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)
Bullet Proof .. I Wish I Was
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tearing up inside of me
Every day every hour
I wish that I was bullet proof
Wax me
Mould me
Heat the pins and stab them in
Just wish that it was bullet proof
So pay the money and take a shot
Leadfill the hole in me
I could burst a million bubbles
All surrogate and bullet proof
And bullet proof
And bullet proof
And bullet proof
The lyrics to Radiohead's song Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was signify a deep sense of vulnerability, pain, and a need for protection. The first few lines "Limb by limb and tooth by tooth, tearing up inside of me" denotes the extent to which the singer is feeling hurt and torn apart, giving a clear image of how much damage has been done. The second stanza reveals the source of this pain - "You have turned me into this," indicating that the singer has been subjected to emotional torture by someone else. The third stanza delivers a subconscious desire for a solution, where the singer wants to be invincible and resistant to bullets, both literally and figuratively.
The lyrics also capture a deeper theme of emotional numbness, isolation, and detachment. The singer indicates that they have been transformed but wish they were bulletproof, indicating a strong desire to block off emotions and put up a guard against further harm. The lyrics suggest that the singer has become so detached and immune to the world that they will not be affected by anything anymore. The image of "bursting a million bubbles" represents a longing for a safety net, a surrogate that is bulletproof.
Coming to the music, the song is constructed through a minimalist chord progression, emphasizing the lyrics' importance. It is a slow, mellow number in D major, with lyrics that are both melancholic and haunting. The band members have stated that the song was inspired by a book by Haruki Murakami called South Of The Border, West Of The Sun. Bulletproof...I Wish I Was was never released as a single but has become a fan favorite during Radiohead's concerts.
Line by Line Meaning
Limb by limb and tooth by tooth
I feel like I'm being painfully dissected and torn apart piece by piece.
Tearing up inside of me
The emotional pain I feel is so intense that it feels like I'm literally being ripped apart from the inside out.
Every day every hour
This constant pain is always present, and it's consuming me every single day, every single hour.
I wish that I was bullet proof
If only I could be emotionally invincible and not let this pain affect me so deeply.
Wax me
Sculpt me into the person you want me to be.
Mould me
Shape me into something that you desire.
Heat the pins and stab them in
Use pain and pressure to forcibly shape me to your will.
You have turned me into this
I am the way I am because of your influence and manipulation.
Just wish that it was bullet proof
If only the person I've become could withstand the pain and manipulation that got me here.
So pay the money and take a shot
Try to destroy me if you want - I'm resigned to it, and I'll even pay you to try.
Leadfill the hole in me
But even if you shot me and left me bleeding, you still wouldn't be able to fill the emptiness inside of me.
I could burst a million bubbles
My emotional pain is so intense that if I were to release it, it would explode like a million bubbles popping at once.
All surrogate and bullet proof
Despite how it may seem to those around me, the persona I've created is just a shell - a stand-in for the real me who is anything but bulletproof.
And bullet proof
Despite wishing otherwise, I'm not emotionally invincible, and the pain still affects me deeply.
And bullet proof
I wish I could be, but deep down I know I'll never be truly bulletproof.
And bullet proof
I'll keep wishing for the impossible because the pain is too much to bear otherwise.
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