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)
Myxomatosis
Radiohead Lyrics
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Holding half a head
Proceeded to show it off
To all his new found friends
He said,
I been where I liked
I slept with who I liked
She screwed me in a vice
But now
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
I sat in the cupboard
And wrote it down in neat
They were cheering and waving
Cheering and waving
Twitching and salivating
Like with myxomatosis
But it got edited, fucked up
Strangled, beaten up
Used as a photo in Time magazine
Buried in a burning black hole in Devon
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
Don't know why I feel so skinned alive
My thoughts are misguided and a little naive
I twitch and salivate
Like with myxomatosis
You should put me in a home or you
Should put me down
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
Yeah no one likes a smart arse
But we all like stars
That wasn't my intention
I did it for a reason
It must have got mixed up
Strangled beaten up
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
I don't know why I
Feel so tongue tied
The lyrics of Myxomatosis by Radiohead take a somewhat surreal and disturbing turn, seemingly reflecting the forced conformity of the entertainment world. In the first half of the song, the lyrics describe a cat showing off half a head to its new found friends. The cat describes its experiences - sleeping around and being at peace with itself. However, it later becomes tongue-tied and feels uncomfortable as its work is edited, beaten up and used for public consumption. The cat complains about being misunderstood and its feelings of being out of place make it feel as though it has been strangled and beaten up. It then describes its experience with myxomatosis - a disease that affects rabbits - to illustrate how compromised it feels in its current situation. The cat proclaims that no one likes a smart arse but everyone likes stars and concludes by saying that it did everything for a reason.
The song is a commentary on the personal struggles of modern artists and the often-lost conflict between their artistic integrity and the commercial realm. The cat is symbolic of modern-day artists, who, after achieving a certain level of support or success, often feel a loss of individuality and forced conformity to fit the industry mold. The mention of myxomatosis further emphasizes the point, suggesting that artist need to stay true to their own voice, no matter how different it may be. The chorus of the song is the point of focus, with the titular 'myxomatosis' embodying the loss of self and artistic freedom suffered by artists.
Line by Line Meaning
The mongrel cat came home
Holding half a head
Proceeded to show it off
To all his new found friends
The cat returned home with half of a head, and he proudly showed it to his newly acquired friends.
He said,
I been where I liked
I slept with who I liked
She ate me up for breakfast
She screwed me in a vice
He bragged about his past hedonistic lifestyle and sexual encounters, but one individual in particular was ruthless and consumed him like breakfast and used him as a tool.
But now
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
I sat in the cupboard
And wrote it down in neat
They were cheering and waving
Cheering and waving
Twitching and salivating
Like with myxomatosis
He is feeling lost and incapable of expressing himself effectively at the moment. In solitude, he wrote something, which when shared with others had them acting like they were under the spell of myxomatosis - a disease that can cause twitching and salivating in rabbits.
But it got edited, fucked up
Strangled, beaten up
Used as a photo in Time magazine
Buried in a burning black hole in Devon
I don't know why I feel so tongue tied
Don't know why I feel so skinned alive
What he wrote was modified, abused, and disregarded. It was even used for publicity and later discarded in a cruel way, leaving him feeling overwhelmed and exposed.
My thoughts are misguided and a little naive
I twitch and salivate
Like with myxomatosis
You should put me in a home or you
Should put me down
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
His thoughts are ill-informed and inexperienced, and he feels like he is under the control of a disease like myxomatosis. He concludes that he should either be institutionalized or killed.
Yeah no one likes a smart arse
But we all like stars
That wasn't my intention
I did it for a reason
It must have got mixed up
Strangled beaten up
I got myxomatosis
I got myxomatosis
I don't know why I
Feel so tongue tied
Although people don't appreciate show-offs, they idolize celebrities. He claims that he had a particular reason for what he did, but it became distorted and mistreated. He feels like he's under the control of myxomatosis once more, leading to another bout of confusion.
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