Radiohead signed to EMI in 1991 and released their debut album, Pablo Honey, in 1993; their debut single, "Creep", became a worldwide hit. Radiohead's popularity and critical standing rose with the release of The Bends in 1995. Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), brought them international fame; noted for its complex production and themes of modern alienation, it is acclaimed as a landmark record and one of the best albums in popular music.
Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A (2000), marked a dramatic change in style, incorporating influences from electronic music, jazz, classical music and krautrock. Though Kid A divided listeners, it later attracted wide acclaim. It was followed by Amnesiac (2001), recorded in the same sessions. Hail to the Thief (2003), with lyrics addressing the War on Terror, was Radiohead's final album for EMI.
Radiohead self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), as a download for which customers could set their own price, to critical and chart success. Their eighth album, The King of Limbs (2011), an exploration of rhythm, was developed using extensive looping and sampling. A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) prominently featured Jonny Greenwood's orchestral arrangements. Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Selway, and O'Brien have released solo albums; in 2021, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood debuted a new band, the Smile.
By 2011, Radiohead had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Their awards include six Grammy Awards and four Ivor Novello Awards, and they hold five Mercury Prize nominations, the most of any act. Seven Radiohead singles have reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart: "Creep" (1992), "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" (1996), "Paranoid Android" (1997), "Karma Police" (1997), "No Surprises" (1998), "Pyramid Song" (2001), and "There There" (2003). "Creep" and "Nude" (2008) reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Rolling Stone named Radiohead one of the 100 greatest artists of all time, and Rolling Stone readers voted them the second-best artist of the 2000s. Five Radiohead albums have been included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time lists. Radiohead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead
Studio albums
Pablo Honey (1993)
The Bends (1995)
OK Computer (1997)
Kid A (2000)
Amnesiac (2001)
Hail to the Thief (2003)
In Rainbows (2007)
The King of Limbs (2011)
A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing came
As your life flashed before your eyes
You realize
I'm a reasonable man
Get off, get off, get off my case
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
After years of waiting
After years of waiting nothing came
And you realize you're looking
Looking in the wrong place
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
Get off my case
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
Get off my case
After years of waiting
You're a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
Get off my case
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
Get off my case
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
Get off my case
I'm a reasonable man
Get off my case
Get off my case
Get off my case
Radiohead's "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box" challenges conformity, particularly in the consumerist society. The unknown speaker seems to have realized that after years of waiting, nothing came their way. In the lines "As your life flashed before your eyes / You realize," it is quite clear that the person is going through a realization of some kind but is uncertain about what it is that they have comprehended.
The singer is asking to be left alone, claims to be a reasonable man and asks the agitator to get off his case repeatedly. They are referring to a group or an individual who is bothering them or attempting to sway them to conform or pursue things that they are not interested in. The lines "After years of waiting / You're a reasonable man / Get off my case" suggest that they have come to the realization that the people hovering around them are doing more harm than good, and they are more reasonable, having finally discovered an epiphany.
Line by Line Meaning
After years of waiting
The singer has been waiting for a long time.
Nothing came
Despite waiting for so long, nothing happened.
As your life flashed before your eyes
While the singer waits, they think about their life.
You realize
As the life flashes in front of them, the artist realizes something.
I'm a reasonable man
The artist claims to be a reasonable person.
Get off, get off, get off my case
The singer asks others to stop blaming them for everything that goes wrong.
Get off my case
The singer reiterates their request for others to stop blaming them.
Get off my case
The artist reiterates their request for others to stop blaming them.
After years of waiting
The artist has been waiting for a long time.
After years of waiting nothing came
Despite waiting for so long, nothing happened.
And you realize you're looking
The singer realizes that they have been searching in the wrong place.
Looking in the wrong place
The artist was searching in the wrong location.
You're a reasonable man
The singer refers to themselves as a reasonable person.
Get off my case
The singer asks others to stop blaming them for everything that goes wrong.
Get off my case
The singer reiterates their request for others to stop blaming them.
Get off my case
The artist reiterates their request for others to stop blaming them.
I'm a reasonable man
The artist claims to be a reasonable person.
Get off my case
The singer asks others to stop blaming them for everything that goes wrong.
Get off my case
The singer reiterates their request for others to stop blaming them.
Get off my case
The artist reiterates their request for others to stop blaming them.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Colin Charles Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind