Radiohead is one of the few bands that make me feel melancholic, nostalgic and euphoric all at the same time. They're honestly like a drug to me. I can listen to them when I'm sad, happy or anything in between and I always come out feeling better afterwards. They're honestly one of the greatest bands in existence.
It all seems to be in the deep insight the lyrics carry, the matching music that always seems to perfectly flow along, and the way they songs lay something out without judgement....such beautiful observations about life they are.
Yes The amount of chemicals released in my brain when it comes to this band are unmeasurable,my emotional responses to spend the music are enormous nostalgia the love the loathing the happiness and That beautiful depression.
Shortly after my wife died, I drove passed where she was buried, and I heard this for the first time. We had marriage struggles, but we worked them out, we loved each other very much, & had a daughter, 11 months later bone cancer took my wife. The song was like us. I had to pull over. Its been over 20yrs, since and I still Love her.
My husband went through terrible mental and physical trauma in his adult life. He died last year. He was 56. He was deeply troubled. So much of what we went through in our 37 years together was fake. Plastified by the hurt, the anger, the paranoia, the depression, the substances, the misguided beliefs. But he was a beautiful soul. A kind man. A loving dad. And for most of the time, my best friend and partner.
I go through mental issues and I'm still able to know what is from being sick and what is happened. Though clinical seems easier than emotional. And people say they understand but they don't. I get called lazy, attitude problem. Afraid to fall asleep stomach bad from stress fight or flight doesn't work right and don't run from anything. Look forward to the fight. If you can't sleep the heavy substance abuse starts. It helps really. Any med I have taken leaves me feeling like SHIT so I don't take them I mean NO SEX ?because meds leave you dead.
@@annakat3754 I actually just heard Carmelita for the first time. Only no more Heroin. I was smoking donated crack cuz I's a loser. Thank whoever I have the look down. Though I feel bad about that and really don't approach them. They find me. Like wtf are you DOING. "Like you have the right to tell me who to love." It's been awhile and she doesn't want to do what I do. Wonder what hole she filling. And I got pizza thrown at me. Sucked anyways.
You were committed. And even though, without saying, I'm sure there were times were it felt impossible to handle, it sounds like you stood with him. And that is beautiful. Much love
I was driving around Boston with my girlfriend listening to this song when she told me she loved me for the first time, she passed away 3 years ago and this song will always bring me back to her, I love you forever sweetheart
One night this girl and I drove out to the woods and tripped on acid, it got unbelievably cold later on in the night so we just sat in my van with the heater on and played music over the speakers. We were having a blast, at one point we turned on our phone flashlights and put full gatorade bottles over the lights, the bottles lit up in all these vibrant colors and made for a really cool image. We did this with a bunch of other flashlights we had too, and soon the whole car was filled with these glowing gatorade bottles. We were sitting against the hatch and this song came on and we just sat in silence, staring at these glowing bottles, her head rested against my shoulder, I remember wanting to cry. Still one of my favorite memories
Radiohead is one of those rare bands that's perfect for the expanse between waking and sleeping. Too tired to stay up, but not tired enough to pass out. There are only a few bands that can properly fill those hours, and Radiohead's definitely one of them.
Alexandra M between 2am and 6am; the peak hours of self loathing. Radiohead puts those thoughts to words like only someone with personal experience in that department can.
That must explain why I can't stand listening to them for very long. They bore me so much. I tried so hard just now to listen to this song and like it, gave it every chance, and it just put me half asleep. Somewhere between waking and sleeping lies Radiohead. I was more awake before I started, and now I'm tired from 4:57 of strumming and mumbling.
Freezing cold morning at 2am in 1995 and we had left the cd playing all night, i woke up and this song was playing with the sound of the fire burning in the background... it was one of those surreal moments time stood still...i just listened with this melancholic feeling before drifting back to sleep. My life has been a series of ups and downs and twists and turns since then, sometimes it helps to go back to that moment in my mind to find the peace i once knew as a teen in the 90's.
I was 20 when this came out. I was lost, reaching for my identity. Now I'm 47, a dad of 4 and my wife is leaving me. That feeling of being lost is still here.
My father was an exceptional man, he was a seaman, a captain, so naturally he would leave home, come back after some time, then leave again etc. The strange thing now is that since he passed away 6 years ago, hes been visiting me quite frequently in my dreams. My dreams are very lucid, sometimes i get confused if i dream or not, so i ask him why hes back since hes dead. Its like he comes back from one of his trips abroad and then he leaves
The same happens to me with my dad, and I am really confused if it is really him trying to talk to me, or if it is my brain who misses him too much to just let go
@@assini1141 ah! dear distant cousin.. yes i am sure y miss him a lot. this thing about souls and the afterlife is beginning to be messing with my head. who knows, maybe they do reach us in our sleep (and why not only in our dreams). its bad in case of unresolved issues between son/daughter and dead parent. in that case we do meet them in dreams and its like torture. so. it could be both, them visiting us and us having them deep inside our hearts and hence seeing them in our dreams. love and greetings from Athens, Greece
Radiohead tried to record this for months and couldn't figure it out, until they went to see Jeff Buckley live. 'Thom sat down and played it in three takes, then burst into tears afterwards. And that's what we used for the record' Colin, 1997
Absolutely hear Jeff Buckley's transcendent influence on this. I had not realized it before. Incredible. If anybody is looking for another moody banger like this. Watch Jeff Buckley sing Grace.
Me too......all i can think about is my REAL love, that died in a car wreck........and wishing i cuda been a better lover, friend, soul mate......she wasnt plastic, but i relate to Thoms line fer sure!!
I was once a teenager listening to this song. I am older now. It means something different to me now. It feels like a real loss. It feels like understanding. After 30 years, it feels like I still don't know anything at all.
Here’s my interpretation. I think it’s about how we hold onto relationships that are disappointing and ultimately fake. Deep down we know they are fake, but the idea of leaving them behind and being alone makes us feel that we would blow through the ceiling. We might think to ourselves “Maybe it really doesn’t get better than this”. So instead we keep watering our fake plastic trees in the hopes that they become something real. This process wears us out everyday because no matter how much we water that plant, the tree will never become real. We trade being alone with the feeling of dissatisfaction and emptiness because we can’t seem to let them go. We then realise we aren’t who they need either and become insecure about our place in their life, just as they are in ours. Two people destined to stay together who should’ve always been apart.
This gem will never get old or played out. One of my alltime personal favs. Fun Fact: For the Daryl Dixon and Boondock Saint fans: This was Norman Reedus's second appearance in a music video. He's the guy in the black trench coat, but its difficult to recognize him. The best shot that you can spot him in is at 4:20 and he's the guy on the far left. Enjoy
I have never heard a more mood altering song like this... If you are happy, this song brings you down a notch or two... If you are sad, it picks you up... powerful
I totally understand listening to "sad" music while depressed would seem to only reinforce the depression, but sometimes "sad" songs help a depressed person feel understood and less alone. I am also a fan of Portishead, and everyone hearing me listen to it would assume that it was depressive... I found it tremendously uplifting.
Sad and depressing songs has a cathartic effect for people that are sad or depressed. It gives them a sense of release and opening in a time of their lives when everything seemed to be stuck or closed. The effect then in turn doesn't make them happy, because sometimes sadness need not be avoided or evaded. A little embrace makes sadness a powerful driving force.
Lost my husband last November 20, 2024. Not even a month ago... He was doing his swim training for the Ironman triathlon competition but was pulled by riptide along An Bang beach in Hoi An, Vietnam where we are based. He was only 47 years old. It is such a devastating loss. We were together 15 years... I thought we would grow old together.. I've lost my lifelong companion.. the love of my life, the father of my two amazing daughters. Fake Plastic Trees was our song.. I've always loved this song but now it's so much more poignant listening to it..
I’m so sorry for your loss 💔 He sounds like such a truly remarkable person. I know he will continue to shine brightly through your daughters and through you, too. Hugs from an internet stranger 💜
"She looks like the real thing She tastes like the real thing My fake plastic love" That is the climax, the painful truth. My blindness and all those fake ideas, people, emotions and things I believed and wanted to believe are real...
It was 1995 when this masterpiece came out. 1995 and life was already “fake”; if only they knew what would happen in the end, Facebook, Instagram, having to buy countless things to “fit in.” Radiohead, they were always ahead of their time. Always excellent, brilliant.
Real :/ das why I wanna save up enough and learn enough to buy and maintain my own farm and stay away from all this bullpoop and all the bullpoop that will inevitably come in the future
"And if I could be who you wanted......if I could be who you wanted......all the time.......all the time." Just KILL ME ALREADY. My god, this pulls at my heart strings like no other.
For 25 years, Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" has been in the background, but it's only now that I truly listen to it, truly feel every word. After eight years with my wife, at 42, I suddenly grasp the full weight of this song. It's strange how a familiar melody can suddenly hit differently. The tears I shed now aren't just for lost moments or past disillusionments, but for the painful acknowledgment of what I've experienced and felt in my relationship. Thom Yorke's voice, heavy with melancholy, touches me deeper than ever, resonating with my own fractures and revealing truths I had long ignored. It's a poignant revelation, sad yet beautifully unexpected.
