1. Quotes
  2. Authors
  3. Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke Quotes
page 2

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician and composer best known as the singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, Yorke mainly plays guitar and piano and works extensively with synthesisers, sequencers and programming. He is known for his falsetto vocals; in 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him the 66th greatest singer of all time.

Yorke was born in 1968 in Northamptonshire. His family moved often before settling in Oxfordshire, where Yorke attended Abingdon School and formed Radiohead with his schoolmates. After he graduated from the University of Exeter, Radiohead signed to Parlophone; their early hit "Creep" made Yorke a celebrity, and Radiohead have gone on to achieve critical acclaim and sales of over 30 million albums. Their fourth album, Kid A , saw Yorke and the band move into electronic music, often manipulating his vocals.

In 2006, Yorke released his debut solo album, The Eraser, comprising mainly electronic music. In 2009, to perform The Eraser live, he formed a new band, Atoms for Peace, with musicians including Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich; they released an album, Amok, in 2013. In 2014, Yorke released his second solo album, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes. He has collaborated with artists including Björk, Flying Lotus and PJ Harvey, and has composed soundtracks for film and theatre. With artist Stanley Donwood, he creates artwork for Radiohead albums.

Yorke has been critical of the music industry, particularly of major labels and streaming services such as Spotify, which he believes cannot support new music. With Radiohead and his solo work he has pioneered alternative music release platforms such as pay-what-you-want and BitTorrent. He is an activist on behalf of human rights, environmental, and anti-war causes, and his lyrics sometimes incorporate political themes.

✵ 7. October 1968
Thom Yorke photo
Thom Yorke: 99   quotes 17   likes

Thom Yorke Quotes

“You do it to yourself, you do,
And that's why it really hurts,
Is you do it to yourself, just you,
You and no-one else,
You do it to yourself.”

Thom Yorke

Just
Lyrics, The Bends (1995)

Hurt

“Initially when it came up I tried to be pragmatic. But Blair has no environmental credentials as far as I'm concerned. I came out of that whole period just thinking, I don't want to get involved directly, it's poison. I'll just shout my mouth off from the sidelines.”

Thom Yorke

source http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1736527,00.html
On rejecting the opportunity to meet Tony Blair for a campaign to lobby government to help stop climate change.

Thinking

“I haven't done enough. I don't have solar panels on my house yet. I haven't sorted out the heating, my car's not a Prius, I f---ing fly all the time for my job and I hate it but at the moment I haven't really got a choice, you know, and all these things. The job I'm in is a job that wastes energy left, right and centre. It's madness.”

Thom Yorke

source http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/thom-out-of-tune/2006/08/13/1155407659754.html

Hate , Cars , Time , Housing

“Routines and schedules
A drug that'll kill you”

Thom Yorke

Little by Little
Lyrics, The King of Limbs (2011)

“I didn't really come into it expecting to make songs. It started just with random bits and pieces. I guess I thought there would be vocals, but I was thinking in terms of using little vocal shreds, and of making them part of the tapestry, not the main thing. But as soon as we had gone through the initial sketches, it became obvious that they could be quite direct. Nigel basically dragged me kicking and screaming toward the concept of them being actual songs.”

Thom Yorke

source http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/9346/RAAmain.html
On making The Eraser.

Thinking , Parting

“He used to do surgery
On girls in the eighties,
But gravity always wins.”

Thom Yorke

Fake Plastic Trees
Lyrics, The Bends (1995)

Girl

“Open your mouth wide
A universal sigh”

Thom Yorke

Bloom
Lyrics, The King of Limbs (2011)

Universe

“Rows of houses, all bearing down on me,
I can feel their blue hands touching me,
All these things into position,
All these things we'll one day swallow whole.
And fade out again,
And fade out…”

Thom Yorke

Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Lyrics, The Bends (1995)

Feeling , Housing

“You think I have the responsibilty… I have the responsibility to give the fans a good time! (nods at camera, then pauses)… that just sounds… kinky.”

Thom Yorke
Thinking , Time

“The head of state
Has called for me by name
But I don't have time for him
It's gonna be a glorious day
I feel my luck could change”

Thom Yorke

"Lucky"
Lyrics, OK Computer (1997)

Feeling , Change , Time

“But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here
I don't belong here”

Thom Yorke

Creep
Lyrics, Pablo Honey (1993)

Hell

“(about people's image of him) "I think that has a lot to do with the expression that's on my face. People are born with certain faces, like my father was born with a face that people want to hit.”

