Tag Archives: in rainbows

#670: Radiohead – Jigsaw Falling into Place

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I got In Rainbows as a gift just because of this song. Either Christmas or a birthday, I can’t remember – either way it doesn’t matter much. The album had been out for a few months though. Unfortunately I was 12 at the time and didn’t have much patience for listening through albums. So when I say I got the album because of this song, I mean I basically didn’t pay attention to every other track that was on there. Not the brightest decision. Took a few more years after to realise that I had a great album just sitting on the shelf in my house.

‘Jigsaw Falling into Place’ was the first single from In Rainbows, the first time that I remember some kind of hype for the arrival of a Radiohead album. The strangely hypnotic video (seen above) was on MTV2 all the time, repeated constantly at various times throughout the day, and it was through watching that that its words and music were slowly ingrained into my memory. Back then, I thought it was a fantastic song. Even moreso at this time after closer listening with headphones.

The song, from what I gather, is about getting drunk, flirting and dancing on a night out but described in the quite abstract and surreal way that Thom Yorke usually does in his lyrics. The song subtly builds in intensity from the very start. The woozy ‘err/ahhh’ backing vocals and busy bassline. The general groove is on point and never provides a moment to breathe Electric guitars eventually join in. And then the moment that every Radiohead fan notes, Yorke’s sudden jump in octave when the beat goes round and round. Each element included in the four minutes ‘Jigsaw’ lasts for work perfectly in tandem. A part in particular that I’ve noticed nearing the end is where some acoustic guitar strums pan from the left channel to the right channel the backing vocals close everything out. Radiohead fans love this track. I don’t think it’s too bad myself. Just a shame they rarely perform it live.

My iPod #16: Radiohead – All I Need

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‘In Rainbows’ was the long awaited Radiohead album that was released as a download, pay-as-much-as-you-want in 2007.

I’m not a great fan of the band, in comparison to other crazy Radiohead fans, I am nothing – I might have already said this in my ‘Airbag‘ blog.

So when ‘In Rainbows’ way back when, I didn’t really see the fuss about it. I thought it was cool that people could pay whatever they wanted like 1p or £100, most fans paid nothing anyway, which resulted in many complaints about how companies don’t get enough money for their stuff being released or whatever. Apparently, pre-release sales were more profitable than the total money from sales of ‘Hail to the Thief.’ So they must have done something right from changing their selling tactics.

I have to admit too that as an album, I still haven’t given ‘In Rainbows’ a chance. I’ve never sat down and fully listened to the whole package. I should do. I really should. Most fans like it more than ‘Hail to the Thief’ and I think that ‘HTTT’ is a very good album, so what could go wrong?

The songs on my iPod from this album are not those I liked upon listening to the album once I received it for Christmas 2007. ‘Jigsaw Falling into Place’ played repeatedly on MTV2 and I liked that song and the video too, no matter how weird the cameras were. The song would be the first I would hear from ‘In Rainbows’.

I first properly paid attention to ‘All I Need’ when MTV2, again, dedicated five minutes of its schedule to advertise its EXIT campaign. The ‘advert’ was basically a music video for ‘All I Need’, which you can watch by clicking these two words.

Still, I didn’t think much of it.

Listening to it many times after though, I realised that the song is great. Quite calming actually. You’re provided with a smooth, soothing vocal by Thom Yorke with a steady backbeat by Phil Selway and a strong bassline by Colin Greenwood. The lyrics come off kinda stalkerish, ‘I am all the days, that you choose to ignore’, ‘You are all I need. You’re alll I neeeeeeeed.’ You probably wouldn’t recognise this, because the instrumentation is very calming. It’s like slowly sinking into a beanbag when you begin to sleep in it. But then, the song picks up and there are thrashing cymbal crashes, a chorus of piano and, overall, a real build in tension of atmosphere with Thom singing ‘It’s all right, it’s allll riiiiiiiight!’ And just when you think the song is going to climax, it ends.

It’s a magical song. I really need to listen to ‘In Rainbows’. Fully though, not just the singles.

Until next time.

Jamie.