Jesus Christ Loves you all so much that HE died on the Cross to save you all from sin and death, Turn to HIM fully and Believe in HIM and Follow HIM and put your entire Faith in HIM and you shall be saved Amen!❤🙏
Lyrics: [Verse 1] A green plastic watering can For a fake Chinese rubber plant In a fake plastic earth That she bought from a rubber man In a town full of rubber plans To get rid of itself [Chorus 1] It wears her out It wears her out It wears her out It wears her out [Verse 2] She lives with a broken man A cracked polystyrene man Who just crumbles and burns He used to do surgery For girls in the eighties But gravity always wins [Chorus 2] And it wears him out It wears him out It wears him out It wears [Verse 3] She looks like the real thing She tastes like the real thing My fake plastic love But I can't help the feeling I could blow through the ceiling If I just turn and run [Chorus 3] And it wears me out It wears me out It wears me out It wears me out [Outro] And if I could be who you wanted If I could be who you wanted All the time All the time
I called into work sick the day this came out, bought the cd and drove around the back country roads all day. This album is the soundtrack of my 17s, love it!
I remember sitting all alone in my room listening to this played on the radio while my parents were fighting outside. I was 10 or 11 years old. Everytime i hear this song it always breaks my heart for the love i never know during my childhood days. I hope you finally found the love you seek Pa, up there in heaven. I love you Dad.
i was just starting to cry while listening to this and felt like : "i feel sad i guess but then kind of silly and happy at the end" and read your comment and that was how i felt exactly xD
Being an angst ridden teenager when this came out in the 90s this really expressed my melancholy emotions perfectly. I felt imperfect and misunderstood and this expressed what I couldn't express. Radiohead defined me as a teenager growing up when other groups couldn't. They got me and I got them. They gave me the validation I craved and wanted. It was music for the jilted generation.
I was an angst-ridden 20-something that had just started a family. I see you. My wife and I still stand to this day. I identify with you. At this point in my life, I was just a cynic who was starting to find his way. All the best to you, friend. I like your moniker, btw. It's the same as an 80's cinema gem. As a nerdy guy, I loved that film when I was a young teenager.
This is the greatest comment I have ever read on TH-cam. I felt the same way. I had admiration if my peers and Tex gets, parents of my own and everyone else’s but still felt jilted. Now as a 44year old, 3 kids and 2 grand kids later, I still feel a jilting and misunderstanding. It’s something internal and private. Thank you commenter . Thank you
2023, this song makes even more sense than in 1997. I was 12 years old, poor kid in Brazil, and this song gave me the desire to learn English just to understand what the song was saying. I wanted to read the feelings in the lyrics. Radiohead changed my life for better for sure. 🇧🇷
TagsterGomez your comment is such like the tipical normie writting *cry* ;it’s not about ur exgirlfren or the woman that,ve never watch u ;it’s about his anguish about how the only thing that he’ve admired (when he was younger, that’s why they r on the CC car) becomes just a fake plastic tree.
i listened to this song while i was on the plane, looking at the sky. and suddenly i realized, that it’s really magical how we get to meet people in our lives with the same interests as us. in this vast, diverse, world, the universe allowed me to meet you ♡
I was in a bar in Florida and they had an empty piano sitting there. In walked a very large Russian guy speaking broken English and he asked the bartender if he could play the piano. He started playing popular show tunes and no one was really paying attention to him . He saw me looking at him and he said to me what would you like to hear and I said I'm sure you don't know the music that I like and he replied try me. I said Radiohead. He started with Paranoid Android and played about 10 songs by Radiohead before he left. I asked the bartender who he was and he said I have no idea I've never seen him before. It was great almost like a ghost walked in played Radiohead and then disappeared. It was an interesting night that I enjoyed immensely. I think this memory of mine pretty much indicates how universal and overarching the music Radiohead makes.
When I first met my girlfriend, this was one of the songs she showed me, and I remember tearing up listening to it for the first time and finding it so beautiful - now, 5 years later, radiohead are without a doubt one of my favourite bands of all time, and even though my girlfriend and I aren't together anymore, this song reminds me that no matter what, the love, experiences, and tears we shared are all things I wouldnt change the world for, and I will always hold it close to my heart. I'm so thankful to experience it all.
First time I went to London, my friend took me to Camden. We walked around and then went to a small coffeeshop. The coffeeshop was empty. My friend went to the bathroom and I sat at a table by the window. I remember the water of the Regent's Canal flickering under the night lights. Suddenly, this song began playing in the radio. In the building by the other side of the canal, people were having a dance lesson (salsa, it seemed). I sat there in silence, just mesmerized at all the beauty this world has to offer. The right song, at the right place, at the right time. It was unforgettable.
Great story, I was in London, went to Dublin for the weekend., Radiohead was all anyone talked around the hostel. I never heard of Em at that moment, summer 97, back to college that fall home in ny, hear this song in love with it, realized who it was, missed my chance
I personally need to be in a certain mood to listen to Radiohead, which is now. I'm crying because for 4 minutes and 52 seconds it feels like someone really gets me.
This song is absolute genius. It talks about how fake people are nowadays, that they pretend who they are not and thus comparing them to plastic. "Gravity always wins" refers to how in the end they will fall, and they will be forced to come true. All of this fake behaviour, fake things and fake people wears the protagonist out. In the end, the protagonist too wishes to become fake just so he can get his love. This song single-handedly exposes one of the biggest problems in our modern society, how people are forced to act who they are not so they can be perceived as "cool" and not "lame" and won't be socially alienated anymore.
I have always struggled with mental and physical health. My dad has had me listening to radiohead since i was young and listening to this band has saved my mind from such dark places and i can’t help but be so thankful that it has always been here when i needed to remember that other people understand how i feel. I would be dead without this band and its ability to understand my pain and feelings. thank you
Just keep on keeping on. My mom always said that there would be days like this, but she never told me they would last a lifetime. Whatever gets you though the day as long as you're not harming yourself or anyone else. Come what may, just make sure you STAY. ;
I understand what you are saying and what you’ve been through, because I am going through a deep major depressive disorder episode and have even decided a couple times that I am done, that I won’t survive 2023, however listening to Radiohead has given me inspiration and strength, I don’t understand how it works, but I get what you’re saying…
"She looks like the real thing, She taste like the real thing, My fake plastic love" , "And if i could be who you wanted" these parts hit me so hard right now..
I just listened to this for the first time and it’s 2024 I just wanna say this song speaks to people in ways you can’t describe something about it makes me face the true reality of humans and their consumer mindset in such a sad manner. I cried it was beautiful
"She looks like the real thing , She tastes like the real thing, My fake plastic love" Idk why but that part gives me so much chill and sadness in same time..
Thom Yorke saw Jeff Buckley live & said he was a big influence on his singing style i.e. using the whole range of his vocal abilities & the use of subtleties in his singing. He said this was the first song where he applied the inspiration he got from hearing Jeff Buckley. If anybody reading this has not heard Jeff Buckley's album Grace & you like Radiohead & Thom Yorke's singing style & range, then check out the full album on you tube. I'm not saying it sounds like a Radiohead album, but you can hear what Thom Yorke meant about the use of vocal range & expression, with power & with subtlety. It's a masterpiece of an album, great songs & a majestic vocal performance. What a loss Jeff Buckley is to the world of music. Great songwriter too.
@@einocoolz99 I listened to OK Computer a couple times back in the day, and to me, The Bends just felt immediately more accessible, musically. But it has been 25 years since I listed to it last, so I might give it another go. But The Bends will probably always be #1, to me.
"Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead is about the seemingly perfect facade of fake perfection that people present to the world, while their internal realities are often much more complicated and layered. The song speaks to the futility of trying to maintain a perfect image, as it ultimately only leads to exhaustion and a sense of emptiness. The chorus speaks of the toll this takes on the person, "It wears him/her/me out". The song references a "fake plastic love" in the third verse which could suggest a relationship that may only exist somewhere on the surface, devoid of any meaningful connection or emotion.
I am 24 years old and I can’t believe this is the first time listening to this song. I am at a loss for words... the melody, the lyrics, everything... it’s perfect.
This song reminds me of the feeling of trying to hold on to something you know was never real in the first place. Something that you try and prop up with an illusion of reality but deep down you feel it’s as illusory as the waking dreams you have of how things should be but never will be. Then it comes to a point where it all comes crashing down shattering in a myriad different pieces of what you thought was but never is. It can be anything. Love. Hope. Life. Your self image.
Inside my dream, last night, I remember that I put on my headphones, pressed the play button on my Walkman and heard the final part of this song. I thought about the love of my life. I hadn't heard her for years. When I woke up, I looked for the song and listened to it in its entirety, at 4 am, and I understood the message: Jose, my love, you don't have to be to me how you show yourself to the world. I love you exactly as you are, my eternal boy.
