Analysis of “Just” by Radiohead

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Due to popular demand I've just released an analysis of 'Present Tense', along with a look at 'Knives Out' and 'Sulk' kzbin.info/www/bejne/goC1o6SrZsyUmtk

[@anshulanilgaur1118]

Please do channels charmless man by Blur

[@4scended498]

Y E S R A D I O H E A D M O R E

[@GayRiku]

So many people regard The Bends as 'basic' in terms of musical composition, so thank you for making this video and showing how many cool and interesting ideas Radiohead had even back then!

[@paranoidandroid4709]

Rose Radiohead may be lots of things but basic isnt one of them

[@manuelsen69]

@@paranoidandroid4709 I think she meant basic in the context of Radiohead albums.

[@simorto]

ok poser you dont know a shit about radiohead HE IS EXPLAINING THE SONG BUT THEY DONT KNOW ABOUT THEORY AND IT DO BE SIMPLEEE, ALSO YO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT MUSIC ,NO, STFUU

[@simorto]

@@paranoidandroid4709 radiohead regarding music producing and i have a dad working with them do be basic soo because he work with music thing and tech for the start he knows their knowledge in time

[@paranoidandroid4709]

slav god i didnt understand you, im sorry english isnt my first language :(

[@braninacore]

You're such an underrated youtuber. Keep up the good work man ;)

[@michaeleaster1815]

100% ... This channel should have 20x more subscribers and hopefully will in due course.

[@Varra1]

6:25 that Gb7 is actually a tritone substitution. Gb7 is replacing C7, the dominant chord of Fmaj7. it works because Gb7 and C7 share the same tritone. C7 tritone is: E Bb while Gb7 tritone is: Bb Fb (enharmonic to E)

[@DWScores]

yep

[@landsproduction6702]

NERD ALERT!!!

[@Yabois_]

@@landsproduction6702 🤓🤓🤓 ummm ackhschtually

[@FASTFASTmusic]

You're a better teacher then any of my music teachers over the last 30 years. I hope the algorithm treats you well.

[@benyoung2014]

Please do The present tense!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Good suggestion. Maybe if this comment gets loads of likes I will ;)

[@lasdudas9210]

@@DavidBennettPiano Please do more Radiohead! It's one of the most interesting band out there

[@kikesix]

@@DavidBennettPiano please!!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

@@kikesix it's coming! Maybe won't be out for a month or so though as I've got some other videos coming in the mean time! :)

[@kikesix]

David Bennett Piano glad to know it's happening! Keep up the awesome content mate! Proper quality videos :D

[@MonsieurToupoutou]

dude, your videos are sooooo cool

[@DavidBennettPiano]

thanks man!

[@matheusdahora1916]

Thanks man...I learn a lot about music theory with your radiohead videos! It's great to learn while enjoying my favourite band!

[@MaquiladoraIII]

I also love the way Radiohead 'borrowed' the chorus chord progression from "Shot by Sides", giving the song that slightly post-punk feel. It's a truly wonderful rock song and honestly, still somehow remains underrated.

[@ashleedawn456]

I know nothing about music theory or musical technique but this is fascinating and I love Radiohead. You are very good at teaching, amazing video.

[@katiec3225]

I heard that ‘just’ was created in a competition between Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke to see who could fit the most chords into a song :)

[@zynel413]

I wonder who won...

[@garthedwards3089]

Really the song that got me into Radiohead. Great explanation. Love your videos.

[@Lucas-qy7qz]

Talk about "I want you (shes so heavy)"

[@DavidBennettPiano]

that's already on my list!

[@ksi8276]

@@DavidBennettPiano I noticed something. This song is probably ripped off from "I wanna get funky" by Albert King.

[@badgasaurus4211]

@@ksi8276 They sound absolutely nothing alike. You’re really making me question how bad people’s ears can actually get

[@OliverStreet]

Was literally listening to the song when this popped up lol

[@Shane-it8yj]

lol

[@hxdo888]

lol

[@Al59redux]

It would be lovely to have an analysis of King Crimson's Red, which may have inspired the start of Just.

[@danielebowman]

"may have"?

