Radiohead
"Like Spinning Plates" is track 10 on Radiohead’s 2001 album Amnesiac. The song is renowned for its experimental electronic production and unsettling, haunting atmosphere. Its unique sound originated when the band reversed a failed recording of their song "I Will." Intrigued by the reversed elements, Radiohead constructed a new song around these manipulated sounds. Thom Yorke wrote fresh lyrics and even learned to sing some lines backwards, creating an ethereal vocal effect in the final mix.
The album version is defined by glitchy, reversed electronics and abstract sound textures, giving it a dreamlike, disoriented quality. The lyrics use the metaphor of "spinning plates" to evoke a sense of instability and anxiety, reflecting the struggle to maintain balance amid chaos and conflicting forces. Key lines include:
"While you make pretty speeches
I’m being cut to shreds
You feed me to the lions
A delicate balance
Like spinning plates..."
When performed live, notably on the I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings album, "Like Spinning Plates" is transformed into a stark piano ballad, which reveals the song’s haunting melody and emotional resonance in a more stripped-down form.
The song is celebrated by fans and critics for its innovative approach, emotional depth, and ability to articulate sensations of vulnerability and existential uncertainty within Radiohead’s discography.
