This song is obviously about Radiohead's climb to fame, and what it's like to Thom to be an international superstar.
The first verse is about Radiohead showing off their songs. Thom refers to them as "half a head," which is a reference to the fact that they now see them as pretty poor, and particularly dislike the song which initially got them fame, Creep. The lines "She ate me up for breakfast, She screwed me in a vice" refer to the fact that the record company were eager to sign Radiohead, but in the process severely inhibited them in what they really wanted to sing about.
The next part "I don't know why, I feel so tongue-tied, I sat in the cupboard, And wrote it down real neat" refers to Thom's depression (around the time of OK Computer), and how he felt that the only way to express this was through writing songs.
"But it got edited fucked up, Strangled beaten up, Used in a photo in time magazine" shows how Thom's songs (and the meanings behind them) were changed by the record company in order to mass commercialise them, and then subsequently misunderstood by the masses.
"Buried in a burning black hole in devon" is another reference to his depression, and writing songs while depressed (in Devon).
"Yeah no one likes a smart ass but we all like stars
But that wasn't my intention, I did it for a reason
It must have got mixed up" is a final reference to the fact that he's been mistaken frequently by the press, and seen as someone completely up himself and who thinks his message is all important (a la Bono), when that wasn't his intention in the slightest.
Not that I truly believe there's a connection, but this was written around the time of the rise of Muse (and other Radiohead-influenced acts) and the fact they come from Devon and do seem to have a career-long obsesssion with "black holes" make this interesting to me.
Not that I truly believe there's a connection, but this was written around the time of the rise of Muse (and other Radiohead-influenced acts) and the fact they come from Devon and do seem to have a career-long obsesssion with "black holes" make this interesting to me.
This song is obviously about Radiohead's climb to fame, and what it's like to Thom to be an international superstar.
The first verse is about Radiohead showing off their songs. Thom refers to them as "half a head," which is a reference to the fact that they now see them as pretty poor, and particularly dislike the song which initially got them fame, Creep. The lines "She ate me up for breakfast, She screwed me in a vice" refer to the fact that the record company were eager to sign Radiohead, but in the process severely inhibited them in what they really wanted to sing about.
The next part "I don't know why, I feel so tongue-tied, I sat in the cupboard, And wrote it down real neat" refers to Thom's depression (around the time of OK Computer), and how he felt that the only way to express this was through writing songs.
"But it got edited fucked up, Strangled beaten up, Used in a photo in time magazine" shows how Thom's songs (and the meanings behind them) were changed by the record company in order to mass commercialise them, and then subsequently misunderstood by the masses.
"Buried in a burning black hole in devon" is another reference to his depression, and writing songs while depressed (in Devon).
"Yeah no one likes a smart ass but we all like stars But that wasn't my intention, I did it for a reason It must have got mixed up" is a final reference to the fact that he's been mistaken frequently by the press, and seen as someone completely up himself and who thinks his message is all important (a la Bono), when that wasn't his intention in the slightest.
Not that I truly believe there's a connection, but this was written around the time of the rise of Muse (and other Radiohead-influenced acts) and the fact they come from Devon and do seem to have a career-long obsesssion with "black holes" make this interesting to me.
Not that I truly believe there's a connection, but this was written around the time of the rise of Muse (and other Radiohead-influenced acts) and the fact they come from Devon and do seem to have a career-long obsesssion with "black holes" make this interesting to me.