Dangerous Thinking Radiohead are massive fans of Jeff Buckley anyway, you can hear it in so much of what they write. But after seeing Jeff live they completely re-recorded this song. They changed it to acoustic and recorded the whole thing in a few takes at the studio the day after seeing Jeff.
Feeling old here but I was 27 when the song came out. This album kind of changed my life and rearranged my priorities. Here I am at 55 years old and this song brings tears to my eyes. Music is powerful.
was listening to this endlessly the day my dad died in april. don't know how i'm gonna listen to it ever again, to be honest. thinking about how my dad just never could be the guy any of us wanted him to be, no matter how much he wanted to. how much i wanted to run screaming from the hospital room he was laying unresponsive in. my mind has put up a block where his memory is and i just can't push past it. dunno how i feel about it. rest in peace i guess.
This song always reminds me of that point in a relationship when you start to recognize that it’s foundation is false, that what one deemed as romantic love may have been just infatuation with the emotional/mental image of a person….and while simultaneously realizing that the bond of love may have been like a fake plastic tree, in your despair you still want that person to recognize you as valid and real, even though you could never be what they wanted. If the foundation of the bond is fake, the relationship will be doomed to fail. But even in failure, one can realize a true love inside that one day manifests outside as a great relationship. There’s always hope, love, mutual aid and joy as long as we are alive. “Struggle so that all may live this rich, overflowing life. And be sure that in this struggle you will find a joy greater than anything else can give.” ― Pyotr Kropotkin
I agree. To me, this song is about being tired of trying to act a certain way in a relationship. It wears him out, and he wishes he could be what she wants him to be. And the song finally resolves at the end, where he sadly accepts the truth.
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams.
We are always in the present. We indulge about the past and the future but we are in the now- always. Some of us have not realized the games in this world but others have. Take a deep slow breath and exhale calmly. You are now in the present once again.
Ahhh, Fake Plastic Trees... Ha-ha-hahaaaa! Now we’re diving into the depths of musical despair-and let me tell you, The Jonkler is absolutely delighted! This track isn’t just a song, it’s a soul-crushing experience! A beautiful, agonizing masterpiece that takes you by the throat and never lets go. Eeeheheheheeee! The moment it begins, there’s this eerie calm-like a sinister lullaby for the broken-hearted. The instrumentation? Delectable! The way those haunting strings slowly creep in, they wrap around you like a spider’s web, tugging you deeper into the darkness. And when the drums kick in, it’s like the entire world is crumbling, piece by piece, in the most mesmerizing way possible. Ahh-ha-haaa! Thom Yorke’s voice, oh, it sings of desolation, of longing, of a reality so fake, so hollow, that you can almost feel the plastic burning your skin. The lyrics? A masterpiece of existential decay: "It wears her out"-the weight of the world, the falseness of society, the endless chase for meaning in a world that only offers... fake plastic trees. Eeehehehehee! This isn’t just a song-it’s a revelation, a cry of despair that perfectly mirrors the state of our world. It’s uncomfortable, unsettling, and yet, in its bleakness, it offers a strange sense of catharsis. Ha-ha-ha! Fake Plastic Trees isn’t just something you listen to-it’s something you experience... and when it ends, you’re left in stunned silence, wondering if you’re alive or just another plastic illusion. Bravo, Radiohead, bravo! This is the kind of soul-shattering brilliance I live for. Ahhhh, perfection in chaos!
I’m 56. Radiohead came 15 years too late for me. I was deep into parenthood at their peak. I’ve only really just discovered them...properly. This is by far the most brilliant melancholic song I’ve ever heard. It’s just devastating.
@@stevex2639 Indeed. And yes Radiohead were definitely a huge influence on Coldplay. Chris Martin has said as much himself. The Bends is everything Coldplay wish they were but could never be.
Same here I knew him because of the song “creep” but I just found out he got other songs just simply extraordinary. Radiohead is the best band on this planet 🌎
About 10 years ago my brother would say give it a chance sister it will get you in the end now nothing comes close every album pure class, he won't give Zappa a chance though no matter how hard I try
I'd be honored if some Radiohead fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal covers of HIGH & DRY and BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY by the Verve on my YT channel in tribute to 2 of the most forward-looking and influential 90s bands. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Thanks and peace out.
@@kazuyukihi1208 Uh, f_cking speak English you d_mbass. If you think you are going to convert us English speaking people to your gibberish "language" you are so dead wrong. And I know you know what I am saying because foreigners that come to America pretend they don't speak English when they speak it very well to make us look stupid. And you people have never heard of the band Radiohead. Give me a break.
I’m going on anti anxiety medication tomorrow, this song always calmed me down. whenever I had a panic attack I’d listen to this song when I came down. This song is one of the main reasons I never quit trying to fight this feeling of impending doom. I love you all, prayers to your current struggles.
This song still hits so hard from every fucking struggle I've had in my life and kept me thinking to keep moving forward no matter how heavy I've been carrying it in me
How much more complicated our lives have become in those 25 years. Radiohead foresaw the isolation and tried to warn us, but we pushed ahead with our dystopian vision anyway. Did we lose our humanity somewhere along the way?
Radiohead is like a drug to me. It's not normal how I can't sit calmly for 30 minutes without an urge to just put my earphones and play at least one song. I don't even know if it's healthy anymore but I love it. Thom is the one of a kind genius. They all are. I can't imagine spending a day without them. My life goal is to hear Radiohead live while they're still at it. Breaks my heart to think that in 10 years they most likely won't play anymore. They defined who I am today, they've been with me through all kinds of shit and all kinds of good memories, too. Never will they ever get old and out of fashion. And words will never be able to describe how I feel about their music. Pure art and beauty.
In the late 90s everytime I saw a new Radiohead music video I was taken to a magical world rampant with raw emotions. I’m 46 now and they will always remain my favorite band
I drove nearly all the way from Burbank To my home in Oxnard California last night, while listening to this song on repeat. About 35 minutes of Fake Plastic Trees on a fake freeway in my fake rubber Honda
Luis Ramos music is medicine. Strangers are friends. Venting is good. Bearded tattooed ass-hole here. Listening to this tonight. No one can judge. Reach out and eventually, someone will touch your fingertips.....
You could always have the alternate transportation of riding a horse on some of the backwoods trails😁 The real way takes longer but is far more enjoyable!👍
You’re maybe speeding just a little bit or absolutely no traffic late at night. I used to drive that same route (101) back to nearby Ventura, where I lived until I was 21, on nights coming back from concerts. Either way, beautiful song and I can visualize exactly your drive and thanks for sharing your meloncholy
I believe The only people who understand the true meaning of what he thinks about when writing masterclasses like this is the people who put their own feelings into it, it's a truly great song and band, i remember i was in rehab in 1996 listing to this and walking around rehab just feeling lost but this song always made me stronger and I love Radiohead I'd love to see them reunited, best band of my generation
"If I could be who you wanted all the time" Throughout life I've found myself not being able to live up to someone's expectations, or even societal expectations, and hating myself for it. I've since learned to accept my imperfections and such so I don't get caught up in those self loathing thought processes anymore but this lyric still hits me pretty hard. I spent so many years living inside of my head and it drove me to do some terrible things.
I don't really make TH-cam comments but this song holds a really special place in my heart. I've heard it for the first time last year, 2021, and since then, it has been my comfort song. Before, I really had no idea why I was drawn to this song. I just was. It calmed me down and made me feel something. Now, just a few days ago, I saw this song shared by my father from years ago in his old Facebook account. That father is someone I've only seen once in my entire life. I'm 21 now. I still wonder every other night if he still thinks about me. I don't even know if he's still alive. To him: If you can see this comment, it's me! I hope this would also lead you here like it has led me to you again. It all makes sense now why I was very drawn to this song.
My dad passed away yesterday and now I'm making a playlist with all the songs he loved and I remember him by. This is one of them. Thank you dad for showing me the greatest artists of all times. Loved, missed and never forgotten 🤘🔥❤🙏
I listen to this song on cassette tape, on a cassette player I got for Christmas in 1984, and the price sticker on the cassette tape is in a currency that no longer exists.
Timeless. I’ve listened to them for over 30 years now and they just never stop blowing my mind. This song is special though. It sounds the same but what it means to me changes as I get older. Freaking masterpiece.
She looks like the real thing...she tastes like the real thing.. my fake plastic love..wow that's freaking beautifully romantic and tragic at once 😩 the bends and ok computer are the best albums of any band of all time....just divine.
This song is crazily hypnotic. Sitting and listening to this song with my entire focus on it makes me emotional and in a very odd state/form of sadness.
Heard this blasting out of my teenage daughters room last night. My work is done here
well done you should check on her though
She got good taste
This is both a great and very concerning thing...
