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)
Scatterbrain.
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Birds thrown around, bullets for hail
The roof is pulling off by its fingernails
Your voice is rapping on my window-sill
Yesterday's headlines blown by the wind
Yesterday's people in a scatterbrain
Any fool can easy pick a hole
A moving target in a firing range
Somewhere I'm not
Scatterbrain
Somewhere I'm not
Scatterbrain
Lightning fuse, powercut
Scatterbrain
The song Scatterbrain by Radiohead is a reflection of the complex and often chaotic nature of life. The lyrics paint an image of a person caught in a turbulent storm, with winds so strong that even birds are tossed around like bullets. The metaphorical use of the storm suggests the unpredictability of life and how things can change in an instant, leaving one feeling powerless and vulnerable. The line "The roof is pulling off by its fingernails" conveys a sense of imminent danger and instability, as if the very foundations of one's world are being torn apart.
In the chorus, the lyrics "Any fool can easy pick a hole, I only wish I could fall in" suggest a desire to escape the turmoil, to find a safe place to hide away from the chaos. However, the singer is also described as a "moving target in a firing range," emphasizing the idea that even if they try to run or hide, they will always be vulnerable to the unpredictable nature of life. The final lines of the song "Lightning fuse, power cut, Scatterbrain" suggest a sudden and abrupt end, reinforcing the idea that life is unpredictable and one never knows what might happen next.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking out in a force-ten gale
I am walking outside in a severe storm with intense wind gusts.
Birds thrown around, bullets for hail
The wind is so strong that birds are getting tossed around like they're being hit by bullets of hail.
The roof is pulling off by its fingernails
The wind is so powerful that it's starting to rip the roof off of the building by the nails holding it down.
Your voice is rapping on my window-sill
Your voice is so loud that it sounds like it's knocking on my window-sill amidst the storm.
Yesterday's headlines blown by the wind
Newspapers from yesterday are being carried away by the wind.
Yesterday's people in a scatterbrain
People from yesterday are distracted and disorganized, possibly due to the chaos of the storm or other events.
Any fool can easily pick a hole
It's simple for anyone to find a vulnerability or weakness in something or someone.
I only wish I could fall in
Despite the danger, I wish I could become part of the storm and embrace the chaos.
A moving target in a firing range
Being in this storm reminds me of being a target in a shooting range that's constantly moving and changing.
Somewhere I'm not
There is a place where I am not, possibly a reference to a physical or emotional location that offers respite amidst the storm.
Scatterbrain
A term used to describe someone who is disorganized or easily distracted, possibly referencing the chaos of the storm.
Lightning fuse, powercut
The storm has caused a fuse in the electrical system to blow and the power to go out.
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