Exit Music

I'm going to go in a slightly different direction now and take a look at a song inspired by Shakespearean works: Exit Music (For A Film), an incredible piece of music by one of my absolute favourite bands, fellow Brits Radiohead.

The film referred to in the title is Baz Lurhman's famous 1996 adaptation William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. Radiohead wrote the song especially for the end credits of the film and went on to include it on their seminal 1997 album OK Computer, though interestingly, the song did not appear on the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack album at the request of lead singer Thom Yorke. In writing the lyrics for the song, Yorke was inspired by the climactic moment in the film in which Juliet, played by Claire Danes, holds a gun to her head. Yorke was also influenced by his personal connection with Franzo Zeffirelli's 1968 adaptation of the play (clips from which form the above music video by YouTube user quarrel84, remarking:

"I saw the Zeffirelli version when I was 13 and I cried my eyes out, because I couldn't understand why, the morning after they shagged, they didn't just run away. The song is written for two people who should run away before all the bad stuff starts. A personal song."

When one takes a look at the song lyrics, this certainly becomes evident:


"Wake from your sleep
The drying of your tears
Today we escape, we escape


Pack and get dressed
Before your father hears us
Before all hell breaks loose


Breathe, keep breathing
Don't lose your nerve
Breathe, keep breathing
I can't do this alone


Sing us a song
A song to keep us warm
There's such a chill, such a chill


And you can laugh a spineless laugh
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you
Now we are one in everlasting peace
We hope that you choke, that you choke
We hope that you choke, that you choke
We hope that you choke, that you choke" 

Despite the melancholic sound of classical guitar and the gloomy echo effect on his vocals, Yorke's lyrics at the start of the song appear to reflect an attitude of relative hopefulness. He sings in character as Romeo, his youthful impulsiveness leading him to suggest that he and Juliet run away from home and from the oppressive families who would keep them apart. Though his intentions seem to be sincere, the melancholic sound of classical guitar and the echo effect on Yorke's vocals lead the listener to conclude that this story cannot well; indeed, the tragic story of the play is a perfect fit for what some perceive as Radiohead's pessimistic style and outlook. As the song leads to its climax, the instrumentation expands to include ominous, distorted bass and cold, unsympathetic drumming. The lyrics in the final verse become angry and scornful as Yorke almost wails "Now we are one in everlasting peace... we hope that you choke, that you choke". As Romeo and Juliet resign themselves to their calamitous fates, they condemn the war between their families and those who take part in it, for if there were no feud, their story may well have had a happy ending.

On a more amusing note, the song appeared in the final episode of Father Ted, a 1990s Irish sitcom revolving around a group of priests in a remote island parish. Having saved a priest named Father Kevin from attempted suicide, the titular Father Ted cures his depression with the slap bass stylings of Theme from Shaft. However, as he steps out into the world to start his life fresh, an unfortunate incident befalls Father Kevin:

The subtle colour shift in the cinematography of the final shot to a bleak desaturated grey is extremely clever, but the choice of music is most impressive of all. With the episode first being aired in 1998, Radiohead were arguably at the peak of their long and successful career in terms of pure mainstream ubiquity. The use of their music is used as a type of comedy shorthand, as can be seen by the fact that the live studio audience begin laughing as soon as the band name is mentioned on the radio. They know what is coming, and perhaps it is the song's association with Romeo + Juliet as well as Radiohead's reputation for being 'depressing' that clues them in to the joke so quickly.