What Any Songwriter can Learn from Thom Yorke

Struggling to write lyrics that are both authentic and poetic? In this video, we explore two techniques that Thom Yorke uses to create lyrics that are both creative and emotionally impactful.
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[@SongWritersChopShop]

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CHEAT SHEET for plenty of songwriting ideas for beginners HERE: mailchi.mp/58918357b8ca/ten-lyric-writing-tips-for-beginners

[@sstaners1234]

Just subscribed.

[@SongWritersChopShop]

@@sstaners1234 nice one sstaners, really appreciate it👍

[@leif1075]

​@SongWritersChopShop PLEASE HELP When he says PAINSTAKING that makes me DEPRESSED AND ANGRY..what if i don't want to work that hard.. I suffer from depression and ADD so it makes it harder..is songwriting mostly fun and enjoyable? If not why not and how not to quit? They make it seem very painstaking and not very fun in this video..thanks for sharing..hope you can respond

[@PandaThiefChannel]

I met Thom. I asked him about lyrics, if he uses a pen and paper still or if he’s all digital now. He was kind of vague he said “Well sometimes you have to. Other times, that’s why I have this thing in my pocket.” (Referring to his phone)

[@zoebella314]

That sounds so much like Thom, and kinda in the same vein, as the thought process of his writings lol

[@Reneromero08]

"This syllable, and this consonant..." meticulous. Why we love Radiohead

[@nolosew]

"Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon"

[@alexanderewing3779]

I always thought the line 'your skin makes me cry' was more about the feeling of the skin, touch? But who knows. Tom?

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Who indeed!🤔 the song is about someone he was infatuated with from a far. He never actually touched her so it has to be refering to her appearance rather than the feel of her skin.👍

[@SongWritersChopShop]

@@mclovinfuddpucker by all means feel free to leave your analysis here since mine was so terrible 👍

[@ale14zoppi]

Thom said when he wrote creep he hadn't even talked to the girl the song is about, let alone touch, so no

[@SongWritersChopShop]

@@ale14zoppi yep, that's what I heard (read).👍

[@Dave-hp4vh]

I always assumed it was intended to come off the way it does... creepy. "Your skin makes me cry" sounds reeeeally weird and off-putting. Fitting for the name of the song.

[@anabell7184]

What sets Thom apart from most songwriters is that he writes vague lyrics and the songs don't usually follow the verse chorus verse structure, but the tunes are still catchy and memorable. Radiohead are experimental and mainstream at the same time, aren't they?

[@copbabycombo1311]

Catchy?! Have you listened to radiohead at all? They are better than just some stupid catchy song like Call Me Maybe. They aren't catchy

[@whirlwhind666]

call me maybe is quite good for what it's doing. radiohead is immensely catchy, one of their strengths, i think. @@copbabycombo1311

[@negatvecreep]

@@copbabycombo1311no, radiohead is pretty catchy, but that’s a direct consequence of good songwriting that sticks with people after they listen to something, doesn’t mean that they are trying to crate a catchy pop hit

[@copbabycombo1311]

@@negatvecreep Some catchy songs are a pop hit and some aren't. What's your point? Radiohead still isn't catchy for the most part. They might have a couple catchy songs (Like 5 at the very most) and that is it.

[@bobroctopus2210]

​@@copbabycombo1311🚨SNOBBY ELITIST ALERT🚨

[@gpeddino]

One of my favorite Thom verses is from Where I End And You Begin: "X will mark the place like a parting of the waves, like a house falling in the sea" Something so huge and dramatic about it. I love the vowel movement going up and down, kinda hypnotic.

[@masterninja9716]

OHHHHHHHH MY GOD. That song is one of my all time favorites. So visceral. Like controlled vengeance.... cold revenge. Damn.

[@LyraFrost]

I think that saying her skin makes him cry is yes both a clever way to refer to her beauty by breaking it down as a visualisation, but also he’s explaining just how special he sees her. Something so average and normal, something we all have, is skin. Her skin, a trait that isn’t in the least unique, has such a huge affect on him. He feels so deeply for her that just her skin makes him cry.

[@clusterfigure]

I feel like Isaac Brock in Modest Mouse takes a similar approach when writing lyrics: describing personal issues but being particularly vague about it.