Smart kid
Good show Sir! lol True though! Radiohead has some great lessons/observations. ;)
Radiohead is one of the few bands that make me feel melancholic, nostalgic and euphoric all at the same time. They're honestly like a drug to me. I can listen to them when I'm sad, happy or anything in between and I always come out feeling better afterwards. They're honestly one of the greatest bands in existence.
and you are my soul brother .. . .. ./ .. . .. ./
how do you feel better after being happy?
It all seems to be in the deep insight the lyrics carry, the matching music that always seems to perfectly flow along, and the way they songs lay something out without judgement....such beautiful observations about life they are.
Agreed
Yes The amount of chemicals released in my brain when it comes to this band are unmeasurable,my emotional responses to spend the music are enormous nostalgia the love the loathing the happiness and That beautiful depression.
Shortly after my wife died, I drove passed where she was buried, and I heard this for the first time. We had marriage struggles, but we worked them out, we loved each other very much, & had a daughter, 11 months later bone cancer took my wife. The song was like us. I had to pull over. Its been over 20yrs, since and I still Love her.
Omg I’m so sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss keep strong
🥀🍃🙏🌻🤗
Stay strong brother x
Very touching💔❤
My husband went through terrible mental and physical trauma in his adult life. He died last year. He was 56. He was deeply troubled. So much of what we went through in our 37 years together was fake. Plastified by the hurt, the anger, the paranoia, the depression, the substances, the misguided beliefs. But he was a beautiful soul. A kind man. A loving dad. And for most of the time, my best friend and partner.
Hi I recommend a song called 'Life Changes' By Robert Nix
I go through mental issues and I'm still able to know what is from being sick and what is happened. Though clinical seems easier than emotional. And people say they understand but they don't. I get called lazy, attitude problem. Afraid to fall asleep stomach bad from stress fight or flight doesn't work right and don't run from anything. Look forward to the fight. If you can't sleep the heavy substance abuse starts. It helps really. Any med I have taken leaves me feeling like SHIT so I don't take them I mean NO SEX ?because meds leave you dead.
@@annakat3754 I actually just heard Carmelita for the first time. Only no more Heroin. I was smoking donated crack cuz I's a loser. Thank whoever I have the look down. Though I feel bad about that and really don't approach them. They find me. Like wtf are you DOING. "Like you have the right to tell me who to love." It's been awhile and she doesn't want to do what I do. Wonder what hole she filling. And I got pizza thrown at me. Sucked anyways.
You were committed. And even though, without saying, I'm sure there were times were it felt impossible to handle, it sounds like you stood with him. And that is beautiful. Much love
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I UNDERSTAND. YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK. 🩷✌️🩷
I was driving around Boston with my girlfriend listening to this song when she told me she loved me for the first time, she passed away 3 years ago and this song will always bring me back to her, I love you forever sweetheart
Thats beautiful!
@@nikkigraham7494 Thank you
This is the Most beatiful words i've ever read here! Just a real man can speak about a woman in that way! Blessings for you.
@@malubrenes Thanks for saying it
@@JohnDoe-tm9wz You welcome! It is what it is.
I am 65 and just discovered this band.
I love it.
love it
I did too .. I’m like where have I been but what a great time in world for their message even if I just now discovering
It's amazing 👏 😍 🙌
I'm 21 and discovered this song ,i love it ,this is my fav song
I recommend listening to thier album OK Computer. Very good front to back, top to bottom.
''I wish they would only take me as I am.'
- Vincent van Gogh
'Pardon?' - Vincent van Gogh
VOTE JOE BIDEN
@@xPassiflorax I’m just trolling, FJB 😂
@@awandanu Ah, I see. ^^
@@awandanugood he’s not running anymore then
One night this girl and I drove out to the woods and tripped on acid, it got unbelievably cold later on in the night so we just sat in my van with the heater on and played music over the speakers. We were having a blast, at one point we turned on our phone flashlights and put full gatorade bottles over the lights, the bottles lit up in all these vibrant colors and made for a really cool image. We did this with a bunch of other flashlights we had too, and soon the whole car was filled with these glowing gatorade bottles. We were sitting against the hatch and this song came on and we just sat in silence, staring at these glowing bottles, her head rested against my shoulder, I remember wanting to cry. Still one of my favorite memories
I remember when life was like this. Goes by fast huh!? That's an awesome memory to have.
Love it. Thanks for posting
Drugs are never 👌. Never ok.
Deep.
Fuck, this was a lovely little fantasy I experienced as i read, thanks for inviting us in
Radiohead is one of those rare bands that's perfect for the expanse between waking and sleeping. Too tired to stay up, but not tired enough to pass out. There are only a few bands that can properly fill those hours, and Radiohead's definitely one of them.
Alexandra M you’re amazing exactly what I’m on right now
Too tired to pass out.
Alexandra M between 2am and 6am; the peak hours of self loathing. Radiohead puts those thoughts to words like only someone with personal experience in that department can.
This is happening to me right now. 24 years this song has been with me, half my life.
That must explain why I can't stand listening to them for very long. They bore me so much. I tried so hard just now to listen to this song and like it, gave it every chance, and it just put me half asleep. Somewhere between waking and sleeping lies Radiohead. I was more awake before I started, and now I'm tired from 4:57 of strumming and mumbling.
Freezing cold morning at 2am in 1995 and we had left the cd playing all night, i woke up and this song was playing with the sound of the fire burning in the background... it was one of those surreal moments time stood still...i just listened with this melancholic feeling before drifting back to sleep. My life has been a series of ups and downs and twists and turns since then, sometimes it helps to go back to that moment in my mind to find the peace i once knew as a teen in the 90's.
Was it the moment you realised you were gay?
@@joshnelson3803 So that's a yes?
@@painbow6528 it's a maybe.
@@joshnelson3803 lmao
God bless the 90s indeed
I was 20 when this came out. I was lost, reaching for my identity. Now I'm 47, a dad of 4 and my wife is leaving me. That feeling of being lost is still here.
Sorry to hear that Irving, stay strong ❤️
You'll get through this
@@jimobrien2761 thanks. I really appreciate that
@@savvy4652 thank you so much
Must be rough man, keep your head up wish you all the best!
My father was an exceptional man, he was a seaman, a captain, so naturally he would leave home, come back after some time, then leave again etc. The strange thing now is that since he passed away 6 years ago, hes been visiting me quite frequently in my dreams. My dreams are very lucid, sometimes i get confused if i dream or not, so i ask him why hes back since hes dead. Its like he comes back from one of his trips abroad and then he leaves
We never really die. Perpetual light shines upon him! You will meet again
The same happens to me with my dad, and I am really confused if it is really him trying to talk to me, or if it is my brain who misses him too much to just let go
@@assini1141 ah! dear distant cousin.. yes i am sure y miss him a lot. this thing about souls and the afterlife is beginning to be messing with my head.
who knows, maybe they do reach us in our sleep (and why not only in our dreams).
its bad in case of unresolved issues between son/daughter and dead parent. in that case we do meet them in dreams and its like torture.
so. it could be both, them visiting us and us having them deep inside our hearts and hence seeing them in our dreams.
love and greetings from Athens, Greece
@@Itsyrm8 Yeah, it is messing with my head too, always at the nights right before sleep. Much love from Misiones, Argentina my bro
@@assini1141 thank you brother, best regards from greece too!
Radiohead tried to record this for months and couldn't figure it out, until they went to see Jeff Buckley live. 'Thom sat down and played it in three takes, then burst into tears afterwards. And that's what we used for the record' Colin, 1997
I miss jeff's talent and I came here to say the same.
Absolutely hear Jeff Buckley's transcendent influence on this. I had not realized it before. Incredible. If anybody is looking for another moody banger like this. Watch Jeff Buckley sing Grace.
Jeff 🥺💔
@@marshhen last goodbye. For sure
@@marshhen banger meant SUCH DIFFERENT THINGS in the 90s lol
“If I could be who you wanted, all the time…”
Kills me every time man..
Stop, we're already dead.
@@jvccr7533never even born
Dishwalla got it first
Idk.... he had me @ green plastic watering can!
Me too......all i can think about is my REAL love, that died in a car wreck........and wishing i cuda been a better lover, friend, soul mate......she wasnt plastic, but i relate to Thoms line fer sure!!
I’m jealous of anyone who listens to this tune for the first time.
Hi I am Casey . . . Close but just listened yesterday . . Really stopped to listen . . Thanks
Listening these lyrics for the first time. I'd kill for that.
Life is getting faker and faker as the decades pass?
Just heard 4 first time blown away
Meh....this is my 10000000000th time and its still as good.
I was once a teenager listening to this song. I am older now. It means something different to me now. It feels like a real loss. It feels like understanding. After 30 years, it feels like I still don't know anything at all.
Hi I recommend a song and video called 'Life Changes' By Robert Nix
Here’s my interpretation. I think it’s about how we hold onto relationships that are disappointing and ultimately fake. Deep down we know they are fake, but the idea of leaving them behind and being alone makes us feel that we would blow through the ceiling. We might think to ourselves “Maybe it really doesn’t get better than this”. So instead we keep watering our fake plastic trees in the hopes that they become something real. This process wears us out everyday because no matter how much we water that plant, the tree will never become real. We trade being alone with the feeling of dissatisfaction and emptiness because we can’t seem to let them go. We then realise we aren’t who they need either and become insecure about our place in their life, just as they are in ours. Two people destined to stay together who should’ve always been apart.
