It makes use of a robotic voice that mocks the perfectionist qualities that companies expect of their employees. The album then goes into “Fitter Happier”, which acts as an intermission between the two halves of the project. The song is one of Radiohead’s catchiest songs, exemplified by its commercial success as a single. The song’s narrator believes that they will push through their problems, but still is worried that they will just be “let down”.Īfter that is “Karma Police”, which is about how people will judge others, not accepting blame, and then realizing how they’ve been acting. The song is the embodiment of disappointment, discussing people “clinging onto bottles” with the “emptiest of feelings”. “Let Down” follows next, and is arguably the most depressing song on the entire album. I believe that the climax portion of this song is one of the best moments in Radiohead’s discography. According to Radiohead, the track was what helped shape the direction of the rest of the album. The band was shown the ending of the film, and was tasked with writing a song that would fit the ending. Next up is “Exit Music (For a Film)”, which was a track written for the 1996 film adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. This is exemplified when comparing Radiohead to their contemporaries (Oasis, Blur, Pulp, etc). Songs on OK Computer like “Subterranean” have such a clean sound, to the point where the song sounds like it’s from a different planet. The track is a great example of the excellent production done by Nigel Godrich. In it, the narrator fantasizes being abducted by aliens because they believe they would be more accepted and/or comfortable in their world than on Earth. It’s a diamond in an album of gems.Īfterwards is “Subterranean Homesick Alien”, which is a pristine song about Yorke’s feelings of isolation and alienation from others. The song manages to bind fuzzy electric guitar solos and choral arrangements together. It’s a six-minute epic, inspired by previous through-composed songs like “Happiness is a Warm Gun” by the Beatles and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. The next song in the track listing is “Paranoid Android”, which is also a consistent contender for the greatest song of all time. The song was meant to illustrate how dependent modern society is on technology, by giving an example of how we invent new technologies (such as the airbag) to combat other technology humans have made (cars). The lyrics detail how he felt he was “born again” after being saved by an airbag. The album begins with the track “Airbag”, in which frontman Thom Yorke recalls a car crash that he survived unscathed. In light of its 25th anniversary, I believe it’s time to look at OK Computer again, and find out what makes it incredible.
It was a project that forever altered the course of popular music, shifting away from the fuzz-ingrained rock that had defined the genre for years and towards clean production with gloomy themes (inspiring bands such as Coldplay and Muse).
There are many contenders for the greatest album of all time, but few are on as many lists as Radiohead’s OK Computer, which was considered one of the greatest albums of all time barely three days into its original release in 1997.
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