[@gonzalochervet8127]

im dropping my album this month, i cant escape the influences radiohead had in me. i even tend to avoid that kind of compositions. when i listen to something from myself and think "this is very yorke-ish" i always try to give it another way hahah such a good artist

[@loverhomiefriend7872]

allow your inflcuences to show through.. i belieeve theyll change. But if you don't let it out i might get stuck you know??

[@SmartStr33t]

Give us a link to your Bandcamp.

[@loverhomiefriend7872]

@@SmartStr33t that would be nice.

[@PiPiSquared]

Love your comment, I have the exact same thing ;)

[@gonzalochervet8127]

@@SmartStr33t ive just seen this now D:!! im so sorry! you can find me as MAIS LES MACHINES, in every streaming platform! thanks :D!!

[@billy2896]

The lyrics to Creep always killed me. It came to me in my darkest point in life- I actually had never heard of Radiohead until I was 16- in the year 2020. It inspired me to start playing guitar and learn vocals. I remember sobbing, and sobbing, night after night to that song. I really played it out. I'm glad I was able to have such a genuine experience with it despite the ass reputation. Heh.

[@Mcperson823]

Listen to: No suprises How to dissappear completely True love waits

[@billy2896]

@@Mcperson823 yea

[@paulpennington-mv7rt]

I know, it's almost like it was too much. Song was too honest to live in its own shadow. Hear "reckoner" 🎉🥀

[@IdiotAmigo]

​@@Mcperson823 I second these and I recommend: Let Down Motion Picture Soundtrack Fog / Fog (Again) Codex

[@barnaby_bridges]

Oh, I guessed tap! It's reassuring to hear that Thom Yorke sometimes spends a long time deliberating over his lyrics. Very rarely will a song just come to me, it does happen occasionally, but most of the time I'll spend months trying to refine my lyrics. I always felt that maybe I was losing some of the magic from not just writing in the moment and overthinking it.

[@Grammarlings-cf8yw]

That interpretation or basically, translation of "Rows of houses all bearing down on me // I can feel their blue hands touching me // All these things into position //All these things we'll one day swallow whole" was really insightful - impressive. Subscribed.

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Cheers grammarlings, glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@Daubentonia88]

Big fan since 2003, I actually analyzed some of their work in Amnesia for some uni lecture, this was really good. Thanks!

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Cheers Daubentonia, glad you enjoyed it. What are some cool things you discovered in your analysis?👍

[@aaronross9131]

Best songwriting channel on YT!

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Cheers Aaron, much appreciated 👍

[@GewoonRood]

Good video, I find Thom Yorke's lyrics very inspiring and it's fun to deep-dive into his lyrics. They're always very visual, in the sense that he uses recognizable words that we instantly have associations with. A great example of this is on the song "Spectre", which was written for the James Bond movie of the same name (unfortunately unused). He sings "My hunger burns a bullet-hole". This line on itself is already. If you connect that with what kind of "hunger" Bond must feel (do we ever see the man eat?), it is even more well-thought out. On 2:13 you say the lyric "Your skin makes me cry" refers to beauty. I've always felt unsure if this is what the first part of Creep is about. The lyrics that follow are "You float like a feather, in a beautiful world". The way I interpret this is that the protagonist is looking at someone who moves through the desirable world with ease. It is not so much the Creep here being enchanted by beauty, more so they idolize (angel with bright-lighting skin) someone who can embrace this beauty. For me the ending is more fitting if we take this into account. "She's running out, She run, run, run", Thom singing run, and then followed by a haunting epilogue in which he obeys to a desirable norm. Curious to hear anyone's thoughts on this interpretation :-)

[@azumiel]

I LOVE that the clip of Airbag is from their 2018 concert in Chile

[@prschuster]

I throw away songs and then grab parts of them a few years later when certain lines, or melody patterns fit. Another cool thing I like to do is to name a song with a line that isn't in the song, which describes the song better then the lyrics.

[@marcvillucci7826]

i like to think he used the more vague "in a fast german car" so that i could belt it barreling down the highway in my vw at high speed

[@macaroon147]

Excellent, thank you for this video, it's these videos that get me excited as a musician. This is the "content" that the internet needs cause it actually changes the real world :)

[@JohnEarlyChannel]

I greatly appreciate the language lesson and literal tips mixed with one of my favourite bands

[@JohnEarlyChannel]

*alliteration is one of my faves for writing lyrics ;)

[@SongWritersChopShop]

That's great to hear John, I'm glad you got some value from the content 👍

[@dkarahtee5340]

I've never heard anyone break down radiohead in this way. As a fan and a musician, this was informative and awesome. What has a bed but never sleeps? Has a mouth but never eats?

