Hello! Below you'll find my "Fake Plastic Trees" chords & lyrics chart as well as a tutorial video on how to play the piano accompaniment.
In the video, teach this classic Radiohead song in two levels, first just the chord progression with a simple rhythm. Then I add a more complex rhythm pattern and a few more details if you want it to sound a bit more like the original.
Enjoy!
Fake Plastic Trees Piano Tutorial
Here's a piano tutorial video for Fake Plastic Trees:
Fake Plastic Trees Chords & Lyrics
[Verse 1]
A Asus4 F#m7
Her green plastic watering can
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
For her fake chinese rubber plant
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
In the fake plastic earth
A Asus4 F#m7
That she bought from a rubber man
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
In a town full of rubber plans
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 - - Dsus2/C# |
To get rid of itself
A Asus4 F#m7
Her green plastic watering can
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
For her fake chinese rubber plant
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
In the fake plastic earth
A Asus4 F#m7
That she bought from a rubber man
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
In a town full of rubber plans
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 - - Dsus2/C# |
To get rid of itself
[Chorus 1]
Bm7add11 A | A |
It wears her out it wears her out
Bm7add11 A | A - - Asus4 |
It wears her out it wears her out
Bm7add11 A | A |
It wears her out it wears her out
Bm7add11 A | A - - Asus4 |
It wears her out it wears her out
[Verse 2]
A Asus4 F#m7
She lives with a broken man
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
A cracked polystyrene man
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
Who just crumbles and burns
A Asus4 F#m7
He used to do surgery
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
For girls in the eighties
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 - - Dsus2/C# |
But gravity always wins
A Asus4 F#m7
She lives with a broken man
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
A cracked polystyrene man
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
Who just crumbles and burns
A Asus4 F#m7
He used to do surgery
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
For girls in the eighties
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 - - Dsus2/C# |
But gravity always wins
[Chorus 2]
Bm7add11 A | A |
And it wears him out it wears him out
Bm7add11 Asus4 | A |
It wears him out it wearrrrrrrrrrrrs
Bm7add11 A | A |
And it wears him out it wears him out
Bm7add11 Asus4 | A |
It wears him out it wearrrrrrrrrrrrs
[Verse 3]
A Asus4 F#m7
She looks like the real thing
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
She tastes like the real thing
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
My fake plastic love
A Asus4 F#m7
But I can't help the feeling
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
I could blow through the ceiling
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 - - Dsus2/C# |
If I just turn and run
A Asus4 F#m7
She looks like the real thing
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
She tastes like the real thing
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 |
My fake plastic love
A Asus4 F#m7
But I can't help the feeling
F#m7 E6 Dsus2
I could blow through the ceiling
A Dsus2 | Dsus2 - - Dsus2/C# |
If I just turn and run
[Chorus 3]
Bm7add11 A | A |
And it wears me out it wears me out
Bm7add11 A | Amaj7 |
It wears me out it wearrrrrs me out
Bm7add11 A | A |
And it wears me out it wears me out
Bm7add11 A | Amaj7 |
It wears me out it wearrrrrs me out
[Outro]
Bm7add11
And if I could be who you wanted
A
If I could be who you wanted
E6 Bm7add11 A E6
All the time All the time oooooo
Bm7add11
And if I could be who you wanted
A
If I could be who you wanted
E6 Bm7add11 A E6
All the time All the time oooooo
| Bm7add11 | Bm7add11 | A | A - - E6 |
| Bm7add11 | Bm7add11 | A |
This document is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This chord chart is here only to support online learning. We recommend buying official transcripts from a licensed and reputable publisher.
Fake Plastic Trees Piano Tips
1. Take It Slow: It's counterintuitive, but the quickest way to get comfortable and sound great playing a song is to practice it very slowly at first. Steady rhythm and counting are crucial to sounding like a pro, so let yourself get used to feeling the beat at a slow, easy tempo. Once you can nail "Fake Plastic Trees" slowly, *gradually* speed it up. You'll sound much better than if you jumped in at full speed!
2. Use The Pedal Wisely: Utilize the sustain pedal to connect the chords smoothly, timing your lifts with the arrival of a new chord. For help with sustain pedal timing, check out this video.
3. Simplify if need be: "Fake Plastic Trees" still sounds great even if you simply hold out the chords and ignore most of the rhythm patterns and extra details in the tutorial video. Feel free to keep it simple, especially if you sing while playing. As you get comfortable, you can always add the fancy stuff later.
