The Mirror Effect, featuring Radiohead

The music of Radiohead is emotionally raw, the most human of musical experiences I’ve encountered. While the lyrics vary from symbolic to literal in meaning, the music echoes that meaning in haunting resonance. This music has a unique effect that I’ve only experienced in pieces from other bands over the years, and this effect is what I call The Mirror Effect.

My first experience with The Mirror Effect was back in 2015/2016, when I was first delving deeply into Radiohead’s vaults of music in order to gain an overview of their musical message. I had heard their music on the radio enough, but I knew those songs were only the tip of the iceberg. The more I listened, the more I related to the subject matter, or I realized that they understood and had experienced the feelings that I was experiencing. But, then, it went beyond that.

A particular song would get stuck in my head first thing in the morning or during a highly emotional moment for me—songs I still didn’t know the lyrics to because I had only heard them a few times, and Thom Yorke can be difficult to understand. No matter what I did, that song would stick in the back of my mind, replaying continuously, driving me nuts. After this happened a few times, I finally thought to look up the lyrics of the song that wouldn’t stop; and, sure enough, those lyrics were a mirror to my emotions, my mindset.

And, yeah, this kind of thing happens with all kinds of music. Pop songs are catchy for a reason. The Mirror Effect is different from the experience of a semi-relatable, catchy tune heard on the radio. Sometimes, Radiohead songs would get stuck in my head that I couldn’t understand why they would be there until I really thought about it and realized I had been denying myself a certain emotion or personal truth. I know I probably sound like a fanatic when I say this, but Radiohead seemed to know my emotional landscape better than I did.

Noticing this phenomenon has allowed me a new level of self-actualization. When Nude or Spinning Plates starts playing on repeat, again, I know it’s time to back off on being so hard on myself about progressing in life. When 15 Step, How to Completely Disappear, or Pyramid Song starts up, I know to focus on self-care because it’s going to be a bad depression day.

To clarify, I’m not saying that I let their music trigger or control me; I’m saying that I’m not always aware of the deeper emotions hiding behind the shallower, moment-to-moment emotions that I feel. I have a hard time tying them together, sometimes; which is when Radiohead comes in to remind me. It’s my subconscious using what it can to bring light to what’s really bothering me, and Radiohead’s music happens to be its most useful tool.

Because of The Mirror Effect, I now feel intimately bound to this music that I only recently became acquainted with. My gratitude for this music and its creators is never-ending, as they have helped me find myself in ways I previously deemed impossible. I can’t help but wonder if other Radiohead fans have experienced The Mirror Effect as much as I have. Maybe that’s exactly what keeps the fans coming back for more—that feeling of mutual empathy, acceptance, affirmation, and healing.