Did you just explain my relationship of 10 years??
💔
Dr Zoidberg
If I could be who you wanted..,,. Thanks for sharing, that’s the truth.
i really want to hug you.
That last line is literally my past relationship to a T and now I'm sad lol
"If I could be who you wanted all the time." Hits hard
Underrated comment
It hits home real hard. Completely agree!
facts :(
@D390X "Because you are just a sucker with no self steem. BTW Radiohead sucks." damn, u good?
@D390X tf you waffling on about, we just like the music
I am 97 years old and just discover this band I hope that have a little more time to hear their songs
❤
❤
LMFAO
Same
@@aldadelgado7595 you are 97 too :-)
This gem will never get old or played out.
One of my alltime personal favs.
Fun Fact: For the Daryl Dixon and Boondock Saint fans: This was Norman Reedus's second appearance in a music video. He's the guy in the black trench coat, but its difficult to recognize him.
The best shot that you can spot him in is at 4:20 and he's the guy on the far left.
Enjoy
and also Hector Salamanca in the middle.
@@BrenCrizaldo LMAO
I have never heard a more mood altering song like this... If you are happy, this song brings you down a notch or two... If you are sad, it picks you up... powerful
gregory ahejew totally true
indeed
Yes
TRUE!
Better than Creep, imo.
When i'm in a supermarket, with my caddie, I always see Thom singing in the middle of my groceries. Always and forever.
schizopost?
peak schizo
Lmfao these replies are hilarious
happens to me all the time smh so annoying
Dude get some help. You have schizophrenia
I totally understand listening to "sad" music while depressed would seem to only reinforce the depression, but sometimes "sad" songs help a depressed person feel understood and less alone. I am also a fan of Portishead, and everyone hearing me listen to it would assume that it was depressive... I found it tremendously uplifting.
Sad and depressing songs has a cathartic effect for people that are sad or depressed. It gives them a sense of release and opening in a time of their lives when everything seemed to be stuck or closed. The effect then in turn doesn't make them happy, because sometimes sadness need not be avoided or evaded. A little embrace makes sadness a powerful driving force.
It's useful when you listen now and then, but regularly listen to this stuff and it reinforces the depressive state and keeps a dark cloud over you.
Catharsis is powerfully healing.
Yap! I listen to happy song but never get more happy when someone singing Raidohead
@@toomuchtruth agreed. Off-topic but i don't understand when someone says they listen to scream-metal for "calming down". Mate, that can't be healthy.
Lost my husband last November 20, 2024. Not even a month ago... He was doing his swim training for the Ironman triathlon competition but was pulled by riptide along An Bang beach in Hoi An, Vietnam where we are based. He was only 47 years old. It is such a devastating loss. We were together 15 years... I thought we would grow old together.. I've lost my lifelong companion.. the love of my life, the father of my two amazing daughters. Fake Plastic Trees was our song.. I've always loved this song but now it's so much more poignant listening to it..
aw i’m so sorry i know it must be tough for you but i hope things get better!!
I'm sorry for your loss, stay strong sister
I’m so sorry for your loss 💔 He sounds like such a truly remarkable person. I know he will continue to shine brightly through your daughters and through you, too. Hugs from an internet stranger 💜
I’m so sorry.
my deepest condolences
"She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love"
That is the climax, the painful truth. My blindness and all those fake ideas, people, emotions and things I believed and wanted to believe are real...
Real
I think he's talking about a blow up doll
Think you’re overthinking it
This part gets me crying sobbing throwing up bro I'm doing backflips from how this song itches my brain in the saddest way possible
Nowadays these lyrics carry more weight :C
Thom York has one of the greatest voices in the history of rock music.
And it's awesome since anyone can sing like him, too - so simple yet hypnotizing
Oh yessss🙏
Absolutely 💯
@@mrcrandberry6115 can sing like him but not *quite* like him
@@BigHotSauceBoss69 yes
It was 1995 when this masterpiece came out. 1995 and life was already “fake”; if only they knew what would happen in the end, Facebook, Instagram, having to buy countless things to “fit in.”
Radiohead, they were always ahead of their time. Always excellent, brilliant.
❤🤗
Real :/ das why I wanna save up enough and learn enough to buy and maintain my own farm and stay away from all this bullpoop and all the bullpoop that will inevitably come in the future
@@JoeIIama😭💀💀
For those born in 60s, mid 90s was the beginning of the end for society. Last 30 years had being just sitting watching all fall apart
@@bichobicho5451that’s why I retreat into the safety of sex, drugs and video games xD
no. radiohead. go away. I don't need you tonight.... gotta listen away, can't skip this one- Thanks Thom i'm now depressed.
It doesn't take more than the first chord for the nostalgic feeling to take over.
A pure classic.
yeap...totally right
exactly
plastic*
3
Fake plastic trees
"And if I could be who you wanted......if I could be who you wanted......all the time.......all the time." Just KILL ME ALREADY. My god, this pulls at my heart strings like no other.
1
Listening to this song really made me curious about how MY fake plastic love tastes and whether I should bother anyone with making them taste it.
Hang in there. You are strong enough to survive!
Simp
The first time I heard this song, I cried, over 25 years later, and I still do.
For 25 years, Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" has been in the background, but it's only now that I truly listen to it, truly feel every word. After eight years with my wife, at 42, I suddenly grasp the full weight of this song. It's strange how a familiar melody can suddenly hit differently. The tears I shed now aren't just for lost moments or past disillusionments, but for the painful acknowledgment of what I've experienced and felt in my relationship. Thom Yorke's voice, heavy with melancholy, touches me deeper than ever, resonating with my own fractures and revealing truths I had long ignored. It's a poignant revelation, sad yet beautifully unexpected.
Happens 💯💯
Jesus Christ Loves you all so much that HE died on the Cross to save you all from sin and death, Turn to HIM fully and Believe in HIM and Follow HIM and put your entire Faith in HIM and you shall be saved Amen!❤🙏
You said it best. I know what you mean.
bro this was ai generated 😭
@@sheeloesreallycoolAh ah, yes it was, how dis you Guess ?
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
A green plastic watering can
For a fake Chinese rubber plant
In a fake plastic earth
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plans
To get rid of itself
[Chorus 1]
It wears her out
It wears her out
It wears her out
It wears her out
[Verse 2]
She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins
[Chorus 2]
And it wears him out
It wears him out
It wears him out
It wears
[Verse 3]
She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love
But I can't help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
[Chorus 3]
And it wears me out
It wears me out
It wears me out
It wears me out
[Outro]
And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time
All the time
Brilliant seeing the difference in my lyrics to real one's 😂
Thanks a lot!
Your Service is complete,Go....With Honor!!!!
false
This should be automatic Googl... make it happen for everyone.
I called into work sick the day this came out, bought the cd and drove around the back country roads all day. This album is the soundtrack of my 17s, love it!
Such a beautiful memory ❤ don’t ever stop remembering. It is so special…
Beautiful way to live a day on your own.
1
on todays episode of things that never happened
@@jackdavidson1374yea man nothing ever happens ever does it
"If i could be who you wanted
If i could be who you wanted
All the time
All the time"
Always hits me really hard
Thom Yorke looks absolutely hopeless in their music video!!!!
What hits me is the little vocal run afterwards
I wasn’t. That was the hardest part. I wasn’t what he wanted.
Creep was my theme song of the 90s
@@aliyamoon80you are what somebody wants. In time x.
I remember sitting all alone in my room listening to this played on the radio while my parents were fighting outside. I was 10 or 11 years old. Everytime i hear this song it always breaks my heart for the love i never know during my childhood days. I hope you finally found the love you seek Pa, up there in heaven. I love you Dad.
they go so far deep into sadness it's almost happy again
that's catharsis
Caverman their song that does this best might be "Let Down."
fuck man, what a great comment. Absolutely spot on. Wow
explained it better than I ever could, well said
i was just starting to cry while listening to this and felt like : "i feel sad i guess but then kind of silly and happy at the end" and read your comment and that was how i felt exactly xD
st. drum I'm glad :)
Being an angst ridden teenager when this came out in the 90s this really expressed my melancholy emotions perfectly. I felt imperfect and misunderstood and this expressed what I couldn't express. Radiohead defined me as a teenager growing up when other groups couldn't. They got me and I got them. They gave me the validation I craved and wanted. It was music for the jilted generation.
Hi I recommend a song called 'Looking Into The Mirror' By Robert Nix
I was an angst-ridden 20-something that had just started a family. I see you. My wife and I still stand to this day. I identify with you. At this point in my life, I was just a cynic who was starting to find his way. All the best to you, friend. I like your moniker, btw. It's the same as an 80's cinema gem. As a nerdy guy, I loved that film when I was a young teenager.
