Through conveying deep, lyrical messages and rich melodies, Radiohead's second album, "The Bends," successively surpasses its predecessor, "Pablo Honey", in every category. Nevertheless, "The Bends" just might be Radiohead's darkest album. Although listeners can not escape the album's inherently heavy themes, which deal with narcissism, depression, and suicide, "The Bends" still rewards listeners by offering them both grungy and clean guitar harmonies, and giving them a glimmer of hope in every song . . . except for "Street Spirit" (According to Thom Yorke, "'Street Spirit' has no resolve").
The first song on the album, "Planet Telex," is the only song which Radiohead recorded prior to their official recording session for "The Bends." Consequently, it sounds quite different from the other songs on "The Bends;" with its keyboard and synth-driven melody, it definitely seems more akin to songs featured on "OK Computer"or even "Kid A."Whether this distinction arose simply by chance, or due to the band's copious consumption of alcohol prior to its recording, however, remains up for debate. Regardless, the lyrics, "You can crush it but it's always near / Chasing you home" depict the struggle of coping with and moving past one's flaws. Even though "Everything is broken / Everyone is broken," people often fail to forgive, forget, and move on--as the lyrics, "Why can't you forget?" demonstrate.
In the next (title) track, "The Bends," Radiohead details the difficulties of transitioning from civilian to celebrity life. After skyrocketing to fame with the release of "Creep," Radiohead suddenly found themselves playing hundreds of shows across the world. "The Bends" not only examines the physical and mental toll Radiohead's new-found fame took on the band, but the lyrics, "Where do we go from here," also seem to illustrate Radiohead's fear of failure. They worried that they would be unable to maintain their success, distinguish themselves from other bands, and improve upon their music.
"High and Dry," meanwhile, seems to warn against selling out. In other words, one should not sacrifice his integrity for success. The lyrics, "It's the best thing that you ever had / The best thing you ever, ever had . . . / The best thing you have had is gone away," explain how one will lose others' respect if he takes something great and makes it into something scornful.
Touching on similar themes, "Fake Plastic Trees" details the difficulties of trying to make an inevitably doomed relationship work. As in "High and Dry," the narrator changes himself with hopes of gaining his lover's favor. Not only is doing this wearisome--"It wears her out . . . / It wears me out"-- but it is also "a fake plastic love" with no substance. In the end, he realizes that he simply cannot do it. With an organ softly complimenting the acoustic guitar and a gradual build in intensity, this song easily earns one of the top spots on the album.
"Bones," meanwhile, takes listeners in a different direction by detailing the physically crippling effects of depression. Many people think depression solely affects the mind when, in reality, it can also wreak havoc on the body. Although "Prozak painkillers" may numb the pain, they can also leave one feeling emotionless and distant. Thus, as with many Radiohead songs, the relatively upbeat sound of "Bones" attempts to dilute the song's inherently depressing themes.
"(Nice Dream)" seems to have two different layers. The first six lines of lyrics detail a legitimately "Nice Dream," and make up the first layer. The second layer, however, describes a fake relationship. The narrator believes "The good angel" is his friend. She, however, does not see him as worthy of her time. This second layer illustrates the dangers of idealizing objects, places, and people. While both layers seem to represent an utopian reality, neither are a feasible reality. Thus, one must "Now come home" to reality. Featuring a tranquil guitar melody in the beginning, contrasted later with grungy guitar and vocals, this song sounds simply amazing.
Although it has a catchy beat, "Just" is not a particularly special song on the album. The song tries to explain that self-inflicted pain and suffering usually does not warrant sympathy from others--hence the chorus "You do it to yourself." Although it features some of the most rockin' guitar riffs on the album, since the lyrics do not hold much significance the song seems rather mediocre.
"My Iron Lung," meanwhile, is "The Bends'" equivalent of "Pablo Honey's" hit song "Creep." In other words, Thom Yorke does not like "The Bends," but he needed something that he knew would be a popular hit. In fact, Thom even trash-talks his own song in the lyrics: "This, this is our new song / Just like the last one ["Creep"] / A total waste of time / My iron lung." Thus, although Thom might not be a fan of the song, "My Iron Lung" quickly became a hit, and it significantly outperforms "Creep," in my opinion. In addition, the guitar solo at the end caps the song off perfectly.
