Fake Plastic Trees

My favourite Radiohead song and 2nd favourite song of all time (Like a Rolling Stone has the top honour). Lyrically I think this is Thom Yorke's strongest effort. Sometimes during live performances he introduces this song as being about Canary Wharf--a large commercial development near central London that contains a number of Britain's tallest buildings. If anything it's known for it's sterility and generally banal corporate architecture that could be located anywhere.

Now, Yorke is notoriously cryptic and sarcastic when discussing anything about his craft but it's quite possible he derived inspiration from the many fake gardens and trees that dot the underground shopping labyrinths of Canary Wharf. Or it could mean a million other things taken from his complex imagination. The classic line "Gravity always wins" could apply equally to the futile battle women wage to keep their breasts perky and upright despite their advancing years, and the fact that those imposing office towers will one day be reduced to rubble. The general sense of this song is that the faith and hope we put into technology to fulfill our growing needs and achieve a sense of self worth is emotionally and spiritually exhausting and doomed to failure.