. It's music from the soul and for the soul and when I listen to it I'm wholly engrossed, I'm in it and feeling it. Subbed by the way. Just to add, I try not to read too much into what the lyrics are meant to say or what inspired a particular song, I'm all about sound and the emotions they elicit. Sure, the lyrics matter hugely and they shape how you feel it also, but for me it's like reading a book or looking at a painting, I don't want to have it explained to me, because it's about what it means to ME, and every piece of art means something different to different people, what you get out of it might be entirely different, or similar, but it's personal and matters to you. Love the channel.

Buddy you have an excellent ear and beautiful way of describing things. I hope more people get to see your videos. Love from India:)

I love your openness about yourself - it makes this so much more than a normal reaction. I've sent this to people over the years, and 3 times for a fact I got a text back later telling me they were in tears. This is powerful in a way I think is unique and incredible. I really appreciate you sharing wat and how it impacted you. There are other similarly close powerful songs from this band but truly - you are so right when you speak of treating it with care - how often do you find a song of that magnitude. And that long dissonant note that starts the song - it is like a stroke of genius only a band of this continuity of personnel and varied skills could even place to know it will do what it does - throw off the comfort enough of a whimsical acoustic guitar - then the spacey effects and (let's all agree no band ever does 'swells' like Radiohead, it is almost like they were gifted this ability for miles wide soundscapes and how to achieve them from a place beyond the reality we no - much great music has this element and it is on full display here.) You will enjoy this song much more once you don't have to guess at what he is saying - so the lyrics, while a lot of them were intentionally just random poetic verses clipped together, "Idioteque" fo example, not this one - the words when they come into your process, I think will elevate this even further. But as you said, to be approached with care. It can be very cathartic and help propel you forward if you are in the rising place - if you are down and hopeless - maybe check out Ok Computer's "No Alarms" - kind of dark lyrics but a comparably beautiful song without the dark dissonance. As for the story behind it, you were very correct, Thom wrote this as he was undergoing severe emotional strain and breakdown almost while undergoing exhaustion during the tour for OK Computer. Michael Stipe of REM, his good friend and one of the major influences for Radiohead, gave him advice to just keep telling himself he wasn't there (encouraging some level of dissociation to get through this difficult time he was having). That near breakdown and this song and Kid A in general are how he broke out of it - toss the guitars away and let's try making music in a way we have never done (and maybe no one has before or since when it comes to Kid A) and by far, by far and away yes I too will avoid or invite this song in times depending on how it may hit me. It can be triggering but also therapeutic but it is for sure, gorgeous and powerful and on most bigtime fans' top ten track lists. And for good reason.

Loved how you just sat there and soaked in the emotion of the music. On behalf of all huge Radiohead fans, thank you!! ❤ To me, this song feels like the perfect musical/lyrical expression of what it feels like to have depression and anxiety. Trying to disassociate - as you said! - while there's stuff hovering in the background that you're trying to run away from it, not face it, it's too painful. It's like how that dissonant string goes floating above, disturbing compared to the calming guitar - how it doesn't fit is perfect with what it says lyrical. Then, the strings swell like the anxiety swells - you can't ignore it anymore. Chef's kiss!! I've been there before, I'm fighting it right now frankly. I'm sorry you've had to deal with your own stuff too. ❤ It sucks and it's lonely work. I agree, it's tough to listen to something like this for me too because it opens all those feelings and I'm not always ready for that. When I feel I need to hear this song, it's usually for emotionally cathartic reasons.

I think one of the most profound things about Radiohead's discography in general, is that you often experience something totally different, relate totally different, as you grow older and become a different version of yourself. That may explain why you felt the newness of this track, while also acknowledging that you had 'heard' it before. Great content, thanks. :)

Thanks for doing my favorite song on here because no one reacts to it. Thom York says this is the song he is most proud of. For me, it just sounds like me perfectly.

Welcome! Thank you for this, and thank you SO much for not stopping the song ten times, or even once, during your reaction. So many music reactors stop the song so many times in that first listen, and it interrupts the genuine first reaction way too much. You experienced this exactly how it is supposed to be experienced, all at once. Such a powerful song, and one of their most beautifully haunting. There are MANY more similar to this. Loved this reaction, dude. I immediately liked and subbed!

Add "weird fished arpegi", "daydreaming", "dawn chorus (this is from Thom Yorke)", "true loves waits (acoustic versión)" to your radiohead list 😉

You are doing great with your reactions. Very acurate and well said. Radiohead is my favorite because I believe no one else can do what they do.

To me it's about things being completely out of control and you're trying to deal with it through disassociation like you said.

