How to Disappear Completely

An acoustic ballad with orchestral strings and ambient influences, written during the OK Computer tour.

"How to Disappear Completely" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead from their fourth studio album, Kid A (2000). Produced by the band with producer Nigel Godrich, it was released as a promotional single in the US, Poland, and Belgium. The track is an acoustic-based ballad characterised by orchestral strings, guitar effects, and ambient influences. Written primarily by singer Thom Yorke in mid-1997 during the tour for their third album, OK Computer (1997), it was credited to all band members. Radiohead developed the song through various demo recordings before finalising it at their Oxfordshire studio in early 2000. The following month, the string arrangement—composed by multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood and featuring the ondes Martenot—was recorded by the Orchestra of St John's at a church near the band's studio.

Quick Facts

Artist

Radiohead

Album

Kid A

A-side

"Idioteque" (double A-side)US release only.

Written

June 1997

Recorded

1 December 1999 – 4 February 2000

Studio

Canned Applause (Oxfordshire); Dorchester Abbey (Oxfordshire)

Genre

Folk rock
post-rock
orchestral

Length

05:56 (original version); 06:37 (Evening Session version)

Lore & Background

The song originated in June 1997 when Yorke began writing it in Toronto, Canada, during the OK Computer tour. Later that month, after Radiohead performed their largest show to date at the RDS Arena in Dublin under windy and rainy conditions, Yorke drew inspiration from a dream where he ran naked down the River Liffey pursued by a tidal wave. Guitarist Ed O'Brien noted the track reflected the stress endured on tour, particularly by Yorke. The phrase "I'm not here / This isn't happening" became the chorus, advice given to Yorke by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe to cope with stress. In late August 1997, Yorke performed an early acoustic version during a New York soundcheck, footage of which appeared in the 1998 documentary Meeting People Is Easy. During the 1998 OK Computer tour, live renditions sometimes lasted between seven and ten minutes before settling into the final six-minute studio version.

Reader's Guide

Musically, the song is an acoustic-driven ballad in F♯ minor with a tempo of 102 beats per minute and a 6/8 time signature. It features strummed acoustic guitar, a Chris Squire-influenced bassline, and Yorke's vocals clearly without processing, unlike preceding tracks on Kid A. The chord progression follows Cadd9–Em–Em6–G–Gsus4–D–Dadd4–Em(maj6). At 0:23, the bassline enters with a sequence of F♯–A–B–E–C♯. Jonny Greenwood composed the string arrangement over December 1999 to January 2000, multi-tracking his ondes Martenot inspired by Olivier Messiaen and Krzysztof Penderecki. The Orchestra of St John's recorded their parts in a single take using multiple microphones and an Apple G3 computer. Greenwood initially found the score "unplayable" by conventional standards, but conductor Lubbock encouraged experimentation. An isolated string track titled "How to Disappear into Strings" was later included on the Kid A Mnesia (2021) reissue.

Did You Know?

Jonny Greenwood's string score initially made the Orchestra of St John's musicians "burst into giggles" because they found it unplayable by conventional standards.
The song's title is derived from Doug Richmond's 1985 book How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found, which details erasing one's identity.