[@SamChaneyProductions]

Great video! I would like to add at 6:25, the Gb7 is a tritone substitute for the V7 chord of F (C7). I would say this section is squarely in F major, the chord progression being V bII7(tritone sub) I. Tritone substitute dominant chords resolve down a half step instead of down a perfect fifth like normal dominant chords.

[@moorlandmonster]

Brilliant! Thank you so much for your deep dives into music theory on popular songs. As someone who trying to expand their music theory after years of being a hack guitarist it’s really useful. Keep it up!

[@jamieburke101]

Your videos are class just proper fun to watch

[@donach9]

Aw just seeing the theory behind how that opening riff fits together was just beautiful

[@taIkshowhost]

it's so interesting the way that they work with music and i'm glad you take the time to explain it.

[@youi1253]

Another informative, intriguing, and interesting video ❤️❤️❤️ Love your shirts by the way.

[@meddiefrercury828]

Fantastic stuff as always! Thanks for the video, there‘s nothing like music theory videos about Radiohead

[@kpman644]

Absolutely love your Radiohead vids

[@hisdaughterharry]

Such a sexy song!!!!!! I’ve had this song in my head for months (without knowing the tune or lyrics) and suddenly the earworm guitar hook came back to me and I’ve been humming it to my friends asking what it is. Thank u for making this vid because this song is addictive.

[@GayRiku]

Also I'd LOVE a video on how they create the atmosphere in Knives Out. The key Thom sings it just makes it feel like it's overwhelmingly somber and hopeless and I've always loved how the sounds alone can create a whole mood/feeling in a song :')

[@cesteacy]

I love these radiohead videos. So in depth.

[@phil3034]

David, I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your theory videos. I've learnt so much about songwriting from your handful of videos and as a consequence of them I have also re-discovered Radiohead after a long separation! The comparison between this song and Nirvana was interesting. Some of the 90's era grunge bands came up with some interesting chord progressions which at the time, with my limited diatonic theory knowledge, I could not understand. To be honest I'm not sure how much theory they knew themselves! Maybe you could take a look at some of these in the future? I'm already keenly anticipating your next video but until then I have plenty to digest from this latest one. Thanks.

[@brittany16950]

OMG IT'S AN OCTATONIC SCALE IN POP MUSIC!!!! 🤯I thought I'd never see this ANYWHERE other than 20th century fin de siecle art music.

[@memoryfield]

Radiohead is brilliant. Thanks so much for covering this.

[@giancarloromano5458]

If you could do Jigsaw falling into place would be great

[@annoyingnoahvg5445]

Does Radiohead reflect your main musical taste? That alternative, experimental, progressive sound? If not what are some other bands that best show your taste?

[@liferoijrm1976]

He said in a video about his favorite albums of all time that his favorite bands were Radiohead and The Beatles

[@cliffhughes6010]

Brilliant analysis - thanks.

[@0000song0000]

I love your way of processing and pressenting the analysis. It really helps improve our own compositions too. Merci jeune homme.

[@tomatoesandradiowire482]

Your videos are awesome and I really appreciate how much you care. Keep up the good work dude.

[@lucasjo2185]

Love that song. Great analysis 👌

[@TheLordQuasi]

Fantastic video mate. Really entertaining to watch and learn

[@Cumbucket69]

this album is one of my faves from radiohead, thanks for making this video man!

[@critlangford7410]

I remember reading or hearing somewhere that Johnny and Thom wrote this song as a sort of challenge to each other to fit as many chords into a song as they could without it sounding silly.

[@gamer966]

So one for your Q&A: is every chord progression explainable? Someone told me that part of the r&b or smooth jazz aesthetic, for example, is to just throw some random chords that don't have any relation or function in the progression so they end up just sounding "out there"

[@kayefsee333]

Your content is the best man

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I'd love to see some content about Fleet Foxes! I think their songs are worthy of analysis!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

I love fleet foxes :)

[@daniport8727]

I love your radiohead videos!! Your explanations are very accessible. Please make more!! Maybe one on Ill Wind? Thank you so much!!

[@dominikbart1726]

Do the analysis of songs by King Crimson! That will be interesting as well.