Thom Yorke

laughs
http://www.followmearound.com/presscuttings.php?year=1995&cutting=19 source

People , Thinking

“I'm such a tease and you're such a flirt”

Thom Yorke

Little by Little
Lyrics, The King of Limbs (2011)

“That there
That's not me
I go
Where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey”

Thom Yorke

Lyrics, Kid A (2000)

“My big problem with corporate structure is this bizarre sense of loyalty you're supposed to feel -- towards what is basically a virus. It grows or dies, like any virus. And you use it for your own selfish ends.”

Thom Yorke

source http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10464376/radioheads_thom_yorke_on_going_solo/2
On the record industry.

Feeling , Problem , Sense , Loyalty

“And you can laugh
A spineless laugh
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you
And now we are one
In everlasting peace
We hope that you choke, that you choke”

Thom Yorke

"Exit Music (For a Film)"
Lyrics, OK Computer (1997)

Wisdom , Peace , Hope

“Are you hungry?
Are you sick?
Are you begging for a break?
Are you sweet?
Are you fresh?
Are you strung up by the wrists?”

Thom Yorke

"We Suck Young Blood"
Lyrics, Hail to the Thief (2003)

“It's like a supply and demand thing. It's like 'Well, this is what they want me to do, this is what they want to hear. So I'll do more of this, cuz this is great… and they love me.' Suddenly people start giving you money as well. So then you've got money and you get used to this lifestyle. And you don't wanna take any risks 'cause they've got you by the balls, and you've got all these little things that you've bought, or you're attached to. And you start spending all this money… And that's how they get ya!”

Thom Yorke

source http://radiohead1.tripod.com/band/thomquotes.htm

Love , Money , People

“I want to live, breathe,
I want to be part of the human race”

Thom Yorke

The Bends
Lyrics, The Bends (1995)

Parting

“Time is running out for us
But you just move the hands upon the clock
You throw coins in the wishing well
For us
You just move your hands upon the wall”

Thom Yorke

"The Clock"
Lyrics, The Eraser (2006)

Time

“It's basically [about] having to make a decision whether to do nothing or try to engage with it in some way, knowing that it's flawed. It's convenient to project that back on to someone personally and say they're a hypocrite. It's a lot easier to do that than actually do anything else. And yeah, that stresses me out, because I am a hypocrite. As we all are.”

Thom Yorke

On celebrities supporting efforts to curtail climate change. source http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,1795948,00.html

Way , Decision , Personality

“Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon”

Thom Yorke

Lyrics, Kid A (2000)

“Karma police
I've given all I can
It's not enough
I've given all I can
But we're still on the payroll”

Thom Yorke

Lyrics, OK Computer (1997)

“I don't want to be your friend,
I just want to be your lover.”

Thom Yorke

House of Cards
Lyrics, In Rainbows (2007)

Lovers

“In pitch dark I go walkin' in your landscape
Broken branches trip me as I speak
Just 'cause you feel it doesn’t mean it’s there”

Thom Yorke

Lyrics, Hail to the Thief (2003)

Feeling

“You cannot kickstart a dead horse”

Thom Yorke

"Black Swan"
Lyrics, The Eraser (2006)

Horse , Dead

“People sometimes say we take things too seriously, but it’s the only way you’ll get anywhere. We’re not going to sit around and wait and just be happy if something turns up. We are ambitious. You have to be.”

Thom Yorke

(in his first-ever interview, 1991) source http://www.followmearound.com/presscuttings.php?year=1991&cutting=10

People , Way , Waiting , Happiness

“Murderers, you're murderers
We are not the same as you”

Thom Yorke

"The Gloaming"
Lyrics, Hail to the Thief (2003)

“We are of the earth,
To her we do return”

Thom Yorke

The Numbers
Lyrics, A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

“God loves his children”

Thom Yorke

"Paranoid Android"
Lyrics, OK Computer (1997)

Love , God , Children

“Jonny goes on and on about this. Anybody who claims they write for *themselves is a liar. Everyone has an audience in mind. The only reason any artist would carry on is in the faith that one day somebody would see or hear their work.”

Thom Yorke

source http://www.followmearound.com/presscuttings.php?year=1997&cutting=46

Faith

“When you were here before,
Couldn't look you in the eye.
You're just like an angel,
Your skin makes me cry.
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world.
I wish I was special;
You're so fuckin' specialBut I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here
I don't belong here”

Thom Yorke

Creep
Lyrics, Pablo Honey (1993)

Hell , Beauty , Angels , Cry

“I don't care if it hurts.
I wanna have control.
I want a perfect body.
I want a perfect soul.
I want you to notice
When I'm not around.
You're so fuckin' special;>br>I wish I was special.”

Thom Yorke

Creep
Lyrics, Pablo Honey (1993)

Perfection , Hurt , Soul

“I'm not living,
I'm just killing time”

Thom Yorke

True Love Waits
Lyrics, A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

Time