[@mattboscan]

One of your best videos, thank you! Thom Yorke is a master of mood creation. Really appreciate your attention to detail as always. 😊

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Nice one Matt, cheers. Yeah Ole Yorkee is one of a kind.👍

[@grove8843]

always thought that 'pretty house pretty garden' line from no surprises suggests seeing the afterlife or heaven after the person died from the carbon monoxide thingy... pretty dark stuff for a lullaby but i guess that's the beauty of thom yorke's lyrics... can be interpreted in so many ways

[@masterninja9716]

I think that's one of the reasons they have such a cult following. We all feel like he's speaking directly to us. I even hear different lyrics in songs than others do, or that are published. But they mean more to me the way I hear them. Even if they're not always what he's actually singing- I'm gonna stick to my guns lol.

[@grove8843]

@@masterninja9716 this song pretty much came to life with that brandon miller case. took his own life by carbon monoxide after a real estate deal failed - "handshake and carbon monoxide" ...and the "such a pretty house pretty garden" line relates to how desperate brandon and his family want to maintain their rich lifestyle and image despite their growing debt

[@WeaponsRemorse]

I’ve had a riff inspired by Just and have never found lyrics for it ten years later..

[@Andytheashton]

Thom Yorke has openly said he sort of based paranoid android on happiness is a warm gun by the Beatles. Some of the lyrics in happiness is a warm gun seem nonsensical but nearly all of it is based on real things. I only recently became a radiohead convert and I love the parallel with the Beatles. Relentless creativity and change. Most artists rest on their laurels because they’re scared their career/money might come crashing down.

[@bluwalker8255]

id say that "all these things" is more deictic than synechdocic. Its referring to something we arent explicitly told which makes the emotions feel more private. I'm also not too sure about the idea of global synechdoche. all round tho, great vid and good advice

[@johnupdate]

my problem always is: when I have a musical idea I mostly think that it‘s not good enogh or that I do not like it. this way most of my tunes never come alive

[@SongWritersChopShop]

I think we all go through that John. It's OK to write bad songs, infact I'd say it's nessacery. If you're not writing you can't improve. Try getting feedback from a trusted source, your bad ideas might be better than you think. Your own inner critic can be misleading. It can take a lot of time and effort to take an idea and make it a fully formed song. Don't be too hard on yourself, if it's not fun it's not worth it.👍

[@johnupdate]

@@SongWritersChopShop thank you that - that sounds very encouraging😀 So let‘s embrace the bad ideas!

[@SongWritersChopShop]

@@johnupdate it's the only forward👍

[@Atlas65]

@@johnupdate Yes or like one professor at Berklee, by the name of Pat Pattison said I might paraphrasing "write alot of crap. Because crap is the best fertilizer" (He was referring to lyric writing. But it can obviously be applied to songwriting in general)

[@SongWritersChopShop]

@@Atlas65 too true, pat is a legend 👍

[@augustmoon0004]

Actually, "Your skin makes me cry," was about a woman whose skin wreaked of onions. She was a chef in the South of France named, Olia.

[@joshuagallua]

Cool synecdoche lesson; a synecdoche is a nice vehicle because it stays closer to the source and gains emotional resonance by that tangibility, or something.❤❤😂🎉🎉🎉

[@SongWritersChopShop]

I couldn't agree more...something like that👍

[@gnommmmm]

What a great video!

[@6p00l]

this was excellent, thank you !

[@SongWritersChopShop]

👍

[@MDE128]

Radiohead has the best lyrics for sure. I love how it represents things like in All I Need.

[@cyberfutur5000]

Wow, the second clip of thom yorke in the very beginning of this video, is an exact answer to what I just recently was describing to a friend, asking her if it's common for people to either write lyrics in a mere second or to have to painfully squeeze your brain for months and months on end. No in between, really. :D Always good to hear your struggles mirrored by your idols. (If anyone knows a video where hendrix talkes about struggeling to write riffs, let me know :D)

[@supernovameditationproject]

Tears are running but the never walk. ❤

[@lily-yy2wh]

Make a video about Hoziers song writing please it would be so interesting!