[@joansalazar5884]

Excellent job, I would like to see an analysis on 2+2=5. Keep up the good work!

[@MrLordofrock]

Love these videos man! Thank youuu.

[@ralitsa-ost]

I like how you referred to the major and minor thirds as "rubbing up against each other" because it really feels that way as they are just a semitone apart. Nice!

[@ronaldm6753]

Yes thanks for breaking the song down and explaining the theory behind its awesomeness.

[@violentpolska]

Dude i love your videos, they inspire like crazy!!!!!

[@Holland2226]

Great video, thanks so much!

[@trevordistance4170]

That was really well-explained, and I found it genuinely fascinating. Just (pardon the pun) on the limit of my technical knowledge so that I could understand but also learn something, and then wrapped around a song that I've always loved, but never appreciated from a technical point of view. I look forward to more of your content.

[@julienmeard8922]

I always felt this one had something special and unusual, but I didn't have a clue how much ! Great lesson of music, thanks for your work !

[@AKAtAGG]

No idea how i found this but i am incredibly glad i did. looking forward to the rest of this channel's output, great work fella. edit2: removed disrespectful mention of age, apologies. your take on why this song works is fantastic. i had no idea it was so complex even though i've been playing it for 30 years or more. Quality output mate, impressed as fuck.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

thank you! I'm glad you stumbled across it

[@michaelthomm4022]

Man, your videos manage to teach music theory to me although I hardly know anything about the technical side of music. Really great work! Can't wait for your next one! My question: Many people consider Radiohead "weird" or "dissonant" because their music doesn't follow the musical patterns people are used to hearing. But other genres like jazz or classical compositions are just as technically complex and experimental. How is it that people, especially untrained listeners, often think of jazz, classical music etc. as "elevator music", i.e. music that doesn't have any surprising or exciting elements?

[@Diogoyork]

You are genius I’m not, some times I get lost following the videos, but I still watch!

[@brownsuitcase]

thank you so much for this. so well made too. these kind of videos of like gold to me, so thank you David. Yeh, I would say for other video ideas, you could analyse "Radiohead Interludes" maybe..... Where they keep a song fresh by dipping into another key and then back to the main key / theme of the song, interludes in Let down, reckoner, skirting on the surface, etc. Or Radiohead Bridges , like in Lucky, Codex, or in No surprises, apparently jonny wrote the one in No suprises.....One of the best middle 8's / bridges I have ever heard to be honest.... Gorgeous. All the best, Thanks again David

[@aestheticaltwat]

A video on My Iron Lung? I always thought that it sounds (at least structurally) similar to Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana.

[@jess5427]

The Bends album is the best, especially it's middle section; where I could get lost in the songs all the way towards 'Iron Lung' (a great listen of course, along with the rest). You've got a new subscriber!!

[@AngryTaurus007]

Awesome video bro! Please keep going with Radiohead and the theory in his music >;)

[@UkuleleBobbyKemp]

Brilliant! (again) David - Top Job... 👏👏

[@rhandhom1]

I was waiting for you to discuss that crispy C7#9 chord.

[@gabe_s_videos]

This song perfectly captures the feeling of stumbling drunk down the street and screaming aimlessly at someone who makes you angry.

[@malakai9738]

what's fascinating is that the chorus the bars are 16 beats, but in the verses it's only 12. Then the bit where he says "you do it to yourself" is where it transitions, adding on an extra 4 beats

[@MartinSys1979]

Excellent

[@booklover-hu9tw]

according to thom, just was the result of a competition between him and jonny to see who could fit the most chords into a song😂🙈

[@blurrlightt]

he says this in the video

[@EmeraldMinotaur]

This is a great analysis, very well done!

[@atomcage]

Can you do some analyses for Sufjan Stevens songs?

[@JamoboBorg]

Another great Vid! Muse - Take a Bow (especially the intro) Porcupine Tree - Sound of Muzak Fleet Foxes - Mykonos Everything Everything - Distant Past For a few non-Radiohead songs

[@wave9142]

1:44 "but played up a semitone" - I think you meant a tone, not a semitone

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Yeah, I said the wrong thing... bugger. Shame I can't add an annotation

[@discobones]

Thank you so much for making this!! So helpful!

