And Radiohead analyzed this before there was even an iPhone to house Snapchat. That to me is very scary because it feels like we are moving towards a more mindless society. These have no real value, but people use the app everyday just to keep them up. For example, Snapchat keeps people “in a cage” with streaks. While on a superficial level it accomplishes this task, there are many ways we pay for it, and one of them is through dependency. This resonates well in 2018 because social media promises a more connected world at seemingly no cost. The computer voice promises a better life with ideas such as, “not drinking too much, regular exercise at the gym,” however these seemingly innocent ideas turn extremely dark when the computer describes humans as, “in a cage, on antibiotics.” This shows a shift from devices helping us to us being extremely dependant on them. Arguably the centerpiece of the album, Fitter Happier, deals with this directly by giving an unsettling monologue given by monotone robotic voice, backed only by an eerie piano and a few effects. They foresee a bleak, inevitable future in which humans have lost themselves to technology, which in the past twenty years has come true. Their lyrics that hit home the most on this album deal with technology and alienation. However, OK Computer’s relatability does not stop at politics, and in fact gets decidedly more personal with some of its more haunting themes. I can listen to this song and know that I am not alone in my outrage at the current state of affairs. Furthermore, in 2018, people (especially Americans) are as fed up with their politicians as ever.
One of Mark Schorin’s (VI) favorite lyrics on the entire album also comes from this song: “I go forwards, you go backwards, and somewhere we will meet.” He described this quote by stating, “It perfectly encapsulates the moral bankruptcy of current-day politics, in which voters renounce numerous values for perceived material benefit (they go backwards), and politicians only say what they believe will yield them greater support (they go forwards) - only to renege on those promises once in office (after the two have met in the “happy medium”).”Īnger with politicians and the state of the world was not a new musical idea, but nonetheless it is powerful and gives listeners both a rallying cry as well as something to relate to. With lyrics such as, “I will stop at nothing, say the right things when electioneering, I trust I can rely on your vote,” Thom Yorke (singer) mocks the lying politicians that he despises. Though it is the album’s most straightforward song, the message is clear. The perfect example of this is the song Electioneering. Though Radiohead only discusses politics a few times on OK Computer, when they do, it hits hard. We will go deep into the lyrics to look at just how well Radiohead predicted the future. Many of these themes have become more interwoven into society with the rise of social media and resonate extremely well for me 20 years later. Radiohead grappled with many things on this album, such as political corruption, the false promises of progress, and the changes in behavior and isolation due to technology. Instead, I will focus on the lyrics and themes of the album, which resonate hauntingly well in 2018.
So while the musicality of this album is both experimental and beautiful, that will not be the focus of this piece. Unlike their prior work, one can not detect musical trends from the time it was written, giving it a timeless feel (a similar timeless feeling from a barebones approach can be found on The Velvet Underground and Nico). Musically, this album was far ahead of its time, using odd samples of Phil Selway’s own drumming and many electronics that had never been used in rock before. However, with the release of OK Computer, they blew up around the world. Until this point, Radiohead was mostly known as a one hit wonder. There, they experimented with many sounds and birthed OK Computer, dubbed “the last great rock album” by Mr. To express these feelings of isolation, Radiohead traveled to a castle in England. Technology was rapidly developing and becoming more prominent, and they felt disconnected from this new world that they had not really interacted with in two years.
Radiohead had just finished two years of virtually non stop touring for the bends.
The Significance of Radiohead’s “OK Computer” in 2018