While it may have been a reaction against inward-looking Grunge and Shoegaze, Britpop followed on from other existing "good time" British scenes such as Baggy and Grebo. Both of these (like Shoegaze) were evolutions of British Indie and Punk with some "retro" elements, but which combined them with electronic styles including Dance (and Hip-Hop and Industrial Rock to lesser extents), yet retaining a countercultural edge.
However Britpop was generally a much more regressive style than any of these other genres, choosing mainstream appeal over oppositional counterculture and focusing more on 60's revivalism, pop-punk and songcraft than attempting to create new sounds, it possibly seeming at the time like most new things had been tried within an indie rock context. Both Blur and Oasis originally started off as bands in the Indie-Dance style (as did Radiohead, along with a flirtation with Grunge), but soon jettisoned these aspects for popular "classic" songwriting. However, electronic elements were present in many acts, and artists like Super Furry Animals and Mansun were notably experimental.
As Britain moved out of difficult 80s into the more affluent 90s, popular taste moved towards more easy-going guitar music and the mainstream embraced Britpop, causing an explosion in new guitar acts finding an audience eager and flush with the cash to buy their records.
Some bands under the Britpop label did soon emerge that pushed the sound in different directions, most notably Radiohead and Mansun, who embraced strong progressive rock and experimental elements within a "pop" context.
Britpop groups brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British cultural movement called "Cool Britannia". Although its more popular bands were able to spread their commercial success overseas, especially to America (and in the case of Mansun, Japan), the movement largely fell apart by the end of the decade, and press attention turned to rawer Garage Rock revivals and more experimental acts once again.
Britpop bands were influenced by British guitar music of the past, particularly British groups The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, and The Small Faces; glam rock artists such as David Bowie and T. Rex; and punk rock bands like the The Jam, the Buzzcocks and Wire. Specific influences varied: Blur and Oasis drew from the Kinks and the Beatles, respectively, while Elastica had a fondness for arty punk rock. Regardless, all Britpop artists projected a sense of reverence for the sounds of the past.
Creep
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here, oh, oh
She's running out again, oh
She's running out
She run, run, run, run
Run
Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here
The lyrics of Radiohead's "Creep" convey a sense of isolation and self-loathing. The singer of the song seems to be fixated on an individual whom he perceives as angelic and otherworldly. This individual is completely out of reach for the singer, and he is consumed with jealousy over their perceived perfection. The imagery of the feather symbolizes the individual's lightness and grace, which contrasts with the singer's own feelings of heaviness and inadequacy.
The central theme of the song is the singer's deep-seated sense of alienation. He feels like a "creep" and a "weirdo" who doesn't belong in the world around him. The phrase "what the hell am I doing here?" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's sense of being out of place. This feeling of displacement is underscored by the line "she's running out the door", which suggests that the singer has been rejected and is now alone.
The refrain "you're so fuckin' special, I wish I was special" is a pivotal moment in the song. It reveals the depth of the singer's emotional turmoil and his yearning to be accepted by the individual he idolizes. The desperation in his voice is palpable, as he struggles to reconcile his envy and his desire for connection.
Overall, "Creep" is a powerful and emotionally raw song that explores universal themes of loneliness and isolation. Its haunting melody and haunting lyrics continue to resonate with audiences decades after its initial release.
Line by Line Meaning
When you were here before
In the past, when you were present in my life
Couldn't look you in the eye
I was too nervous and ashamed to make eye contact with you
You're just like an angel
You are a beautiful, heavenly being
Your skin makes me cry
Your beauty is overwhelming and brings me to tears
You float like a feather in a beautiful world
You move gracefully and effortlessly through life, as if in a perfect, ideal world
I wish I was special
I long to feel unique and important like you
You're so fuckin' special
You are incredibly special and important to me
But I'm a creep
However, I feel like a socially inept and deviant person
I'm a weirdo
I feel like an odd, abnormal person
What the hell am I doing here?
I feel out of place and wonder why I am present in this situation
I don't belong here
I feel like I am not accepted in this environment or with these people
I don't care if it hurts
I am willing to endure pain to achieve my desires
I wanna have control
I want to be in charge of my life and decisions
I want a perfect body
I desire to have an ideal physical appearance
I want a perfect soul
I long to have a pure and flawless inner self
I want you to notice when I'm not around
I desire to be missed and valued by you when I am not present
She's running out the door
The woman I admire is leaving me and the situation
Whatever makes you happy
I want you to be content and fulfilled
Whatever you want
I value your desires and wishes above mine
I don't belong here
I do not fit in or belong in this place or situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mike Hazelwood, Albert Louis Hammond, Edward John O'Brien, Colin Charles Greenwood, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Philip James Selway, Thomas Edward Yorke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mostafahossaintuhin
When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I'm not around
So fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
She's running out the door (run)
She's running out
She run, run, run, run,
Run...
Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here
@dzzzzd7768
When you were here before,
Couldn't look you in the eye,
You're just like an angel,
Your skin makes me cry,
You float like a feather,
In a beautiful world,
I wish I was special,
[Album version:] You're so fucking special.
[Clean version:] You're so very special.
[Chorus:]
But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo,
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.
I don't care if it hurts,
I want to have control,
I want a perfect body,
I want a perfect soul,
I want you to notice,
When I'm not around,
[Album version:] You're so fucking special,
[Clean version:] You're so very special,
I wish I was special.
[Chorus:]
But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo,
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.
Oh, oh
She's running out again,
She's running out...
She run run run run...
Run...
Whatever makes you happy,
Whatever you want,
[Album version:] You're so fucking special,
[Clean version:] You're so very special,
I wish I was special...
But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo,
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here,
I don't belong here.
@victorleonardovergara2994
Lyrics:
When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I'm not around
So fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
She's running out the door (run)
She's running out
She run, run, run, run,
Run...
Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here
@el_brasuca6709
Lyrics
When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice
When I'm not around
So fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
She's running out the door (run)
She's running out
She run, run, run, run,
Run...
Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here
@kirbyclapsyou3159
This song makes my depression have a depresion
@jeezradz
Haha
@dippyfresh8155
That’s what alternative rock does to you. It’s great. This song represents my brain.
@garebomb6629
Fuzzygamer moment
@BoredPanda69420
Maybe your depression will kill itself. This will make life easier right?
Edit: I’m going to be therapist, people already adore me and I’m great. (I’m kidding)
@JonathanRaulGomez
@@BoredPanda69420 Hahaha well thought-out 🙌
@LOL-cringe
I love Radiohead
@FalloftheHouseofUsher
Happy Valentine’s Day, this song is the closest thing I have to love
@wolfthermitus246
I join you in the sadness 😢
@distnt79
Happy valentine's. At least we have great music