This is the greatest comment I have ever read on TH-cam. I felt the same way. I had admiration if my peers and Tex gets, parents of my own and everyone else’s but still felt jilted. Now as a 44year old, 3 kids and 2 grand kids later, I still feel a jilting and misunderstanding. It’s something internal and private. Thank you commenter . Thank you
Creep
this is beautful
2023, this song makes even more sense than in 1997. I was 12 years old, poor kid in Brazil, and this song gave me the desire to learn English just to understand what the song was saying. I wanted to read the feelings in the lyrics. Radiohead changed my life for better for sure. 🇧🇷
Awesome! Hope you're doing good now ☺️
1
Wow
I hope you are living your best life ❤
Truly one of the most beautiful songs ever written.
"If I could be who you wanted, all the time..."
*_I'M NOT CRYING, YOU ARE_*
❤❤❤
TagsterGomez yes I'm crying real tears
TagsterGomez your comment is such like the tipical normie writting *cry* ;it’s not about ur exgirlfren or the woman that,ve never watch u ;it’s about his anguish about how the only thing that he’ve admired (when he was younger, that’s why they r on the CC car) becomes just a fake plastic tree.
*Yes, maybe that's true*
Copy cat I put that a year ago and still mo replies...
i listened to this song while i was on the plane, looking at the sky. and suddenly i realized, that it’s really magical how we get to meet people in our lives with the same interests as us. in this vast, diverse, world, the universe allowed me to meet you ♡
I was in a bar in Florida and they had an empty piano sitting there. In walked a very large Russian guy speaking broken English and he asked the bartender if he could play the piano. He started playing popular show tunes and no one was really paying attention to him . He saw me looking at him and he said to me what would you like to hear and I said I'm sure you don't know the music that I like and he replied try me. I said Radiohead. He started with Paranoid Android and played about 10 songs by Radiohead before he left. I asked the bartender who he was and he said I have no idea I've never seen him before. It was great almost like a ghost walked in played Radiohead and then disappeared. It was an interesting night that I enjoyed immensely. I think this memory of mine pretty much indicates how universal and overarching the music Radiohead makes.
Ive seen this comment before on other Radiohead songs
I read the same thing under Comfortably Numb lol
cool
Sarath Madhav exactly bro... although I like the story😁😁😁so he kinda earned the right to repost it
Wow. My soul is touched rn, fuck. That is such a vibe
When I first met my girlfriend, this was one of the songs she showed me, and I remember tearing up listening to it for the first time and finding it so beautiful - now, 5 years later, radiohead are without a doubt one of my favourite bands of all time, and even though my girlfriend and I aren't together anymore, this song reminds me that no matter what, the love, experiences, and tears we shared are all things I wouldnt change the world for, and I will always hold it close to my heart.
I'm so thankful to experience it all.
Hi I Recommend checking out a song and video called 'Life Changes' By Robert Nix
"why did you take so long to buy groceries?"
me:
Only took em 4 minutes
lol
I’m like sobbing at all the sad comments and then I see this one lmao 😭💀
@@Darknight8200 4 minute warning?
Hahaaa
First time I went to London, my friend took me to Camden. We walked around and then went to a small coffeeshop. The coffeeshop was empty. My friend went to the bathroom and I sat at a table by the window. I remember the water of the Regent's Canal flickering under the night lights. Suddenly, this song began playing in the radio. In the building by the other side of the canal, people were having a dance lesson (salsa, it seemed). I sat there in silence, just mesmerized at all the beauty this world has to offer. The right song, at the right place, at the right time. It was unforgettable.
I mean it wasn't really in silence if this song was playing
I know this feeling. Right time, right place, right song. This will stay with you forever.
@@tux0beliver being in silence means that you yourself are quiet
Thank goodness you didn't get taken to Camden in the US.
Great story, I was in London, went to Dublin for the weekend., Radiohead was all anyone talked around the hostel. I never heard of Em at that moment, summer 97, back to college that fall home in ny, hear this song in love with it, realized who it was, missed my chance
UNPOPULAR TAKE:
I'm really not depressed. I just listen to this song cause it's an absolute banger.
Reenot Muscles some of us are not, I however, am, but it’s still a really beautiful song
Drama is beautiful from a distance.
finally, somebody who doesn't relate this song to depression and just likes it
@@TacticsTechniquesandProcedures Wow, I haven't heard that before. I like it!
It's one of Thom Yorke's best vocal performances on any of the albums.
I personally need to be in a certain mood to listen to Radiohead, which is now. I'm crying because for 4 minutes and 52 seconds it feels like someone really gets me.
There's no way to describe this. Is it rock? Folk? Grunge? Alternative? Psychedelic? It sounds like all of them put together ... and it's beautiful
that’s what prog/art rock is my friend!
This is just very, very good music. Awesome music. That's what it is.
The answer to your question is yes
it's radiohead
@@evamaze that's the best description of it. It's just Radiohead
This song is absolute genius. It talks about how fake people are nowadays, that they pretend who they are not and thus comparing them to plastic. "Gravity always wins" refers to how in the end they will fall, and they will be forced to come true. All of this fake behaviour, fake things and fake people wears the protagonist out. In the end, the protagonist too wishes to become fake just so he can get his love. This song single-handedly exposes one of the biggest problems in our modern society, how people are forced to act who they are not so they can be perceived as "cool" and not "lame" and won't be socially alienated anymore.
So true
Oh Ringo, You're So right.
This.
superficiality caused by materialism and consumerism
After enough soul searching and mushrooms you can escape
I will never ever ever get tired of listening to this band, seriously. How can I? Radiohead was just that band that had a whole generation listening.
I have always struggled with mental and physical health. My dad has had me listening to radiohead since i was young and listening to this band has saved my mind from such dark places and i can’t help but be so thankful that it has always been here when i needed to remember that other people understand how i feel. I would be dead without this band and its ability to understand my pain and feelings. thank you
Just keep on keeping on. My mom always said that there would be days like this, but she never told me they would last a lifetime. Whatever gets you though the day as long as you're not harming yourself or anyone else. Come what may, just make sure you STAY. ;
Music soothes the soul when nothing else can. Listen to Alice in chains too..they're awesome too
Wears you out didn6it😢😅
Keep Pushin it'll be fine..Take Care Fam
I understand what you are saying and what you’ve been through, because I am going through a deep major depressive disorder episode and have even decided a couple times that I am done, that I won’t survive 2023, however listening to Radiohead has given me inspiration and strength, I don’t understand how it works, but I get what you’re saying…
How can a song I have heard a million times still break my heart like it was the first time?
Yep
That's the power of Radiohead.
That is what separates Radiohead from the crowd.
it's called masterpiece
Jesyra LBfly same here 💔
"She looks like the real thing, She taste like the real thing, My fake plastic love" , "And if i could be who you wanted" these parts hit me so hard right now..
But I can't have the fucking feeling...
IT DOES HIT HARD 🥺
I love Radiohead
This song ruined my fleshlight
If I could be who you wanted. All the time. Really hits hard.
I just listened to this for the first time and it’s 2024 I just wanna say this song speaks to people in ways you can’t describe something about it makes me face the true reality of humans and their consumer mindset in such a sad manner. I cried it was beautiful
Damn ur so right
"She looks like the real thing
, She tastes like the real thing, My fake plastic love"
Idk why but that part gives me so much chill and sadness in same time..
Can't help but imagine a blow up doll when I hear that line 😆
Same here...
It sends an energy through you, that’s for sure
Hilarious, isnt it!
@Thomas Serrano d e e p
Thom Yorke saw Jeff Buckley live & said he was a big influence on his singing style i.e. using the whole range of his vocal abilities & the use of subtleties in his singing. He said this was the first song where he applied the inspiration he got from hearing Jeff Buckley. If anybody reading this has not heard Jeff Buckley's album Grace & you like Radiohead & Thom Yorke's singing style & range, then check out the full album on you tube. I'm not saying it sounds like a Radiohead album, but you can hear what Thom Yorke meant about the use of vocal range & expression, with power & with subtlety. It's a masterpiece of an album, great songs & a majestic vocal performance. What a loss Jeff Buckley is to the world of music. Great songwriter too.
Happy b'day thom yorke🎉🎉🎉
@@JohnMcaulay-gp6nb i love you thom yorke♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
I remember late at night the song "Dream Brother" came on on a jazz radio station. That's what did it for me
The Bends is my favorite album of theirs. EVERY song is good. A rare acheivement.
wait till u hear ok computer
Listen to weather systems album by anathema
Same!
@@user1990dm I've listened to OK Computer for like 6 times and I just think The Bends is better.
@@einocoolz99 I listened to OK Computer a couple times back in the day, and to me, The Bends just felt immediately more accessible, musically. But it has been 25 years since I listed to it last, so I might give it another go. But The Bends will probably always be #1, to me.
"Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead is about the seemingly perfect facade of fake perfection that people present to the world, while their internal realities are often much more complicated and layered. The song speaks to the futility of trying to maintain a perfect image, as it ultimately only leads to exhaustion and a sense of emptiness. The chorus speaks of the toll this takes on the person, "It wears him/her/me out". The song references a "fake plastic love" in the third verse which could suggest a relationship that may only exist somewhere on the surface, devoid of any meaningful connection or emotion.
Those who quantify art, don't understand art
Hi I Recommend checking out a song and video called 'Life Changes' By Robert Nix
I am 24 years old and I can’t believe this is the first time listening to this song. I am at a loss for words... the melody, the lyrics, everything... it’s perfect.
I wish I could hear it the first time again
It's strange listening to music with substance and real human emotion in today's b.s
@@jonartimovich7515 💯
@@jonartimovich7515 my thoughts exactly...
You should listen to Other music from Radiohead too. They have dozens of magical songs like this especially their album "ok computer"
This song reminds me of the feeling of trying to hold on to something you know was never real in the first place. Something that you try and prop up with an illusion of reality but deep down you feel it’s as illusory as the waking dreams you have of how things should be but never will be. Then it comes to a point where it all comes crashing down shattering in a myriad different pieces of what you thought was but never is. It can be anything. Love. Hope. Life. Your self image.
Beautifully said
What I thought America was
This song kisses all my scars.
Underrated comment. You've got the beginnings of a poem there.
You worded it best
This comment made me tear up. Hang in there friend
You’re strong! Remember your where for a reason! With all the shit you’ve been through it compares to nothing you’re doing now.
Probably The most beautiful comment ever.
You're beautiful
Inside my dream, last night, I remember that I put on my headphones, pressed the play button on my Walkman and heard the final part of this song.
I thought about the love of my life.
I hadn't heard her for years. When I woke up, I looked for the song and listened to it in its entirety, at 4 am, and I understood the message:
Jose, my love, you don't have to be to me how you show yourself to the world. I love you exactly as you are, my eternal boy.
This is one of the most important songs of my life.
Amen
Thank Jeff Buckley
khelbenrage Says the guy putting people down on TH-cam 😬
Me too!
Dangerous Thinking Radiohead are massive fans of Jeff Buckley anyway, you can hear it in so much of what they write. But after seeing Jeff live they completely re-recorded this song. They changed it to acoustic and recorded the whole thing in a few takes at the studio the day after seeing Jeff.
One of the greatest songs ever. Heard it when I was 7 in 95. Listen to it all the time at age 36. Wish I could have seen them in concert.
Feeling old here but I was 27 when the song came out. This album kind of changed my life and rearranged my priorities. Here I am at 55 years old and this song brings tears to my eyes. Music is powerful.
Do they still play?
I was about the same age and songs like this got stuck in my memory.
@@underated17 they do
RIP for those who only listen to creep. All radiohead songs are masterpiece thats why I like this band
thom hates creep btw
@@aphewtxin why
@@aphewtxin creep is mainstream
Gatekeeping?
@@aphewtxin not anymore but he did lol
was listening to this endlessly the day my dad died in april. don't know how i'm gonna listen to it ever again, to be honest. thinking about how my dad just never could be the guy any of us wanted him to be, no matter how much he wanted to. how much i wanted to run screaming from the hospital room he was laying unresponsive in. my mind has put up a block where his memory is and i just can't push past it. dunno how i feel about it. rest in peace i guess.
This song always reminds me of that point in a relationship when you start to recognize that it’s foundation is false, that what one deemed as romantic love may have been just infatuation with the emotional/mental image of a person….and while simultaneously realizing that the bond of love may have been like a fake plastic tree, in your despair you still want that person to recognize you as valid and real, even though you could never be what they wanted. If the foundation of the bond is fake, the relationship will be doomed to fail. But even in failure, one can realize a true love inside that one day manifests outside as a great relationship. There’s always hope, love, mutual aid and joy as long as we are alive.
“Struggle so that all may live this rich, overflowing life. And be sure that in this struggle you will find a joy greater than anything else can give.” ― Pyotr Kropotkin
I agree. To me, this song is about being tired of trying to act a certain way in a relationship. It wears him out, and he wishes he could be what she wants him to be. And the song finally resolves at the end, where he sadly accepts the truth.
I got chills reading your explanation. Thank you for putting my feelings about this song into words that I could not.
It feels like you wrote this for me to read exactly right now
Wow! That's heavy!
Beautiful
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams.
great
We are always in the present. We indulge about the past and the future but we are in the now- always. Some of us have not realized the games in this world but others have. Take a deep slow breath and exhale calmly. You are now in the present once again.
By the time our brain processes a sight, a smell, a taste, a touch, a feeling... it’s already happened... everything we know is a memory!
Si function dom/aux be like
@@luisrivas9323 right.. we catch up to ourselves with our breath.
When the song Creep came out, I thought these guys would be one hit wonders, I'm glad they proved me wrong.
At the rate they're going their next album might be their best. I love their music since Kid A especially.
***** U2, for Christ sake?
+John F30
depeche mode,,,,,,, 35 years and still going
+John F30 muse? foo fighters? there are many
+John F30 RHCP
Ahhh, Fake Plastic Trees... Ha-ha-hahaaaa! Now we’re diving into the depths of musical despair-and let me tell you, The Jonkler is absolutely delighted! This track isn’t just a song, it’s a soul-crushing experience! A beautiful, agonizing masterpiece that takes you by the throat and never lets go. Eeeheheheheeee!
The moment it begins, there’s this eerie calm-like a sinister lullaby for the broken-hearted. The instrumentation? Delectable! The way those haunting strings slowly creep in, they wrap around you like a spider’s web, tugging you deeper into the darkness. And when the drums kick in, it’s like the entire world is crumbling, piece by piece, in the most mesmerizing way possible. Ahh-ha-haaa!
Thom Yorke’s voice, oh, it sings of desolation, of longing, of a reality so fake, so hollow, that you can almost feel the plastic burning your skin. The lyrics? A masterpiece of existential decay: "It wears her out"-the weight of the world, the falseness of society, the endless chase for meaning in a world that only offers... fake plastic trees. Eeehehehehee!
This isn’t just a song-it’s a revelation, a cry of despair that perfectly mirrors the state of our world. It’s uncomfortable, unsettling, and yet, in its bleakness, it offers a strange sense of catharsis. Ha-ha-ha! Fake Plastic Trees isn’t just something you listen to-it’s something you experience... and when it ends, you’re left in stunned silence, wondering if you’re alive or just another plastic illusion.
Bravo, Radiohead, bravo! This is the kind of soul-shattering brilliance I live for. Ahhhh, perfection in chaos!
I’m 56. Radiohead came 15 years too late for me. I was deep into parenthood at their peak. I’ve only really just discovered them...properly.
This is by far the most brilliant melancholic song I’ve ever heard. It’s just devastating.
@@stevex2639 Indeed. And yes Radiohead were definitely a huge influence on Coldplay. Chris Martin has said as much himself.
The Bends is everything Coldplay wish they were but could never be.
Same here I knew him because of the song “creep” but I just found out he got other songs just simply extraordinary. Radiohead is the best band on this planet 🌎
Great artist ❤️
@Zyphen Holy shit dude you destroyed me. But not in a bad way.
About 10 years ago my brother would say give it a chance sister it will get you in the end now nothing comes close every album pure class, he won't give Zappa a chance though no matter how hard I try
every single time he sings "if i could be who you wanted... all the time" i cry
Come here to listen again :)
bom demais mesmo
This song constantly reminds me of a failed relationship...even 10yrs later
when you disappoint your parents for the thousandth time
@@whatlayscawing5617 I like your profile picture
This song gets more relevant with each year.
KingAl the1st It gets more relevant with each year of my life, at least.
I'd be honored if some Radiohead fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal covers of HIGH & DRY and BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY by the Verve on my YT channel in tribute to 2 of the most forward-looking and influential 90s bands. Live acoustic with no digital editing. Thanks and peace out.
@@willritter4076 ok sure
@@brandenbolt5573 I think you're reading a lot of pseudoscientific reporting my friend.
I feel like, this song is about the weight of expectation and the experience of disappointment. One of my favorite songs for years
この曲を聴きながら、日光がちょうど私の体を覆うような時間帯で床に寝そべっています。このまま眠りたい
Stay well
以外と明確だった歌詞の翻訳：
彼女は緑色のプラスチックのじょうろで
ゴムでできた偽物の木に水をあげる
この偽物のプラスチックの土地で
そのじょうろはゴムみたいな男から
ゴムみたいな計画であふれた街で買った
街が自身を否定するような街で
それが彼女をすり減らす…
彼女をすり減らす…
彼女は希望を失った男と住んでいる
ひび割れたポリスチレンの
粉々になって燃えゆく男と
彼は医者をしていた
80年代の女の子のために
でも決して抗えないものがあるんだ
それが彼をすり減らす…
彼をすり減らす…
ああ、彼女は本物なんだ
彼女は本物の味がするんだ
ぼくの偽物のプラスチックみたいな愛
でもぼくはその愛をどうしても感じてしまう
ぼくが風に吹かれて天井を越えられたなら…
もしぼくが振り向いて、走り出せたなら…
そんな想いが
ぼくをすり減らす…
ぼくをすり減らす…
もしぼくが
君の望む姿であれたなら…
君の望む姿であれたなら…
ずっと…
ずっと…
Your back, dude. But it's OK, it's just one time, right?