Featuring a meandering guitar melody, ambient synth, and Thom Yorke's hauntingly beautiful vocals, "Bulletproof" rightfully claims The Bends' ballad spot on the album. "Bulletproof" expresses the desire to be liberated from the surrounding pain and suffering of the world. Although it does not quite earn a spot on my list as one of the top songs from the album, I still love the song and its lyrics.
"Black Star" harkens back to the theme of depression featured in "Bones." Instead of describing one's own depression, however, the lyrics focus on coping with others' depression. In many cases, since the source of the depression is not always clear, dealing with others' depression proves far more difficult than dealing with one's own depression-- "The troubled words of a troubled mind I try to understand what is eating you." Furthermore, even if one does not suffer depression himself, seeing others suffer with it proves to be equally taxing, as the lyrics, "I get on the train and I just stand about now that I don't think of you . . . / This is killing me" demonstrate.
"Sulk" describes possible ways to deal with emotional pain. One can either "Try to behave" and survive the hit, or "Declare a holiday / Fall asleep, drift away," and "sulk." Unfortunately, this song would have fit better on "Pablo Honey" than on "The Bends." Overall, "Sulk" is my least favorite song on the album because it fails to engage me musically or lyrically.
Since I could not come close to accurately analyzing the last song on the album, "Street Spirit," here is Thom Yorke's beautiful interpretation of the song:
'Street Spirit' is our purest song, but I didn't write it. It wrote itself. We were just its messengers. It's biological catalysts. It's core is a complete mystery to me. I wouldn't ever try to write something that hopeless. All of our saddest songs have somewhere in them at least a glimmer of resolve - 'Street Spirit' has no resolve. It is the dark tunnel without the light at the end. I detach my emotional radar from that song, or I couldn't play it. I'd crack. I'd break down on stage. That's why its lyrics are just a bunch of mini-stories or visual images as opposed to a cohesive explanation of its meaning. I used images set to the music that I thought would convey the emotional entirety of the lyric and music working together. That's what's meant by 'all these things are one to swallow whole'. I meant the emotional entirety, because I didn't have it in me to articulate the emotion. I'd crack. Our fans are braver than I to let that song penetrate them, or maybe they don't realize what they're listening to. They don't realize that 'Street Spirit' is about staring the f--king devil right in the eyes... and knowing, no matter what the hell you do, he'll get the last laugh. The devil really will get the last laugh in all cases without exception, and if I let myself think about that to long, I'd crack. It's why we play it towards the end of our sets. It drains me, and it shakes me, and hurts like hell everytime I play it, looking out at thousands of people cheering and smiling, oblivious to the tragedy of it's meaning, like when you're going to have your dog put down and it's wagging it's tail on the way there. That's what they all look like, and it breaks my heart. I wish that song hadn't picked us as its catalysts, and so I don't claim it. It asks too much... I didn't write that song.
Watch this live version of Yorke singing "Street Spirit" and you will see in his face the pain he describes. Although I definitely do not agree with his assessment that "The devil really will get the last laugh in all cases without exception," overall his evaluation resonates with me because there is a lot of pain in the world; at times, it feels crushing. Yet, there is hope. Yorke says that "Street Spirit has no resolve," but it does. If we truly "immerse" our "soul[s] in love," nothing can conquer us. That is "Street Spirit's" resolve. If one does not believe this, however, then it is easy to understand why the song has no resolve. Regardless of one's interpretation of "Street Spirit," there is no doubt that Radiohead crafted a lyrical and musical masterpiece through this song. Listening to it is a truly unforgettable experience.
Overall, Radiohead successfully crafted some fantastic music in "The Bends."Although many of the themes carry over throughout the album, each song approaches these themes differently and through a new light, making theme a joy to listen to. "The Bends,"therefore, not only served as a building block for future albums, but it continues to serve as a fantastic stand-alone album to this day.
The three best songs on the album:
1. "Street Spirit"
2. "Fake Plastic Trees"
3. "(Nice Dream)"
What are your thoughts on "The Bends"and what is your favorite song on the album? Let me know in the comments!
- Matt Painter