@catttthhhhoooo This song was a conversation between Thom and Michael Stipe (REM) and Thom was so incredibly anxious about performing live... So Michael told him to pretend he wasn't there - hence the dissociation. Don't quote me, but that was Thom's message in this track. It's one of my favorites xx

That is a song that you find yourself in……my experience has been a chronic illness, a horrible immune flare I suspected. “I’m not here, this isn’t happening”…..it’s brutal and beautiful at the same time because you have to keep going. Brings me to tears, tears I hadn’t been able to face when I didn’t understand what was happening to my body and my life. I was about to be completely disabled and the my future looked very dark. It would be another 21 years before I was diagnosed with MS and now it’s too late to stop the progression that stripped me of everything I had become in my 20’s. This song hits deep in ways that no other song has. It may be the most perfectly sequenced record and my favorite of their’s.

u have an amazing way with words while explaining the meaning u get from these songs. so entertaining and enlightening at the same time. keep doing this stuff man

You're amazing dude. The respect you show for the music as your listening is so refreshing. I can feel you feeling it, it's like I'm getting to listen to it for the first time all over again. Thanks my dude, keep this shit right up

Exit Music (For a Film) is a must, off of OK Computer

Radiohead fan here, when I first heard this song it was a dream….then I evolved, it then creeped me out, then I evolved again and it made me feel like I was the happiest human on earth. It made me face my own thoughts on my mortality, I was going to be ok no matter what, I would love to have this played at my funeral,whenever I come to pass.

I listened to this song constantly in Afghanistan, so poignant for how we felt at the time. Now listening it gives me great memories and nightmares

I’ll never forget hearing this LIVE, during that 2nd big leg of the OKC tour in 1998…”How to Disappear COMPLETELY (and never be found)” was one of 2 new songs they were playing on that tour, the other of course was famously the early version of Nude (aka Big Ideas) that they played with a Hammond Organ. But I got How to Disappear, in Toronto at the Molson…Centre? MAN, I had to wipe my face like 8 times that night between that song, Fake Plastic, Let Down, No Surprises, Karma Police…most perfect concert I’ve ever seen. [I also met ‘Jim’ (Warren?) their live sound guy at their bus later on, carrying a bag of foot pedals and cords, and earlier in the day we saw them do their interview for Much Music, you can see me for a sec w/my face pressed to the glass on the tv version haha, they’re still officially the only band I ever stalked like that] (U def. need to hear the original version btw, has an extra verse, plus live is even more emotional)**

The next track, Treefingers, is a beautiful bridge track, nicely meditative and ambient. A soul soother, after those vicious discordant strings.

this is my go to radiohead song for really just any slow song. walking during school, going sleep, in a sad mood, it is such a good song

My sister showed me KID A when i was a sophomore in highschool. I listened to it religiously, one time I listened to it like 10 times in a week. This album is such a huge part of my life and I relate to it on such a deep level. It's crazy that all the depressing(this album is much more than just depressing of course) albums become my comfort albums hahaha. The lyrics themes, Along with the fusion of music and soundscapes its working with its just Genius. PLEASE REVIEW WHOLE ALBUM or at least Optimistic to balance this out!!!

Utterly unique and calming

You should check "Everything in its right place". Kid A is an experience.

this is one of those songs where radiohead really just explores how beautiful they can make something sound. ones that have a slightly similar vibe worth looking into codex pyramid song daydreaming reckoner nude separator the daily mail

I loved seeing you get lost in this. It is a human song... you showed your humanity. Thank you. Beautiful.

The way you describe feelings in this reaction made this the best how to disappear completely reaction by far. I agreed with you in every single word.

Radiohead's best album - a true masterpiece, and this song is no different. It defines "haunting" in musical form. If you get a chance, drop some shrooms and MDMA and crank this album over a pair of good headphones. It'll change your life. Also, Tool shirt = win :) The trifecta of perfect music is Tool, Radiohead and Pink Floyd.

Radiohead never leaves you...

One of the most haunting songs ive heard, luv it. Proberbly this and Lucky my 2 fav songs of theirs

My first viewing of your channel - I'm so happy I did. Such a colourful and considered reaction to an extraordinary song - thank you so much

That's was a great break down! Really enjoyed it!

Nice breakdown…you nailed it!!

thank you for this overall amazing reaction! I completely understand everything you express. And I guess - we're many out there who does. Bless

Hey man, this is my first video of yours, and I love how you described the feelings you got from the song. Radiohead has such an amazing catalog to check out, and I don't think I could ever pick a favorite song from them. But some that would be really interesting to see you check out I think would be Street Spirit (Fade Out), Paranoid Android, Karma Police, Motion Picture Soundtrack (that's the actual name of the song, and it's short but AMAZING), and one of my absolute favorites, Exit Music for a Film. No matter what, I'm glad I found your channel, and I'll definitely be checking back for more. I wish you luck man, and again, great video!

This is literally my favorite song, thanks for this treat!

Excellent review of this classic song. This song for me was an emotional song perfect for a crazy time in my life. Radiohead summed up my fears, loves and my losses I felt daily during that time. I still get emotional when listening to Radiohead. Takes me back to a different, younger, scarier, exciting, lost and floundering time but it's not sad it's reflective and makes me realise real life and how beautiful it, and music can be.