[@flooferfox2407]

this is a nice video I've been getting into Radiohead another band I've been getting into a lot this year is The Tragically Hip maybe on Gord Downie's songwriting or just on the band in general I don't see many analysis videos on them

[@caitlinmollycullen7144]

Wooop always great to here an Irish accent on here🇮🇪

[@SongWritersChopShop]

👍👍

[@PowerOfAIandMotivation]

The name of your channel is genius, it's funny 😂😂Very good👍🏻👌🏻

[@jboy9336]

Lyrics in amnesiac are just from other universe

[@vivekmehmi]

OMG I would have never got it was a river! loved that lil tidbit :) great vid as always!!

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Yeah it's always the obvious things that we miss! Cheers Viv, glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@song-explorer]

Great stuff. I never heard of these terms before. Thank you!

[@magnusruben9646]

What can run but never walk? Water 💧

[@andreyboucher4018]

Wow. Really cool video! Thanks!!!

[@philljombs1151]

Wonderful insights 👍

[@sessionseaholm]

That was nice -- thanks!

[@megamerp9315]

A refrigerator. A refrigerator runs.

[@patrickmeuleman2339]

But buzzing like a fridge makes you sound like a detuned radio

[@notificationisturnedoff_hehe]

Bruh have some Michael Jackson thumbnails too man was g.o.a.t. ❤ Support from India 🇮🇳❤ love your videos

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Great suggestion fuff, cheers 👍

[@notificationisturnedoff_hehe]

@@SongWritersChopShop ❤

[@filipposfilippou6520]

bro, we dont talk about creep

[@jinx8462]

Crazy that their most well known song is their most hated by actual fans

[@bennettwyler846]

God this youtube channel is amazing. Thank you

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Cheers Bennett, really appreciate that. Glad you got some value from it 👍

[@s98715]

Another answer to the riddle (what can run but never walk): a computer program

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Nice👍

[@AI-Consultant]

i needed to hear that "TRY THINGS THROWING THEM OUT" today, I get too perfectionistic when i do my first lyrical stab and scratch vocals, and never wander back to do other takes, because i don't wan to get caught up in that decision making slow down. but lately with AI, i been bouncing off the things i don't like with all the ai tools to see suggestions, so much better than the old rhyming websites

[@SongWritersChopShop]

I know what you mean, it's a real kick in the teeth to have to put so much work in to get it right. I'd say it's my no. 1 writing block, it can be exhausting. 👍

[@bjadov]

you should do this video about Phil Elverum, he's amazing

[@craigsanderson4330]

Brilliant content

[@OOWEEHUZDAT2300]

I just freestyle but this I can relate too

[@paulodonovanmusic]

I was thinking not river but computer, I guess it's more available in this context. Availability bias, and learning cognitive biases in general might also be useful for lyrics, kind of like how if you're a web developer, it helps to know a bit about how a browser works so you can write more optimised, context-appropriate code. I wonder, what other cognitive biases can be fun or useful for writing..

[@eggman7527]

I really think he's referring to her skin, just her skin. He might be moved to somewhat different feelings by her eyes, or by her fingernails.

[@omelettttttteeeeeee]

cool video

[@Jbaymusic17]

great video , but I just got distracted and listened to in rainbows lol

[@tonecontrol5624]

Or a Clock. A stopwatch. 🙇

[@nathanjean1744]

Giving me Joker #greatstuffman

[@MatthewSwasta]

or an engine...but one can idle and one meander

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Nice👍

[@MarlonOwnsYourCake]

I went "oar...or...ore" and then pictured an iron oar. Didn't even get to boat 😭

[@George2647g]

I may be a simple man but all I thought of was a paddle...

[@pinkraven4402]

short amswer: everything

[@crystalgroth2241]

A river? I was going to say water so I was close.

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Well a river is made of water so you were totally right 👍

[@jamaicanjock6305]

A car 🚗 runs 🏃‍♂️ but never walks🚶‍♂️

[@salkinfamilychiropractic3142]

a clock or an engine?

[@SongWritersChopShop]

You have to watch the end of the video👍

[@BobMcGowan-NotTheChairCircle]

I thought the answer to the riddle was 'your nose'. Can I have half a point for plausible vulgarity?

