Album Analysis of Radioheads in Rainbows

by Selena Sherwood

In Rainbows (2007) is regarded as one of the best Radiohead albums of all time. Many fans, including me, have fallen in love with the variety of styles and amazing stories told within these 10 tracks. 
 
15 Step- In Rainbows opens with the upbeat “15 Step,” (thought to be referring to the stairs up to the gallows) about the panic and fear of what happens next, a reoccurring theme across most of their tracks and the overall theme of this album. It features electronic drums, ambient guitar melodies, and striking bass lines, this songs energetic sound and overall dark message sets the tone for this album like no other song could.

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Bodysnatchers- Bodysnatchers tells the tale of boring people leading fake lives, essentially. This fast-paced song is full of grunge sounding guitar and bass riffs. Rumor has it, Thom was inspired by Victorian stories of people being ripped from their bodies and placed in new ones!   
 
Nude- Nude starts off with a full bodied sound, featuring a choir of Thoms, strings, bass, and drums all playing in a light airy style, then, suddenly they all back away exposing just Thoms voice and a bit of procession. From there the song slowly adds more and more up to the crescendo at 3:00 and all is stripped away once again except Thom, then he’s rejoined by everyone again to finish out the song, quite like it was started.
 
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi- Whirring arpeggios repeating and layering over themselves and others along with a steady drum beat back up an echoy Thom as he plunges into a sea of self-questioning.
 
All I Need- This song explores the idea of vulnerability when falling in love and depending upon another person. Full of strings and rumbling bass, it is a slow, somber, and stripped down ballad.
 
Faust Arp- Faust Arp is based on a story of a man named Faust selling his soul to the devil for knowledge of everything. It talks of a man’s boring life, who wakes up every day the same old routine and how unsatisfying their life feels saying they feel “dead from the neck up.” It features syncopating guitars and sweeping strings and was almost the title track of this album.
 
Reckoner- Reckoner is thought to the continuation of Faust's story, where in this song he actually bargains with the devil, or the Reckoner. If given the powers he asked, he vows to help humanity stray away from the Reckoners charm. With an off-beat that, according to Greenwood, you might need to be a bit mad to enjoy, and striking piano chords this song has a little bit of everything.
 
House of Cards- House of Cards is about a womans struggling relationship, and a man desire to destroy it and have her to himself. Thom sweetly sings about how she should just leave her troubled relationship, or house of cards, behind and be his lover instead.
 
Jigsaw Falling Into Place- This song takes the listener back to the boys college days. It narrates a night out full of drink and girls. Thom tries t keep the girls interest as they become more and more intoxicated until they black out and the night becomes one big blur. Good times!
Videotape- Videotape is a beautifully heartbreaking song that tells of a man lying on his deathbed and telling all his loved ones goodbye. It features a single piano, a bit of percussion, and somber Thom that illustrates the mans sadness and acceptance of what’s to come perfectly. It ends the album peacefully and elegantly with one of they’re most well-written songs to date.