Are you ok, bro?
@@kazuyukihi1208 Uh, f_cking speak English you d_mbass. If you think you are going to convert us English speaking people to your gibberish "language" you are so dead wrong. And I know you know what I am saying because foreigners that come to America pretend they don't speak English when they speak it very well to make us look stupid. And you people have never heard of the band Radiohead. Give me a break.
No matter how many times I listen to this... the haunting, heartbreaking notes... gets me everytime...
awesome stuff..amazing live to
Me too. For me it's the 3rd verse that always makes me explode into tears. That A chord hits me like a shock wave of melancholy!
I’m going on anti anxiety medication tomorrow, this song always calmed me down. whenever I had a panic attack I’d listen to this song when I came down. This song is one of the main reasons I never quit trying to fight this feeling of impending doom. I love you all, prayers to your current struggles.
Good luck to you. Love
Best of luck, keep fighting, it's the only way.
mental health people love talking about their mental health
@@teenyverse7707 that we do! So anyways as I was saying, I’m sitting there, bbq sauce on my titties, and a panic attack hits me…
@@NWNative147 do you think it's caused by bbq sauce?
This song still hits so hard from every fucking struggle I've had in my life and kept me thinking to keep moving forward no matter how heavy I've been carrying it in me
Hi I Recommend a Song/ video that is entitled 'Life changes' By Robert Nix
Ah great, I was hoping they'd reupload the video with four thick black borders and 240p.
Lol
***** Yeah, and considering this was their record label it really deserved a higher quality upload.
***** I died xD
Music first !
LOL! Best comment I've read this month!
"If i could be who you wanted"
That line hit me so hard...
That line always gets me too.
"All the time"
Banana me too so much
If I could be dumb like he needed
You can't escape being yourself or this reality but you can change it
This song is so timeless. If released today it would still sound fresh and kind of contemporary with its sincerity and passion.
1
@@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra 1
This song go dedicated to my friend who lost his battle with the cancer today.
Fly very high my friend and God bless your soul forever...😢😢😢👏👏👏
I am sorry for your loss.. hope you are doing better by now my friend!
It's 14th of March, 2020 today. 25 years and a day since The Bends was released. I'm always so thankful that Radiohead exists.
And Happy Pi day!
Damn, it was released on my birthday, and I never knew. 👍
How much more complicated our lives have become in those 25 years. Radiohead foresaw the isolation and tried to warn us, but we pushed ahead with our dystopian vision anyway. Did we lose our humanity somewhere along the way?
Maral Jamiyansuren ayy my bday
Read this in rorschachs voice
Laganas2008 we got the same bday
That crescendo in the 3rd verse to the ending.. goosebumps every single time.
Yes, the crescendo of this song is intense.
Favorite part
Hairs on neck etc. Especially ar the moment
Radiohead is like a drug to me. It's not normal how I can't sit calmly for 30 minutes without an urge to just put my earphones and play at least one song. I don't even know if it's healthy anymore but I love it. Thom is the one of a kind genius. They all are. I can't imagine spending a day without them. My life goal is to hear Radiohead live while they're still at it. Breaks my heart to think that in 10 years they most likely won't play anymore. They defined who I am today, they've been with me through all kinds of shit and all kinds of good memories, too. Never will they ever get old and out of fashion. And words will never be able to describe how I feel about their music. Pure art and beauty.
JustADifferentGirl k I know what you mean. There's some days were I just want to lay down and listen to Radiohead.
Lex_Mex _17 exactly!
Same, I think I need theraphy for this adiction jaja
Psychic Vampire I understand you 😂😂😂
Psychic Vampire chill
In the late 90s everytime I saw a new Radiohead music video I was taken to a magical world rampant with raw emotions. I’m 46 now and they will always remain my favorite band
If you ever feel alone just go through the comments of any Radiohead song ... You'll find other's who feel the same way as you do
So true...
i like your name. just how i feel
You are not Holden... but thanks
Angela dawn Townsend. You are missed always
phony
I drove nearly all the way from Burbank To my home in Oxnard California last night, while listening to this song on repeat. About 35 minutes of Fake Plastic Trees on a fake freeway in my fake rubber Honda
Luis Ramos music is medicine. Strangers are friends. Venting is good. Bearded tattooed ass-hole here. Listening to this tonight. No one can judge. Reach out and eventually, someone will touch your fingertips.....
You could always have the alternate transportation of riding a horse on some of the backwoods trails😁 The real way takes longer but is far more enjoyable!👍
Luis Ramos keeps a heart beating longer than its wants.
You’re maybe speeding just a little bit or absolutely no traffic late at night. I used to drive that same route (101) back to nearby Ventura, where I lived until I was 21, on nights coming back from concerts. Either way, beautiful song and I can visualize exactly your drive and thanks for sharing your meloncholy
Pretty gay
Thom is just an F'in genius. I'm amazed he is still with us with all that goes on in his head.-Grateful
Very good observation. 👌
Every member of Radiohead is a fucking genius (incluiding Nigel)
In 50 years we will be talking about Radiohead like today we talk about the Beatles.
I believe The only people who understand the true meaning of what he thinks about when writing masterclasses like this is the people who put their own feelings into it, it's a truly great song and band, i remember i was in rehab in 1996 listing to this and walking around rehab just feeling lost but this song always made me stronger and I love Radiohead I'd love to see them reunited, best band of my generation
"If I could be who you wanted all the time" Throughout life I've found myself not being able to live up to someone's expectations, or even societal expectations, and hating myself for it. I've since learned to accept my imperfections and such so I don't get caught up in those self loathing thought processes anymore but this lyric still hits me pretty hard. I spent so many years living inside of my head and it drove me to do some terrible things.
+Abel Ramirez
+Soile Tuominen w
I feel that dude
Man, can I relate! Maybe that is why I still cry when I listen to this song and I got the album when it first came out!
I feel you.
I don't really make TH-cam comments but this song holds a really special place in my heart. I've heard it for the first time last year, 2021, and since then, it has been my comfort song. Before, I really had no idea why I was drawn to this song. I just was. It calmed me down and made me feel something. Now, just a few days ago, I saw this song shared by my father from years ago in his old Facebook account. That father is someone I've only seen once in my entire life. I'm 21 now. I still wonder every other night if he still thinks about me. I don't even know if he's still alive. To him: If you can see this comment, it's me! I hope this would also lead you here like it has led me to you again. It all makes sense now why I was very drawn to this song.
Great
This touched me. I hope you can reconnect.
I've never commented on anything on TH-cam but reading this just gave me full body chills. I hope he thinks of you often.
i really hope you'll meet him one day, this song for sure had to be destined to you
Thank you so much for the reassuring comments 💖
Radiohead comment section is the most depressingly wholesome place on the internet
Yes
@@osamabinladen824 😳
@@mop_dadoor8024😂😂😂
haha true
A whole lot of people who have too much heart for their own good. Like me.
It's not easy to be unique these days with so many different styles out there, but nobody sounds like Radiohead. Fantastic music
My dad passed away yesterday and now I'm making a playlist with all the songs he loved and I remember him by. This is one of them. Thank you dad for showing me the greatest artists of all times. Loved, missed and never forgotten 🤘🔥❤🙏
Take care of yourself 🤗
Sorry for your loss
To the Dads!!
So sorry for you. He had good taste in music.
1
I listen to this song on cassette tape, on a cassette player I got for Christmas in 1984, and the price sticker on the cassette tape is in a currency that no longer exists.
i don't know why, but i like this story
How much was it?
@@hubflower5433 9.99 in Irish pounds
Sell it to me
sorry, but this song didn't exist in 1984, is from 1995
Timeless. I’ve listened to them for over 30 years now and they just never stop blowing my mind. This song is special though. It sounds the same but what it means to me changes as I get older. Freaking masterpiece.
Me too idk why this song is underrated for some people but this always plays in mind. Always
@@iamsubsub some people are morons. 😂
Yes, a freaking masterpiece!
・_
She looks like the real thing...she tastes like the real thing.. my fake plastic love..wow that's freaking beautifully romantic and tragic at once 😩 the bends and ok computer are the best albums of any band of all time....just divine.
This song is crazily hypnotic. Sitting and listening to this song with my entire focus on it makes me emotional and in a very odd state/form of sadness.
Yeah, innit great?
Welcome to the club my friend
I know exactly what you mean. Same here. It tears me apart sometimes.
I know what you mean. It's why I keep coming back for more.
I can still feel the cellophane wrap in my hands when I opened this album for the first time.
2
And that pos tape on the edge that you needed a box cutter to open.