First time stumbling across your channel. Radiohead is my favorite band, and part of what makes them so special is that they are masters at evoking a certain mood or feeling through their music, while also layering lyrics on top that are ambiguous enough to allow the listener to transpose their own personal feelings, desires, fears, etc. into the music. With this song in particular, I've always interpreted the "reckoner" character to be whatever final judgment someone thinks they will encounter after death. Whether that be God, their own conscience, universal karma, everyone lives with a sense that they will be judged in some way after they pass from this mortal coil. The Reckoner accepts us as we are, and doesn't assign us fault for being born into our lives without any consent or concept of what came before, into circumstances that are entirely beyond our control: "You are not to blame for / Bittersweet distractors." I'd generally characterize the theme of the song to be acceptance of death. All our paths lead to the exact same destination, and this song is meant to comfort us and provide us strength in reckoning with that ultimate outcome. This entire album, In Rainbows, is probably my single favorite album of all time. It would definitely be worth a full listen!
" dedicated to all human beings" death is the one thing that everyone who has ever lived has had in common, "you can't take it with you" "dancing for your pleasure" " bittersweet distractors" basically enjoy every second of it life as it is a gift that distracts u from the inevitable. So u might as well enjoy it, no one gets out alive! This whole album is about death ,the human condition and life at its most fundamental characteristics. The song is actually pretty heavy
Why high? God, not everything is drugs. Maybe feeling the music. The human body can experience the highs drugs do without the drugs. Drugs are bad mmkay!
Radiohead is really cool bc they create a theme and an atmosphere that like makes you feel some type of way 😂 but those emotions can mean different things to different people since the lyrics are so abstract. To Thom Yorke, the reckoner is death. To other people, it could be something else!
11:25 Rainbows are all the colors, therefore represent all opportunities. Also, only humans see rainbows, so rainbows are a human experience exclusively
@@valkyriesif the great leveller. I remember watching 'The neverending story' as an adult and saw levels to it, I didn't get as a child. It's a beautiful song about an ugly truth
First time stumbling across your channel. Radiohead is my favorite band, and part of what makes them so special is that they are masters at evoking a certain mood or feeling through their music, while also layering lyrics on top that are ambiguous enough to allow the listener to transpose their own personal feelings, desires, fears, etc. into the music.
With this song in particular, I've always interpreted the "reckoner" character to be whatever final judgment someone thinks they will encounter after death. Whether that be God, their own conscience, universal karma, everyone lives with a sense that they will be judged in some way after they pass from this mortal coil. The Reckoner accepts us as we are, and doesn't assign us fault for being born into our lives without any consent or concept of what came before, into circumstances that are entirely beyond our control: "You are not to blame for / Bittersweet distractors." I'd generally characterize the theme of the song to be acceptance of death. All our paths lead to the exact same destination, and this song is meant to comfort us and provide us strength in reckoning with that ultimate outcome.
This entire album, In Rainbows, is probably my single favorite album of all time. It would definitely be worth a full listen!
" dedicated to all human beings" death is the one thing that everyone who has ever lived has had in common, "you can't take it with you" "dancing for your pleasure" " bittersweet distractors" basically enjoy every second of it life as it is a gift that distracts u from the inevitable. So u might as well enjoy it, no one gets out alive! This whole album is about death ,the human condition and life at its most fundamental characteristics. The song is actually pretty heavy
When we create something we are rewarded with a high drugs can not ever reproduce.
You guys just did the most awesome analysis… thank you both!
Why high?
God, not everything is drugs.
Maybe feeling the music.
The human body can experience the highs drugs do without the drugs.
Drugs are bad mmkay!
Talk/listen.....
Mutually exclusive.
YT channel/Mine...
Mutually understood
@@UncleTrebor My opinion/mine....above feedback? Fat birds don't fly 🙂
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, even if they're fat.
@@UncleTrebor so that's yes....above feedback... Enjoy that business model chief 👍
9:30
NOPE
WRONG
Tool has a song called sober, that calls out those that need drugs to be creative.
Drugs are bad mmkay
Reckoner = God
Boom!!
Radiohead is really cool bc they create a theme and an atmosphere that like makes you feel some type of way 😂 but those emotions can mean different things to different people since the lyrics are so abstract. To Thom Yorke, the reckoner is death. To other people, it could be something else!
in another of their unending series of amazing songs, How to Disappear Completely, he actually sings 'I'm not here. This isn't hapening.'
11:25
Rainbows are all the colors, therefore represent all opportunities.
Also, only humans see rainbows, so rainbows are a human experience exclusively
I like Jesus as the reckoning
no appreciation. Mocking them obnoxious.
This is a song about "death"
@@valkyriesif the great leveller. I remember watching 'The neverending story' as an adult and saw levels to it, I didn't get as a child.
It's a beautiful song about an ugly truth
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