[@Lucas-qy7qz]

10 years after i first picked up a guitar, I finally understood why the blue note is THE blue note. Thanks to you. P.S.: Don't judge me, I'm a lazy musician

[@riverw4721]

These videos are always educational, but somehow it helps more when I already know the song.

[@paolomurilloguitarra]

And Gb (verse) is Gb Lid b7(1-4#-5-b7) , C locrian 2 interchange.

[@sachmotee]

Brilliant! Amazing dissection.

[@EpifanesEuergetes]

Well thanks for explaining why I have trouble getting the vocal melody right. Good stuff.

[@twostep919]

Great stuff!

[@lucasbretels]

Well done David!

[@talbar9023]

amazing what you do! I have to learn more music theory...

[@Lide24816]

I love your videos, they are really interesting!

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

This is just amazing.

[@leobster]

This was very good, thanks!!

[@leopold7562]

Me: So what key do you want this in, Thom? Thom: I want ALL THE KEYS!!!

[@debaser1042]

This was explained very well, thanks for all the great information. Makes me appreciate the band even more. Also, how much of this do you notice by just listening to the song casually? What amount of time is spent purely listening compared to listening and figuring it out on an instrument? I ask because I’ve been trying to improve my ear lately and it feels like too often I think “oh that’s cool what is that?” instead of “that’s cool because they used -insert terminology-.” *Feel free to ignore everything below this sentence.* I think this is the same reason why, when it comes to art, so much of the population knows what artists they like and don’t like, but comments made to describe music (or movies/paintings/etc.) rarely expand more than “that’s a good song” and “that’s a bad song.” I guess that goes to show the intrinsic value we hold for music and that there should be some element of mystery to art, but it can definitely become suffocating when you become aware of how little you understand and want to share things with others. Maybe that lack of understanding is what some people consider to be exploited with “disposable music,” if there is such a thing. Though maybe history has proven that there is. And that the best will mostly be what’s remembered. Anyway, excuse the tirade. Stick with the second paragraph for any resemblance of a question.

[@nachofian8934]

i love this song, more radiohead

[@kent631420]

Gb7 is also a tritone substitution to Fmaj7, which is the dominant chord a half step above it.

[@federicocarpi2378]

It's just 10 minutes but I know that analysing takes longer and what you do is so accurate. Thank you for the lesson! My recommendation: Pink Floyd's Dogs.

[@palmagustavo_]

Brilliant! Greetings from Argentina.

[@philippevandordrecht1619]

the Gb7 inbetween the C and the Fmaj7 is a tritone substitution

[@nick55555ism]

The most important music theory lesson I've learned from Radiohead analysis videos: keep playing random chords and at some point you will end up writing a musical masterpiece.

[@waterglas21]

This song made me fall in love with Radiohead for the first time.

[@pritush]

Beautiful breakdown . 👏

[@philp521]

Good video! I appreciate the thoughtful analysis. One Thought: The riff you analyzed as modal interchange, though it could certainly be aptly analyzed as such, was more likely conceived as a constant structure harmonization of that C Eb D F bass motion, and, in my opinion, could be more easily understood and assimilated by students interested in that sound if presented as such. While modal interchange is a great concept certainly present in Radiohead’s work, the way the guitar sticks to the same voicing in parallel motion creates that classic constant structure flavor more strongly than anything else to my ear. It’s that little sprinkle of Impressionism alongside the grunge, you know?

[@yankee2liljeter]

You should do something on the strokes. I think they have some interesting stuff going on composition wise.

[@allanstelmach]

Very interesting and insightful! We play this in my band - Nineties Music Experience (NME) - but this has given me a new perspective!

[@themennissvids]

The Gb7 in the chorus is a tritone sub of C7, which is the Dominant of F. Tritone sub of a secondary dominant m8!

[@martynkentfrancis]

Amazing work 🙏 thanks a million

[@cliffbartle3772]

Really enjoyed this one

[@supersamsquared8055]

Anything from In Rainbows would be amazing!

[@amitbar4893]

you are super impressive. I enjoy listening

[@nt.fuel.truckie]

So well explained. Thank you.