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)
Street Spirit
Radiohead Lyrics
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I can feel their blue hands touching me
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out
This machine will, will not communicate
These thoughts and the strain I am under
Be a world child, form a circle
Before we all go under
And fade out again
And fade out again
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
All these things into position
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again
And fade out again
Immerse your soul in love
Immerse your soul in love
The lyrics of "Street Spirit" by Radiohead convey a sense of despair and hopelessness. The opening lines describe the feeling of being overwhelmed and suffocated by the rows of houses crowding around the singer. The "blue hands" might represent the depressing mood that is pervasive in the neighborhood. The next lines convey a sense of inevitability; everything falls into place, whether we like it or not. We swallow it all whole like a bitter pill that doesn't sit well. The repetition of the words "fade out" at the end of each verse conveys both the sense of resignation and the idea that everything is becoming increasingly obscured and difficult to understand.
In the second verse, we get a sense of the singer's thought process. The machine, which could represent society or the people around the singer, "will not communicate." There is a significant sense of isolation in these lines, and the singer is under tremendous strain. The reference to being a "world child" suggests that the singer longs to belong to a community, to something bigger than themselves. Still, the danger of being subsumed and swallowed by that same community is never far away. The call to form a circle before "we all go under" is both a desperate plea and a pessimistic prediction.
The final verse portrays a grim reality. The "cracked eggs" and "dead birds" are symbols of lifeless, hopeless objects. The scream of the dying animals is a testament to the violence and brutality of life. The singer can feel the presence of death, sees its "beady eyes" staring straight at them. However, there is a glimmer of hope with the final line's suggestion to "immerse your soul in love." It is a plea to find meaning and connection in the face of adversity, to reach out for something meaningful in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Rows of houses all bearing down on me
I feel suffocated and trapped by the uniformity and monotony of suburbia.
I can feel their blue hands touching me
The pervasive sadness and soullessness of suburban life feels like it's grabbing hold of me.
All these things into position
The numbness of the suburban landscape seems meticulously planned and deliberate.
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
We are doomed to lose ourselves in the monotonous routine of suburban modernity.
And fade out again and fade out
Our existence in the suburbs is fleeting and forgettable, just like the music itself.
This machine will, will not communicate
Despite our reliance on technology, we cannot truly connect with each other.
These thoughts and the strain I am under
The stresses of modern life are overwhelming and take a toll on our mental health.
Be a world child, form a circle
We should embrace our common humanity and come together to live as one.
Before we all go under
If we don't do something to preserve our humanity, we will be swallowed up by the soullessness of modern life.
Cracked eggs, dead birds
The imagery of destruction and death represent the danger that surrounds us in the suburbs.
Scream as they fight for life
The natural world is struggling to survive against the forces of human progress.
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes
The sense of dread and mortality that surrounds us in suburban life is inescapable.
Immerse your soul in love
In spite of all this sadness and despair, love can still offer a glimmer of hope and connection.
Immerse your soul in love
Love is the only refuge from the barrenness of suburban life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, 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