RadioheadFake Plastic Trees (4:50)

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About This Track

According to singer Thom Yorke, the song was recorded as the band had just been to see Jeff Buckley play a set at The Garage in London and when they got back into the studio, Yorke recorded the vocals in one take and broke down in tears at the end. The song’s lyrics are about Canary Wharf in London and about the world of mass marketing and mass consumption. One source of frustration for the band at the time was their US record label, Capitol, who wanted a strong track for American radio to follow the success of their previous hit single, “Creep”. Surprised that the slow paced “Fake Plastic Trees” was seen as a potential single to follow up “Creep” , Yorke ultimately realized the label had remixed the track without his approval: “Last night I was called by the American record company insisting, well almost insisting, that we used a Bob Clearmountain mix of it. I said ‘No way’. All the ghost-like keyboards sounds and weird strings were completely gutted out of his mix, like he’d gone in with a razor blade and chopped it all up. It was horrible.”
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  • nkafke

    It wears me out...

    Wednesday afternoon
  • Sensibafflor

    she lives with a broken man

    Wednesday afternoon
  • UncommonBoy

    Breathtaking one from ,,The Bends" :)

    last week
  • bellaNY77

    best song!!

    11 days ago
  • CyEstefania

    This is song is...

    last month
  • Dedran

    My absolute favorite thing about this track is how on the surface, it sounds like a typical slow rock ballad that wouldn't be out of place on the radio, but then it gets even slower, the drums stop altogether, and there's this super subtle layer of ambience that comes in. It teeters the line between something more obvious like the Beatles or U2, and on the other hand, pure, melancholy, atmospheric Brian Eno. Why can't more music do this?

    last month
  • MuriloFontes

    best song for all time! +1

    last month
  • callmemc

    just featured radiohead on my new blog coachellafestival.tumblr.com. every day for 99 days I feature one artist that is a part of the coachella 2012 lineup, creating an information center where you can access basic artist information, third party reviews, music videos, and song downloads conveniently in one place. enjoy!

    last month
  • babygoddess_

    I just wish it was longer. I guess repeat will have to suffice.

    last month
  • yammi_50

    Fake Plastic World.

    last month
  • TrowaBarton888

    My favorite song of all time. Just perfect in every way.

    last month
  • taisocardoso

    bruna surfistinha

    last month
  • wi-lll

    Legendery song.

    last month
  • CyEstefania

    my song <3

    last month
  • Pezrawr

    Just wonderful

    last month
  • Harry_01

    Love that song...

    December 2011
  • AmandaLchemisst

    if i could be, who you wanted, all the time.

    December 2011
  • LaisFariasm

    crying out loud.

    December 2011
  • spirituoso

    best song for all time!

    December 2011
  • rainzmuzik

    December 2011
See all 987 shouts

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