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)
On the Beach
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thou shalt not worship pop idols
Or follow lost prophets
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, John Hartmond, Desmond Dekker, Jim Morrisson, Jimmy Hendrix or Sid Barrett in vain.
Thou shalt not think any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a peadophile, some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NMEThou shalt not stop liking a band just because they became popular
Thou shalt not question Steven Fry
Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover
Thou shalt not judge lethal weapon by Danny Glover
Thou shalt not buy Coca Cola products
Thou shalt not Nestle products
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriends best friend, take drugs, and then cheat on him
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls pants...
...use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoaks
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you've done your shitty little poem or song, you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar, week in, week out Because you once saw a girl there that you fancied; that you're never gonna fucking talk to.
Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals.
No matter how great they are, or were.
The Beatles were just a band.
Led Zeppelin, just a band.
The Beach Boys, just a band.
The Sex Pistols, just a band.
The Clash, just a band.Crass, just a band.
Minor Threat, just a band.
The Cure, just a band.
The Smiths, just a band.
Nirvana, just a band.
The Pixies, just a band.
Oasis, just a band.
Radiohead, just a band.
Bloc Party, just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys, just a band.
"The next big thing", just a band.
Thou shalt not give bad word to tragedies that occur in non-english speaking countries as to those in english speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the 4 elements and never will be.
Thou shalt not make repetitive, generic music x4
Thou shalt not Pimp My Ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When i say "Hey", thou shalt not say "Ho"
When i say "Hip", thou shalt not say "Hop"
When i say, he say, she say, we say; "Make some noise.", kill me.
"Ah, I've forgot were i was, hang on..."
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak, like me.
Thou shalt spell the word "Pheonix"
P-H-E-O-N-I-X.
Not, P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Brad at a club last night by saying; "Izziiit"
Thou shalt think for yourselves.
And thou shalt always, thou shalt always, kill.
The song "On the Beach" by Radiohead contains a litany of commandments that the band wants its listeners to adhere to; some of these commandments might seem trivial or odd, but upon further inspection, they reveal the band's core beliefs. The commands start out seemingly innocuous enough, with the directives not to steal from direct victims or to worship pop idols. Then, the song becomes more personal and specific, with name-checks of a litany of musicians from Johnny Cash to Radiohead themselves. From there, the song moves towards social directives like not judging a book by its cover or criticizing non-English speaking countries after disasters. The song's final command, "Thou shalt think for yourselves. And thou shalt always, thou shalt always, kill," suggests that the ultimate commandment is to eschew groupthink and to form one's own opinions that can be defended.
This song seems to stem from the band's desire to get its fans to think about the context of their own lives and bigger socio-cultural issues. The song is a pushback against conformity and status quo; the band wants its fans to be individuals who do not conform to a simplistic or superficial view of the world. Radiohead, in general, has a reputation for being a political band, and "On the Beach" shows that the band's political stance is based on personal observation and lived experiences. The song shows how the band sees the world and, through its structured and sequential commands, provides a roadmap for listeners to begin to think that way too.
Line by Line Meaning
Thou shalt not steal if there is a direct victim
Stealing is not acceptable if it harms someone directly.
Thou shalt not worship pop idols
Pop idols should not be worshipped.
Or follow lost prophets
One should not follow those who are lost.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, John Hartmond, Desmond Dekker, Jim Morrisson, Jimmy Hendrix or Sid Barrett in vain.
Using the names of famous musicians without proper respect is not acceptable.
Thou shalt not think any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a peadophile, some people are just nice.
Not all men over 30 who play with children are pedophiles; some are just friendly.
Thou shalt not read NME
Reading NME is not recommended.
Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they became popular
Disliking a band because of their popularity is not reasonable.
Thou shalt not question Steven Fry
Steven Fry's opinions should not be questioned.
Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover
Judging something by its appearance is not wise.
Thou shalt not judge lethal weapon by Danny Glover
Lethal Weapon should not be judged solely by Danny Glover's performance.
Thou shalt not buy Coca Cola products
Buying Coca Cola products is not recommended.
Thou shalt not Nestle products
Avoiding Nestle products is suggested.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriends best friend, take drugs, and then cheat on him
Cheating on one's boyfriend with their best friend while taking drugs in the woods is not acceptable behavior.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily
Falling in love too easily is not wise.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls pants...
Using artistic mediums to manipulate people is not acceptable behavior.
...use it to get into their heads.
Music and art should be used to inspire and create emotional connections, not just for personal gain.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoaks
Watching Hollyoaks is not recommended.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you've done your shitty little poem or song, you self-righteous prick.