[@robacYT]

but the riddle could be an EGG !...

[@liamkinsella3302]

I said car for the riddle.

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Could be liam, but not the answer. It's at the end of the video 👍

[@liamkinsella3302]

I found out it wasn’t lol but I loved the video thanks for helping song writers out with these insightful videos on different approaches to song writing. Also would you ever make one on Pj Harvey ?

[@SongWritersChopShop]

@@liamkinsella3302 cheers Liam, will do👍

[@themasculinismmovement]

A nose can run but not walk

[@OAlem]

What can run but not walk? A faucet. A nose. There are others. Would you like more?

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Sure.👍

[@OAlem]

@@SongWritersChopShop Ok. For example, my wife's mouth. Too many and too mundane to mention, however, put a preposition at the end and now you have what's called a phrasal verb, which might be a lyric, my friend, maybe even a chorus. For example: it runs on and on, our love runs out, she runs away.

[@SongWritersChopShop]

@@OAlem LoL, "my wife's mouth". Good work and good points. the answer I was looking for is at the end of the video if you are interested.

[@daveholly9005]

thought the riddle answer was a nose

[@kaylee2496]

music nerd discovers things you learn in high school english class

[@SongWritersChopShop]

Better late than never mate, you should have paid attention in English class to be fair. I don't blame you tho, school is boring af🤣

[@subwaytiles1407]

Paint can run but not walk

[@peterclay]

A refrigerator runs but never walks... a nose can run but never walk... lots of things....

[@SongWritersChopShop]

That's true but the answer I was after is at the end of the video👍

[@TheWaveGoodbye-Music]

Is it bad that when I saw the paddle I thought "paddle" 😂 no wonder I can't write lyrics I like 😂

[@sachetsofrelish]

The diamond thing behind you is crooked

[@oreally8605]

There really is no formula to writing songs & lyrics. Although Nashville and L.A. have dozens of songwriting teams that write 6 songs 🎵 before lunch, just for the money, I prefer heart and soul and a connection to all levels of society....

[@bobroctopus2210]

haha i guessed nose, or fridge

[@andyweb7779]

What can run but never walk - diarrhea . Lol. I write a lot of lyrics about shiten myself as it comes to me naturally. I then try to "clean" up the lyrics by exhanging the vulgar words with clean ones. I say I try.......... I'm not always sucessful :-s

[@aaronross9131]

Your mouth can run but not walk

[@SongWritersChopShop]

🫢

[@jarrodmorris6463]

I would venture to guess the most opinionated comments here are from people who don’t make music or are terrible writers themselves. Uncreative people who think they are.

[@schmedgaming8546]

yhapojj better

[@robovac3557]

I'll tell ya what they'll learn. They'll learn they're rubbish compared to him.

[@hugojames85]

I remember being part of a baying mob of yobs who canned Radiohead off the stage in a pub in Abingdon, repeatedly calling them "shit poofs" into the bargain. But the joke was on us: the following night, the band played Wembley Arena, and never looked back. They were still shit poofs, obviously, but now they had the full power of corporate music marketing behind them.

[@aryarego8205]

Half of this comment is complete gibberish to me, im sorry.

[@hugojames85]

@@aryarego8205 You're right: I had typoed "marleting" instead of "marketing". Other than that, it should have been perfectly intelligible to English-speakers. Unless of course the reader is pretending to be too loftily intellectual to understand the gruntings of the unwashed proletariat.

[@Jeremy-hx7zj]

​@@hugojames85yeah it's clear as day. "I saw Radiohead in a small pub before they blew up and we hurled homophobic abuse at them. They're rich now, but I'd still like to express to this comment section full of massive Radiohead fans that I still think they are homosexual(which I consider bad and wrong) and untalented. Please treat me with the upmost respect" Don't know how anyone could be confused.

[@akimbo139]

Cretin

[@deznutes6689]

Def British look at dem teef

[@pali3292]

lame

[@chriskemp466]

who cares PRETENTIOUSOCHE

[@dario6253]

Okay I'm so happy I'm not the only one that goes through that process..lol

[@SongWritersChopShop]

I think we all do and I would be suspicious of anyone who says they don't!👍

[@pickmeupnowineedyousobad]

Banana co is the best song he ever wrote