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)
Codex
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jump off the end
Into a clear lake
No one around
Just dragonflies
Fantasize
No one gets hurt
Slide your hand
Jump off the end
The water's clear
And innocent
The water's clear
And innocent
The opening lines of Radiohead's song Codex bring about a sense of subtle suicide, not in a gruesome way, but in a reflective sense. The author reflects on their life and everything that has been going on, perhaps feeling that their life has been full of mistakes, leading them to want to put it all to an end. The first line, "Slight of hand," suggests the idea of the singer doing something that's easy to hide, thus making it easier to go unnoticed. The next line, "Jump off the end" implies the singer wanting to take the ultimate leap. The clear lake signifies a sense of purity and the absence of chaos, which is in stark contrast to their life leading up to this moment. The dragonflies are seen as symbolic of transformation and a new beginning, and as the singer takes the leap, they delve into a fantasy.
However, just before doing so, they make a promise that no one gets hurt. The second stanza is more of a motivation to oneself, reminding the singer they have done nothing wrong. The repetition of "slide your hand" and "jump off the end" implies that the final leap has to be taken, and the innocence of the water is used as a comfort to the singer. Overall, the idea behind Codex is about finding peace in oneself, and that by letting go, one can leave behind their mistakes and start over.
Line by Line Meaning
Slight of hand
You've done nothing wrong
Jump off the end
Slide your hand and jump into the water
Into a clear lake
The water is crystal clear
No one around
There is no one in the vicinity
Just dragonflies
Only dragonflies are present
Fantasize
Imagine the best possible outcome
No one gets hurt
There won't be any casualties
The water's clear
The lake is pure and transparent
And innocent
It hasn't been polluted or contaminated by humans
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