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)
gloaming
Radiohead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It is now the witching hour
Genie let out the bottle
It is now the witching hour
Murderers you're murderers
We are not the same as you
Funny ha ha funny how
When the walls bend
When the walls bend
With your breathing
With your breathing
When the walls bend
When the walls bend
With your breathing
With your breathing
With your breathing
They will suck you down
To the other side
They will suck you down
To the other side
They will suck you down
To the other side
They will suck you down
To the other side
To the shadows blue and red
Shadows blue and red
Your alarm bells
Your alarm bells
Shadows blue and red
Shadows blue and red
Your alarm bells
Your alarm bells
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
They should be ringing
This is the gloaming
In The Gloaming, Radiohead is commenting on the idea that once the genie is out of the bottle, it can't be put back in, and we are now in "the witching hour" - a time when all is dark and strange. The sentiment is that, as a result of their actions, "murderers" are different from "us" - perhaps a reference to some sort of corrupt government or society. The lyrics also touch on the idea of walls bending with your breathing, suggesting a sense of unease and instability.
The repeated phrase of "shadows blue and red" and "your alarm bells" bring to mind images of emergency services or danger approaching, and the idea that we should be alarmed by what is happening around us. Radiohead warns that these forces will "suck you down to the other side" - perhaps implying that individuals could be consumed by darkness and oppression.
Ultimately, the song paints a complex picture of a society that is facing dark and difficult times, where the actions of some have irrevocably changed the world, and the forces of oppression and danger are constantly lurking.
Line by Line Meaning
Genie let out the bottle
Something has been released that cannot be put back
It is now the witching hour
It is a time of unknown and potentially harmful activity
Murderers you're murderers
We reject your harmful behavior and do not identify with it
We are not the same as you
We distance ourselves from your destructive actions and do not want to be associated with them
Funny ha ha funny how
There is irony in the situation, it is not actually amusing
When the walls bend
A distortion of reality is occurring
With your breathing
It is linked with your existence, your life force
They will suck you down
There is a force pulling you towards something potentially negative
To the other side
To an unknown or potentially dangerous place
To the shadows blue and red
To a place that embodies both darkness and warning
Your alarm bells
Your instinctual warning system
They should be ringing
A call to heed one's sense of warning and danger
This is the gloaming
This is a time of uncertainty, unease, and possible harm
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