Reviews for Idioteque Lyrics

For me this song doesn't need any explanation at all.You just have too listen it, take a visual picture which is close only for yourself.It make no sense political it is or something esle, it's all about your personal imagination, fantasy and brainwash.

Lysadwas
Great review. I think Yorke writes a lot of songs that "paint" ideas. It's often not necessary to understand every line (but great when you do!). The line "Here you're allowed...... gives huge meaning to the song. Is it heaven? - could be. But it could also be in the bunker where parental protection goes too far and becomes boundaryless. Children (and adults) need to understand the thing before they can make decisions ("...haven't heard enough" - "...let me hear both sides").
And of course it could be our attitudes on earth -take everything you can.
A picture of a mindscape is a great way to describe it.

No. | Reviewer: Aaronb | 2/10/2008

Hey mate, Radiohead aren't ones to be jumping on bandwagons like 'inconvenient truth' and people did realize that pollution was bad for the earth before that lousy film came out.
The song to me is simply about how horrible most societies have become on earth. Mass consumerism - i'm allowed everything... swallow til I burst... take the money and run...

and the other bits have been summed up well already.

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Who is to say society has become horrible?
The way things are doesn't tell us how things are supposed to be...ever. Soon, this society you call horrible may be accepted by the generations who lives in it. Remember when slavery was okay? At the time no one thought it was bad..it was an okay society. So who is to say non-slavery is good now?
By the way...I'm black, and I hate Slavery. lol

To me, this is not a political song. It uses political references, apocalyptic references, meanings and vocab to paint a picture of the artist's (Thom Yorke's, and the rest of the band's) mindscape. Like in There There (The boney king of nowhere) when he starts along the lines of 'I Was Walking In Your Landscape'... the band is all about things that aren't how most people would view them. walking in your landscape to me meant thinking about you, thinking about who you are, how to be with you (interpreting this girl of interest's mindscape) and this song is about his own mindscape. Ice age coming, Ice age coming. He does care a lot about global warming, but I think that he just uses that (like high school english teachers always said "Use What You Know!") to paint a picture of what goes on in your mind. His mind, rather. That's what Kid A is. An audio painting of his mindscape. That's why its so atmospheric. I don't need to use examples. Just, after you read what I have typed, read the lyrics again with the music going, and think AWAY from the political meanings, the direct interpretations. See things differently...deep... think in terms of the artist's landscape. Just try thinking about it this way.

My personal opinion is that it's down to personal interpretation. I'm sure Thom said in an interview somewhere that he doesn't know what half the lyrics he writes mean.

Brilliant song though, I never used to like Kid A, but it's growing on me.

Hey mate, Radiohead aren't ones to be jumping on bandwagons like 'inconvenient truth' and people did realize that pollution was bad for the earth before that lousy film came out.
The song to me is simply about how horrible most societies have become on earth. Mass consumerism - i'm allowed everything... swallow til I burst... take the money and run...

and the other bits have been summed up well already.

I read someone mentioned "Swallow 'til I burst" as perhaps something pretaining to alcohol consumption. Lol. Materialism, yes, I can agree with. But alcoholism? Thom Yorke hasn't been known to be the most conservative person, especially with the partying aspect. In fact, I just recently read somewhere that one song (I can't for the life of me remember which one) was recorded when he was so drunk that he couldn't get up off the floor. One of his mates had to hold the microphone up for him he was so wasted.

I think it's about social materialism and refering to the modern world sinking like the Titanic. But that's just me.

To people writing reviews regarding Idioteque's relation to "the war" and global warming:

You do realize Kid A came out in 2000? That's three years before the Iraq War began and 6 years before An Inconvenient Truth and the modern global warming hysteria. I doubt they had either in mind when writing this song, especially events that hadn't transpired yet.

Still, that aside, it really shows a key to great music: the ability to transcend time. It doesn't matter when or where you listen to it. Meaning springs forth no matter what, as opposed to event based songs that lose importance and meaning a few years after they are released.

Anyway, I'm listening to Idioteque right now. And it is wonderful.

I enjoyed reading all of your reviews, and I agree with most of them, so I won't elaborate. Except that my idea of "Women and children first" implies a catastrophy. Hence, when a ship is sinking, women and children are boarded first so that they may survive, if not the men.

Putting aside the political context for a moment...this song to me talks mainly about idiocicy, carelessness and the excessive nature of modern times.(mobiles-materialism, "swallow till i burst"-perhaps referring to the consumption of alcohol). Can't think of a clearer example for all this than a discoteque full of "idiots"-idioteque.

Putting aside the political context for a moment...this song to me talks mainly about idiocicy, carelessness and the excessive nature of modern times.(mobiles-materialism, "swallow till i burst"-perhaps referring to the consumption of alcohol). Can't think of a clearer example for all this than a discoteque full of "idiots"-hence idioteque.

I have always looked at this song as a type of apocalyptic song. Having the government or who ever is in charge telling everyone that an attack of some sort is upon them, and that everyone needs to get out of where they are. It kind of goes along with their song 4minute warning which is much more calm than Idioteque.

On an actual review of this song, it is awesome. It is one of my favorite Radiohead songs, and one of my favorite songs to get me energized.

I think this song is yes, about captilastic society and government aand their neglegence/ignorance of the future and the truth and the neglegence to our children who must face this future and reality.

proof?
"scaremongering"- direct reference to government: scare tactics, taking of advantage of the public and profitting in some form or another.

Turning from the truth-
( i.e. problems we have to face some day or another "Ice age coming", "this is really happening"). This government/society is not interested in the future ("scaremongering", "take the money and run"-which further build on idea of capitalism, and running from the truth).

Also i think the use of "ice age" "bunker" and "this is really happening" suggests we're on the brink of some kind of inevitable revolution/war/outbreak (or maybe even the truth as such), and the use of "mobiles chipring""quirking" is just a reinforcement of modern, captialistic and materialistic (to an extent) society

Also, i think what N has said about the lost and deaf children is a great point. In the lyrics there is certainly a lack of direction and hope in society, mainly because of neglegence).

i totally agree with N.
..this song is really touching the music,the perfect.most amazing lyrics adressing straight to the point all the problems our society faces...
great..
cant stop listening to it..!

radiohead is pointing the finger at the failure of parents to raise their children with the right values. yorke's constant anti-capitalist rants are prevalent tru out his music, and is also evidenced by them giving away their latest album free (essentially).

what are the right values? he leaves it to you to decide.