Fake Plastic Trees

Writing

Thom Yorke, Radiohead's songwriter, said "Fake Plastic Trees" was "the product of a joke that wasn't really a joke, a very lonely, drunken evening and, well, a breakdown of sorts". He said the song arose from a melody he had "no idea what to do with". He did not take his usual approach of keeping note "of whatever my head's singing at the particular moment" or forcing "some nifty phrases" he devised onto the melody, and instead "just recorded whatever was going on in my head". He said: "I wrote those words and laughed. I thought they were really funny, especially that bit about polystyrene."

Recording

Radiohead recorded "Fake Plastic Trees" for their second album, The Bends, in 1994 at RAK Studios, London, with the producer John Leckie. The sessions were strained, as Radiohead were under pressure from their record label, EMI, to record a single to match the success of their debut, "Creep". The guitarist Ed O'Brien likened one early version of "Fake Plastic Trees" to the Guns N' Roses song "November Rain", saying it was "pompous and bombastic ... just the worst".

One evening, Radiohead attended a concert by the American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley at the Garage, London. Yorke later said that Buckley gave him the confidence to sing in falsetto, and Leckie said: "It made [Thom] realise you could sing in a falsetto without sounding dripping."** Inspired by Buckley, Yorke recorded a performance of "Fake Plastic Trees" alone on acoustic guitar. According to the bassist, Colin Greenwood, Yorke played three takes, then burst into tears. Yorke initially did not want to use the takes, saying they were too "vulnerable", but was persuaded by his bandmates.

Radiohead spent several days overdubbing additional parts onto Yorke's performance, including a Hammond organ played by Jonny Greenwood. The drummer, Philip Selway, described following Yorke's fluctuating tempo: "Part of the beauty was the way it would actually slip in and out, but trying to follow it was a nightmare." The string arrangement was written by Jonny Greenwood, who was inspired by the American composer Samuel Barber. The strings were performed by a viola player and a cello player, who multitracked their parts. The group spent several months removing elements, including most of the strings, to create the final song. A mixing error by Paul Kolderie meant the distorted guitars entered later than Radiohead had planned. They liked the effect and retained it.

Release

Radiohead resisted pressure from Capitol, the US subsidiary of EMI, to remix "Fake Plastic Trees" for the American market. Yorke said at the time: "If it doesn't get on the radio the way it is now, then I don't think it's going to get on the radio at all ... People say it won't work on the radio, but I have no fucking idea what they mean." It received airplay on US alternative radio stations but did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100. The music video features Yorke sitting in a supermarket trolley, reflecting Yorke's "bitter sense that he and his music were just another commodity to be bought and sold". An acoustic version was used in the 1995 film Clueless and introduced Radiohead to a larger American audience.

Music video

A music video was released for the song and was directed by Jake Scott, and depicts frontman Thom Yorke in a shopping cart being pushed through a supermarket where the shelved items are only distinguishable by their colour.

Reception

Reviewing The Bends, the European magazine Music & Media wrote that "Fake Plastic Trees" "best illustrates [Radiohead's] ambitions". Writing for NME in May 1995, John Mulvey felt that it lacked substance. Both critics drew comparisons with the rock band U2. Mark Frith from Smash Hits gave "Fake Plastic Trees" two out of five, writing: "Mournfully slow and really unremarkable, this will probably only appeal to die-hard fans."

The Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, whom Radiohead supported on tour in 1996, said "Fake Plastic Trees" was one of her favourite songs, writing: "It's this intangible, spiritual thing. It's a mood piece but lyrically [Yorke] delves into his own vulnerability and talks about materialism and fallibility ... His voice is fragile, but there's nothing premeditated about the way he performs." Morissette covered the song on her 1996 tour. It has also been covered by the singers Hayley Williams and Vance Joy. In 2017, Pitchfork credited "Fake Plastic Trees" and another Bends song, "High and Dry", for influencing the "airbrushed" post-Britpop of Coldplay and Travis.

In 2003, Rolling Stone included "Fake Plastic Trees" at number 385 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. In 2011, Rolling Stone readers voted it the third-best Radiohead song, with the critic Andy Greene writing that it was "one of Radiohead's most anthemic songs". In 2009, "Fake Plastic Trees" was voted the 28th-best song on the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time list. In 2025, the Paste writer Sean Edgar wrote that it was "still an emotional tour de force guaranteed to make anyone with a soul cry in less than five minutes".**

Track listings

All tracks are written by Radiohead (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Philip Selway).

• UK and European single (CD1)
• UK and New Zealand single (cassette)
• Australian single (CD)

1. "Fake Plastic Trees" – 4:52
2. "India Rubber" – 3:26
3. "How Can You Be Sure?" – 4:21

• UK and European single (CD2)

1. "Fake Plastic Trees" – 4:52
2. "Fake Plastic Trees" (Acoustic Version) – 4:41
3. "Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was" (Acoustic Version) – 3:34
4. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" (Acoustic Version) – 4:26

• UK and US promo (CD)

1. "Fake Plastic Trees" (Edit) – 4:11
2. "Fake Plastic Trees" (Album Version) – 4:50

• US single (CD)

1. "Fake Plastic Trees" (Album Version) – 4:50
2. "Planet Telex" (Hexidecimal Mix) – 6:44
3. "Killer Cars" – 3:02
4. "Fake Plastic Trees" (Acoustic Version) – 4:45

• US jukebox single (7")

1. "Fake Plastic Trees" – 4:50
2. "The Bends" – 4:03

• Dutch single (CD)

1. "Fake Plastic Trees" – 4:52
2. "India Rubber" – 3:26
3. "How Can You Be Sure?" – 4:21
4. "Fake Plastic Trees" (Acoustic Version) – 4:43

Personnel

Radiohead

• Thom Yorke – vocals, acoustic guitar, string arrangements
• Jonny Greenwood – electric guitar, Hammond organ, string arrangements
• Ed O'Brien – electric guitar
• Colin Greenwood – bass
• Philip Selway – drums

Additional performers

• Caroline Lavelle – cello
• John Matthias – viola, violin

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

Footnotes

Bibliography

Citations

References

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