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LET DOWN
Radiohead
Bassist: Colin Greenwood
Album: OK Computer (1997)
Tabbed by Shor Bowman (abowman@sas.upenn.edu)
*MEMBER OF THE BASS TAB ARCHIVE TABBING ARMY*
This is a superb song, and one that I feel is quite unjustly overlooked by
many Radiohead fans. Did you know that originally, this was to be the main
single to be released off of OK Computer? An experience that the group had
with some people that they had comissioned to make a video for the song
destroyed its prospects, however. Still, this song is gorgeous and the tab
that was originally posted here has been wrong for too long. Here is the
corrected version, and this is pretty much dead-on, as far as I can tell.
OH, and as an extra note, I would have credited the author of the last
version of this tab, but he didn't sign it, so I have no way of knowing who
it was. Sorry. Let me know if you're him and you want your name credited.
INTRODUCTION
G-----------------------------------------------------|
D--------------------12--11--------------------12--11-|
A-12--12-12--12--12---------12--12-12--12--12---------|
E-----------------------------------------------------|
RIFF #1 ("Transports, motorways and...")
G---------------------------------------------------------------------|
D---------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-12--12-12--12--12--12-11--------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------12--12-12--12--12----14--14-14--14--14-14--|
G--------------------------------|
D--------------------------------|
A--------------------14-12-11----|
E--12--12-12--14-12-----------12-|
RIFF #1 is played during all of the verses and is repeated continuously
with minor variations on the second part.
RIFF #2 ("Let down and hangin' around...")
G--------------------------------------|
D---------------------------------6--7-|
A-5---7--9--11-12--12--9-7--7--7-------|
E--------------------------------------|
RIFF #2 is also repeated during the chorus, and at the end of the chorus
comes the little fill that to me makes the song, especially for a bassist:
RIFF #3 (Post-chorus fill)
G-------------------|
D-9---7-6-----------|
A---------9-7-------|
E---------------[5]-|
When the instrumental section comes (guitar solo), followed by the bass
and drum kick-in, you'll need to play the following riff. Just keep repeating.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Right before Thom starts singing those dreamy "Let down and haaaaaaaang..."'s,
you need to play the little fill that comes AFTER the asterisks in RIFF #4. When
he sings the final one, you need to play the FIRST part of RIFF #2 (the movement
up the fretboard) before you kick back into RIFF #1 for the final verse.
RIFF #4
G-----------------------------------------*-11-----------------|
D-----------------------------------------*------14--11--------|
A-/-12--12-12--12-11h12h11-12h11h12h11h12-*-----------------12-|
E-----------------------------------------*--------------12----|
The song ends with a variation of RIFF #3 that features hitting the low E-string
and then sliding up to the 5th fret, very sweet and simple.
RIFF #5
G-----------------------|
D-9---7-6---------------|
A---------9-------------|
E-----------0-/-[5]-----|
What a lovely, lovely song...and again, how tragically underrated it is.
The fact that this tab has gone as wrong as it was for as long as it was kind of
tells me that not many people will be looking at this tab, which is a shame;
however, I do hope that it is at least some help to some people. As usual I have
attempted to use the spacing to indicate how long between notes, and as usual
you are better off using this tab AND following along with the recording. And,
of course, PLEASE use common sense. If you think I'm wrong somewhere, please let
me know at abowman@sas.upenn.edu, and I will make every effort to correct my
mistakes. Peace out.
KEY:
/=slide
[]=let ring
()=ghost note
h=hammer-on/ghost note
SHORESWORTH'S PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST (my webpage):
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~abowman
Taken from BASSMASTA.NET - http://www.bassmasta.net
|
No Picture
Tim Wanna Be |
#1 by Tim Nelson at Apr 23, 1973 at 4:05 AM EST |
| you know...i really hate this...i click a link to view Let Down lyrics and what do i get? i big f--king let down! i'm so lucky to be greeted by a halfassed comment about posts being deleted by a shithead little twat that can't figure out that this isn't a message board and take his little petty fights someplace else. Let down is a a really cool song, its just one of those tracks that just grab your attention, the lyrics are excellent...by far one of the best OK Computer songs. | |
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No Picture
BOOKER Average |
#2 by BOOKER at Mar 15, 1975 at 9:19 AM EST |
| One of their best songs from the best album ever in recent years IMO. The vocals are great as usual, they draw you in. Instrumentals are talent filled. It has the whole package. The lyrics themselves are probably the best piece of writing Yorke has done. The metaphor of a crushed bug to the feeling of complete helplessness was very well described and though out, and the lyrics flowed from one line to the next beautifully. The "hanging on to bottles" line was origonated from an idea that Yorke thought was hilarious. He pictured drunks sitting at a bar and the floor giving way and the only thing holding them (the drunks) up was the bottles in their mouth, which were tied to the ceiling. A bit of an odd thought, but it works well in this song. | |
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No Picture
bobby Rhythm Player |
#3 by bobby volm at Oct 3, 1981 at 4:13 PM EST |
| I think it's about a fear of something... maybe being isolated inside of your mind; being trapped inside your head. | |
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No Picture
Herold Wanna Be |
#4 by Herold Beddingfield at May 21, 1982 at 10:19 PM EST |
| if you don't want the only thing holding you up when the floor caves in to be the alcohol(or anything else to disconnect yourself), then what do you hold on to? | |
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No Picture
Alex Wanna Be |
#5 by Alex Williams at May 14, 1989 at 9:36 PM EST |
| I got a couple of things to say before I comment on this Masterpiece by radiohead... First off, don't take your agression out on people in here, it does no good except show how foolish you are. Second Creed is NOTHING at all like radiohead, how the hell did they get into these conversations? The differences are innumberable, first off Radiohead acually has talent... Oh, well, that said, here I go about this song. I agree that it's about being let down one too many times and feelings alienated from the rest of society. Like he's reached the point where he sees the uselessness of everybody else's activies. Like none of it makes any difference at all. The lyrics are superb and the music lulls you into the "space" that I think landingstill was talking about when he mentioned Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol was a friggin genius, as is Thom Yorke. Good night all. | |
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No Picture
luke Wanna Be |
#6 by luke hastings at May 26, 1991 at 3:13 PM EST |
| This song makes me think of sex. But that's wrong. I like it anyway. All your ideas are better. Oh ya, what does IMO mean? | |
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No Picture
FUCK EMO Badass |
#7 by FUCK EMO at Jan 4, 1996 at 4:42 PM EST |
| Andy Warhol once said that he could enjoy his own boredom. 'Let down' is about that. It's the transit-zone feeling. You're in a space, you are collecting all these impressions, but it all seems so vacant. You don't have control over the earth anymore. You feel very distant from all these thousands of people that are also walking there. This song is about lack of control, and the enormous feeling of being trapped. | |
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No Picture
Phil Wanna Be |
#8 by Phil Cifone at Jan 28, 1998 at 12:26 PM EST |
| The ending is so amazing!!!!!! | |
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No Picture
†grave† Lead Player |
#9 by †grave† f at Aug 15, 1999 at 7:19 AM EST |
| thom yorke said he was getting pissed at a pub and envisioned the place turned over and all the patrons were "clinging to their bottles", hanging on for dear life. thom also said bugs make a peculiar sound when they're crushed, "especially wasps". to me this song is about disappointed one too many times. one of Radiohead's finest accomplishments all the way around! | |