“Dawn Chorus” by Thom Yorke
First off it should be pointed that that the title of this Thom Yorke song, “Dawn Chorus”, actually refers to birds singing at the break of day. This is of course important to the central theme of the track, as it is basically centered on the idea of an individual starting a new life.
The track begins with Thom addressing someone who seems to be repeating the same mistakes in life. And he is questioning how this person would conduct himself if he had the chance to “do it all again”.
Ultimately the idea Thom seems to be putting forth is not so much one of advocating second chances as it is that even if such were given, the individual would likely behave the same way. But in a roundabout way, he still appears to be supporting the idea of self-transformation, specifically in regards to the person he is addressing. However, what he seems to be ultimately saying is that a person must invest the ample amount of energy into such an endeavor in order to bring about the desired result.
Overall it looks as if the person the singer is addressing is actually himself. And in that regard he is expressing regret over some of the things he has done. If such is the case, then he is clearly trying to encourage himself to keep pressing forward despite his past mistakes. However, all things considered, he does not sound overly optimistic that he is actually going to able to change. Perhaps in all of this, what he is actually doing is lamenting over a lost love, one which it does not look like he will be able to reclaim.
Release Date of “Dawn Chorus”
This track was released through XL Recordings on 27 June 2019 as part of Thom Yorke’s album, Anima.
Thom actually first teased this track over a decade ago, in 2009. Back then it was intended to be used by the band, Radiohead, which he is a member of.
Production and Writing
This track was produced by Nigel Godrich, an unofficial member of Radiohead, who also helped Thom Yorke write the song.
It’s life
It’s a breakup pure and simple. Yorke doesn’t like people obsessing over the meaning of his lyrics.
It does hit right in the spot..
For me this hits home for death and grief, love and sadness, for when you lose someone close far too early, and you don’t regret the time you had with them, not even a little bit, but you still wish you did more for them, you regret all you didn’t do, but you made your best of what you could when you could. A death that no matter what you did, you could never have undone, the hopelessness of knowing that no matter what you did nothing you could’ve done could’ve prevented this tragedy. This doesn’t have to be the meaning of the song for Thom, but it is for me, because this song is helping me through some really rough stuff, and it hits home.
I heard this song not long after losing my daughter Cara aged 27. I felt that it brought some comfort as the music and Thom’s lyrics combined to create a beautiful sense of love and loss , whilst still being uplifting ultimately.
I am very sorry for your loss. I send you strength and completion to find a suitable way for you to deal with this situation. The music of Radiohead and Thom helps me a lot. All the best for you!
It’s about reincarnation. In Egyptian (Kemetic) spirituality it is thought that an individual must learn from mistakes made in past lives in order to break free of the cycle of reincarnation. “Tell me when you’ve had enough of the white light” refers to the infamous white light people whiteness at the time of death. “Would you do it all again, this time with style?” Refers to reincarnating into a new life, but making better decisions this time around. You’re welcome.
It’s about a drug overdose