One should not attend open mic events only to perform and leave; this behavior is self-righteous and unproductive.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar, week in, week out Because you once saw a girl there that you fancied; that you're never gonna fucking talk to.
Frequenting a club or bar just because someone attractive was seen there is not logical or useful.
Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals.
Placing celebrity musicians on pedestals is not logical or useful.
No matter how great they are, or were.
Regardless of their talent, musicians are still just human beings.
The Beatles were just a band.
The Beatles were nothing more than a group of musicians.
Led Zeppelin, just a band.
Led Zeppelin was simply a band of musicians.
The Beach Boys, just a band.
The Beach Boys were only a group of musicians.
The Sex Pistols, just a band.
The Sex Pistols were nothing more than a band of musicians.
The Clash, just a band.
The Clash were merely a group of musicians.
Crass, just a band.
Crass was simply a band of musicians.
Minor Threat, just a band.
Minor Threat was nothing more than a band of musicians.
The Cure, just a band.
The Cure was only a group of musicians.
The Smiths, just a band.
The Smiths were merely a band of musicians.
Nirvana, just a band.
Nirvana was nothing more than a group of musicians.
The Pixies, just a band.
The Pixies were simply a band of musicians.
Oasis, just a band.
Oasis was only a group of musicians.
Radiohead, just a band.
Radiohead is nothing more than a band of musicians.
Bloc Party, just a band.
Bloc Party is simply a band of musicians.
The Arctic Monkeys, just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys were only a group of musicians.
"The next big thing", just a band.
"The next big thing" is nothing more than just a group of musicians.
Thou shalt not give bad word to tragedies that occur in non-english speaking countries as to those in english speaking countries.
Tragedies in non-English speaking countries should receive the same amount of compassion as those in English-speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the 4 elements and never will be.
Guns, bitches, and bling are not part of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water).
Thou shalt not make repetitive, generic music x4
Making repetitive and generic music is not acceptable.
Thou shalt not Pimp My Ride.
Pimping one's ride is not recommended.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Screaming to go faster is not acceptable behavior.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Moving to music that promotes wickedness is not acceptable.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
Making noise for Detroit is not necessary or helpful.
When i say "Hey", thou shalt not say "Ho"
Responding with "ho" when someone says "hey" is not necessary or productive.
When i say "Hip", thou shalt not say "Hop"
Saying "hop" when someone says "hip" is not necessary or productive.
When i say, he say, she say, we say; "Make some noise.", kill me.
Using the phrase "make some noise" repeatedly is annoying and unproductive.
"Ah, I've forgot were i was, hang on..."
The artist momentarily lost their train of thought and needs a moment to collect themselves.
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Misquoting someone's statement is not acceptable behavior.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Shaking a polaroid picture is not recommended.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak, like me.
Wishing that one's girlfriend was a "freak" like the singer is not productive or respectful behavior.
Thou shalt spell the word "Pheonix"
The word "phoenix" should be spelled with an 'e' in the middle.
P-H-E-O-N-I-X.
The correct spelling of "phoenix" has an 'e' between the 'o' and 'n'.
Not, P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
The Oxford English Dictionary may have a different spelling for "phoenix", but it is still incorrect.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Brad at a club last night by saying; "Izziiit"
Expressing shock at someone's actions with a drawn-out "is it?" is not necessary or productive.
Thou shalt think for yourselves.
Thinking for oneself is important and should be encouraged.
And thou shalt always, thou shalt always, kill.
This line is likely metaphorical and refers to the importance of metaphorically "killing" negative thoughts and behaviors.
Contributed by Julian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@drbo42
"Though my problems are meaningless, that don't make them go away." Such a good line, sung beautifully.
@chriskortright8004
What the.....One of my favorite groups covering one of my favorite rare songs from another one of favorite artist.... Can't wrap my head around it.
@banapaulo
I KNOW! :D
@rhainellis531
Crazy isn't it
@deankinsella8250
Nice to have Young's great song (and album) recognized in this way but, frankly, it's a pale imitation of the original and doesn't really add anything much
@matthawkins5006
dude you took the words right out of my mouth / thoughts right out of my head! I'd explode if Thome sat down at a piano and did 'See The Sky About to Rain' or even something earlier like 'Birds'
@ReubenSchoots
Here I am, too.
@patrickcrawford6392
It's hard to deny Neils influence on Thom's vocals...love them both.
@joeypritchard6320
It's funny that Thom said people told him he sounded like Neil Young before he even heard any of Neil's music. He said it made him take a listen then he was greatly impacted.
@zackzallie8735
Thom's voice is like Neil Young mix with Jeff Buckley.