"Daydreaming" is a song by the English rock band
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
, produced by longtime Radiohead producer
Nigel Godrich
Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since '' OK Computer'' (1997). H ...
. The song is a piano ballad with strings arranged by Radiohead guitarist
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician and composer. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has written numerous film scores.
Along with his elder brother, th ...
. It was released as a
download
In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote s ...
on 6 May 2016 as the second and final single from Radiohead's ninth studio album ''
A Moon Shaped Pool
''A Moon Shaped Pool'' is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released digitally on 8 May 2016, and physically on 17 June 2016 through XL Recordings. It was produced by Radiohead's longtime producer Nigel Godrich.
...
'', accompanied by a music video directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with ''Hard Eight (film), Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' ( ...
.
Recording
"Daydreaming" was written by the band around
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician and composer. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has written numerous film scores.
Along with his elder brother, th ...
playing piano in a jam without singer
Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been describe ...
, who added the vocals and the lyrics in another session.
The song was finished early in Radiohead's sessions at the La Fabrique studio in France. Yorke described it as a "breakthrough".
For the introduction, the band slowed the tape, creating a
pitch-warping effect.
The strings, recorded at
RAK Studios in London,
were arranged by guitarist
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician and composer. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has written numerous film scores.
Along with his elder brother, th ...
and performed by the
London Contemporary Orchestra
The London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO), founded in 2008 by Hugh Brunt and Robert Ames, is an ensemble of young musicians whose stated aim is "to explore and promote new music to an increasingly wide audience". LCO staged its inaugural season at ...
, conducted by
Hugh Brunt
Hugh Brunt is a British conductor. He shares with Robert Ames the positions of artistic director and principal conductor of the London Contemporary Orchestra.
Career
Brunt was a chorister at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and a music ...
. The orchestra had previously worked with Greenwood on his score for the 2012 film ''
The Master''.
Greenwood had the cellists detune their cellos, creating a "growling" sound. Cellist Oliver Coates said: "Nigel, Jonny and Thom all have this awesome relationship, and were so animated during the recording. I remember we were laying down the cello part at the end of 'Daydreaming' and Thom said, 'That's it – that is the sound of the record.'"
Music and lyrics
"Daydreaming" is a ballad with a "simple, sad" piano motif and
ambient
Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to:
Music and sound
* Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds
* Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere
* ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby
* ...
,
electronic and orchestral elements. It ends with reversed, manipulated vocals; when reversed, Yorke seems to be singing "Half of my life", "I've found my love", or "Every minute, half of my love". Several critics felt the lyrics were coloured by Radiohead singer
Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been describe ...
's separation from his partner of 23 years
Rachel Owen
Rachel Mary Owen (30 November 1968 – 18 December 2016) was a Welsh photographer, printmaker and lecturer on medieval Italian literature. She was married to Radiohead singer Thom Yorke.
Life and career
Owen was born in Cardiff, Wales. She ...
.
''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' noted that this period was "about as long as Radiohead have been releasing music" and saw the song as a "reckoning with those years, and, in one way or another, an elegy to them".
Music video
The "Daydreaming" music video was directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with ''Hard Eight (film), Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' ( ...
, for whom Greenwood has composed several film scores.
In the video, Yorke walks through a series of doors and passageways leading to various disconnected locations, including a hotel, a hospital, a laundry, and a convenience store. He eventually climbs a snowy hill, enters a cave, and mouths the song's closing words as he lies down next to a fire.
Promotion and release
"Daydreaming" was released as a
download
In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote s ...
on 6 May 2016 on Radiohead's site and on streaming and digital media services.
Anderson and the band sent
35 mm prints of the music video to select theatres inviting them to screen it. On 16 July 2016, Radiohead announced a fan competition to create a music video vignette for an alternative version of "Daydreaming" with additional strings.
Reception
''Pitchfork'' ranked "Daydreaming" the 24th best song of 2016, behind another ''
Moon Shaped Pool'' track, "
True Love Waits True Love Waits may refer to:
*True Love Waits (organization), an international Christian organization promoting sexual abstinence until marriage.
* True Love Waits (song), "True Love Waits" (song), a song by Radiohead
* True Love Waits (album), ''T ...
", at 9th.
Charts
References
{{authority control
2016 songs
Music videos directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Radiohead songs
Song recordings produced by Nigel Godrich
Songs written by Thom Yorke
Songs written by Jonny Greenwood
Songs written by Colin Greenwood
Songs written by Ed O'Brien
Songs written by Philip Selway
XL Recordings singles