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)
Subterranean Homesick Alien
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I keep forgetting
The smell of the warm summer air
I live in a town
Where you can't smell a thing
You watch your feet
For cracks in the pavement
Up above
Aliens hover
Making home movies
For the folks back home
Of all these weird creatures
Who lock up their spirits
Drill holes in themselves
And live for their secrets
They're all
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Oh
I wish that they'd swoop down in a country lane
Late at night when I'm driving
Take me on board their beautiful ship
Show me the world as I'd love to see it
I'd tell all my friends but they'd never believe me
They'd think that I'd finally lost it completely
I'd show them the stars and the meaning of life
They'd shut me away
But I'd be alright
Alright
I'm alright
Alright
I'm just
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
Uptight
The lyrics to Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien" are rich with imagery and exploration of alienation and escapism. The song begins with the singer reflecting on the breath of the morning and the smell of warm summer air, yet quickly transitions to the singer describing life in a town where nothing can be smelled and where they must watch their feet for cracks in the pavement. This sense of disconnection from the world around them sets the tone for the rest of the song.
The singer then describes aliens hovering above them, making home movies for their own kind while observing strange creatures on Earth. The description of these creatures - who "lock up their spirits" and "drill holes in themselves" - is haunting and paints a picture of people who are trapped in their own minds, desperate to escape their own thoughts and emotions.
The chorus of the song is where the theme of escapism is most prevalent. The singer longs for the aliens to take them away on their ship and show them a world they've always dreamed of. However, the singer realizes their friends would never believe them, and they would be dismissed as insane. This paradox perfectly encapsulates the human condition - the longing for escape from the mundane and ordinary, but ultimately always being tethered to the reality of everyday life.
Overall, "Subterranean Homesick Alien" is a powerful song about the desire to escape from oneself and the realities of everyday life, and the limitations of that longing.
Line by Line Meaning
The breath of the morning
The fresh air of the early morning
I keep forgetting
I tend to forget
The smell of the warm summer air
The aroma of the hot air during summer
I live in a town
I reside in a populated area
Where you can't smell a thing
Where there's no refreshing scent
You watch your feet
You're always mindful of where you step
For cracks in the pavement
To avoid breaking the road
Up above
In the sky
Aliens hover
Extraterrestrial beings flying
Making home movies
Recording videos for personal consumption
For the folks back home
For their loved ones
Of all these weird creatures
Of strange and peculiar beings
Who lock up their spirits
Who withhold their emotions and soul
Drill holes in themselves
Poke openings in their bodies
And live for their secrets
And keep their mysteries sacred
They're all
They all are
Uptight
Tense and anxious
Uptight
Fidgety and uneasy
Uptight
Nervous and apprehensive
Uptight
Stressed and worried
Uptight
Tightly coiled and on edge
Uptight
Agitated and restless
Oh
Interjection expressing surprise or emotion
I wish that they'd swoop down in a country lane
I desire that they'd descend in a rural road
Late at night when I'm driving
During nighttime as I'm travelling
Take me on board their beautiful ship
Bring me inside their exquisite vessel
Show me the world as I'd love to see it
Reveal the universe how I'd love to experience it
I'd tell all my friends but they'd never believe me
I'd inform my companions but they'd doubt me
They'd think that I'd finally lost it completely
They'd assume that I've gone completely crazy
I'd show them the stars and the meaning of life
I'd demonstrate to them the celestial objects and purpose of existence
They'd shut me away
They'd isolate me
But I'd be alright
But I'd cope with it
Alright
All good
I'm alright
I'm okay
Alright
Not problematic
I'm just
I'm only
Uptight
Anxious and tense
Uptight
Edgy and nervous
Uptight
Uncomfortable and uneasy
Uptight
Tightly wound up
Uptight
Stressed and fretful
Uptight
On edge and jittery
Uptight
Apprehensive and worried
Uptight
Agitated and restless
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