I know exactly what you mean with your reaction to this. If you've been through that struggle before, although you have come out the other side now, just be conscious that it will always still be with you in a dark corner, and just be vigilant so that when the first signs or a recurrence start showing you are able to take a step back and recognise what may be happening in your life which may be affecting you. This song is extremely evocative and although I love it, I find it hard to listen to for the exact reason you mentioned. Dangerously beautiful music.

it reminds me of a dream thats almost nightmarish, but equally comforting. the end wiht the violins reminds me of this beautiful dream getting worse and worse, and eventually coming to an end. waking you up.

i first heard this song in poland when i was visiting the death camps. since then i have always fealt the despair in this song.

What a jammin’ track. Your thoughts on it are exactly mine. Even after all these years. Really appreciate hearing you describe what this song made you feel.

This is a magical song. Enjoyed your thoughts on it 👍🏻

great reaction brotha!

Always makes the hair on my neck stand up

Hey man, you probably won't see this but as a massive fan of this music, your reactions actually resonate with me. You can see you get it and that you appreaciate it for what it is. IMO, you should have more views on these. best of luck my friend

What a very thoughtful review. Thank you. I love when reviewers show their passion for music.

Great reaction/ explanation brother .

This is a song that has to be listened to alone, in the dark, at 1:30 in the morning.

Amazing reaction you got a new sub !

Those violins at the end always gives me chills

Fantastic reaction, man. Thanks for posting. This song hit me the exact same way. Actually, before hearing it, something really horrible had happened to me, and when I heard the song it seemed to be a complete picture of how I had dissociated myself into numbness during the event. It’s incredibly beautiful in its orchestration and writing. Thom Yorke as usual pierces into the heart. It reminds me a little bit of Nights in White Satin, but, and I mean no disrespect to the excellent Moody Blues, this piece is deeper and darker. The atonality and the screaming of those harmonies really fill and overwhelm me with emotion every time I hear it.

Brilliant analysis compared to other sites. I love the way you expressed your feelings lisitening to this song. I've been a huge Radiohead since they first started out and I listen to music in much the same way as you do. Music first always. Your analysis of them both and how you related to it really touched me. I can honestly say I feel like I was taken through an emotional journey with you. Thank you so much for this!

Great review! If you like Radiohead you Should check Björk’s work also.

KId A absolutely flows perfectly from one track to the next.

To me, it reminds me of having BPD & dissociation. Being there but not being present.

Thought you were spot on in capturing how I felt when I first heard it.......

I love to listen to this song whenever I have melatonin, it pairs well. Like you are slipping through reality, being dissolved in ocean. Although all you want to do is to just shut your eyes, you can't help but to stay awake, so you can stay in this state of fading away for longer. It does the same as Everything in Its Right Place for me but a lot more melodic(hey, I love both). And quite the polar opposite to Fake Plastic Trees, in which you know you feel terrible but the song keeps forcing you into a state of soberness, you feel you don't fit into this world filled with "whateverness" but there's nothing you can do to change it, after all, "the gravity always wins, but I can't help the feeling". 2 of my favorite Radiohead's songs.

for me, its someone who gave everything to someone that was toxic until one day you went as toxic as that person, "thats not me" and in the end it was not enough.

Its funny you said this made you feel like you were empathizing with someone else's story because my first encounter with this song was within a couple days of finding out a friend of mine was going through the loss of his dog. I knew how much he cares about his dog and it killed me for him. And i was listening to this song and it made me think of him and I think I cried harder than I ever remember crying in my entire life. So yeah....it's a tough one for me to revisit too.

I've never really had much mental instability, but this song makes every bit of empathy inside me think I have. The song makes me cry nearly every time, but it still feels so amazingly peaceful and cathartic, like some others have said. I know this is an old video, but I would really recommend checking out the Kid A Mnesia exhibition game that radiohead put out. I wish it had VR, but walking around the museum they made with the lights off and headphones on was one of the most amazing experiences I've had.

Beautifully articulated. Subscribe button pushed.

My favourite Radiohead tune ever !!!!!!!!!

you need to watch the Canal+ live version. just sublime. good luck with the channel

Unbelievable song. The strings and his voice swirling and flying through space set the environment for closing your eyes and losing this moment in time. Some have mentioned to try "Pyramid Song" next, and I'll agree. My favorite Radiohead song. Similar sense of emotional release. Makes me feel like - it's hard to explain, but - like a sense of existential acceptance, compassionate forgiveness to myself, yearning... when the drums trip over themselves into their groove towards the start, it's like an unfolding outward.

Thank you for relating to the disassociative and mental health aspects of this song. This whole album is that for me, and I know it is for many of us diehard Radiohead fans.

Omg... I have time minutes of this song that actually fucking blows my mind... I love Thom so incredibly much. I have the exact point of this track that is so unsettling... it's in my notes from years ago. I love you Thom and I will forever listen to Radiohead forever 💜🎶💜🎶💜🎶💜

listening to this song is gut wrenching ... it rips out my heart and "the song" shows me my still beating heart which is slowly fading out .... and disappears completely ... and then at 5:23 into the song, the sky clears, my heart jolts back to life .... fantastic song, time and time again

Brings back memories