‘OK Computer’ Turns 28
Album Review ★ Logan Gordon ★ @lrgordon ★ 1k Words
My whole life, I’ve heard of Radiohead, of course. “Creep” has always been this song people could hum or sing to, and so Radiohead has always been a name in the music world. Even for people who don’t listen to their genre of music.
So, while I’ve heard of the band and a couple of their songs, I had never been pulled into their realm of music.
Until recently, their song “Let Down” blew up all over my TikTok and played in The Bear’s last episode of season 1. Almost instantly, I fell in love with the song and the sound.
Right in time for OK Computer’s 28th anniversary, I decided to dive deep into one of their most impactful albums, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Ok Computer album art (left) Radiohead members (right)
From the very beginning, “Airbag” gave off this hopeful, euphoric, and blissful feeling that made you feel it all too in your core. It was the story of a man high on lingering euphoric energy that blended with rich details of the instruments and new advanced technological sounds. It set a tone that I believed was going to be a full story of aspiration. And while messages with bouts of hope and desire are ever present in this album, OK Computer is a story that hits you in the face 5 times over the one time it may give you a sense of companionship and understanding.
After “Airbag,” we fall into this lingering idea that a man is stuck trying to fight himself away from the pressure of societal norms and mindless, ignorant people of the world in “Paranoid Android.” The song has three distinct sections, which, in my opinion, display exhaustion, anger, and defeat. And I feel like that was how the rest of the album kind of follows.
“Subterranean Homesick Alien” has Thom Yorke, the lead singer, connecting with listeners through a man who feels so disconnected from others around him. He envies aliens, beings who can see the world in its entirety without getting lost in the rigid paths society lays out. They notice and appreciate the small, overlooked details of life, which we often fail to do. This perspective is beautifully echoed in Yorke's song, which evokes an almost otherworldly feeling. The lyrics convey a deep sense of alienation, while the instrumentals, filled with alien-like sounds and vibes, make the experience feel cinematic as if stepping into another world. Without a doubt, “Subterranean Homesick Alien” was by far my favorite on the album, but the following tracks didn’t let me down even in the slightest.
“Exit Music (For A Film)” and “Let Down” are arguably the two most popular songs in the album. I’ve seen a plethora of debates and arguments over the relationship between these two and even just the meaning of each one. And now I get the varying opinions.
“Exit Music (For A Film)” is a ballad that is soft instrumentally, which is a stark contrast to the message of the song. The lyrics, which seem to be trying to stay hopeful, imbed this dread in you as the story goes on. I realized that it didn’t seem like the person in the story wasn’t going to escape. And if he was, then at what cost? It’s harsh, but when “Let Down” soon follows, the music sounds uplifting, like you’re coming out of this dark hole. But the lyrics are anything but ambitious. I think it’s a beautiful understanding of drifting through the world in a constant state of motion. Even in the middle, when he says that one day he’ll grow wings like he’s hopeful he’ll leave, it’s obvious he’s stuck.
The two are both hypnotically expressing a feeling none of us really could. While first-time listeners like me might find it depressing, I think at some point, people felt comfortable with the two songs' understanding.
“Karma Police” carries on this continuous anger towards the world and the people who run it. The instrumentals sound fearful and desperate, while Yorke sounds angry as he sings the lyrics that tell of people being pushed out for staying true to themselves. This song comes before a song I’d never found to be more eerie and hard-hitting.
The moment “Fitter Happier” began, I think my entire mind was encapsulated in this vision of fake happiness that people only think they’re supposed to have. Obviously, to me, that’s what Yorke was trying to show. There’s no singing. Just a voice listing off tasks that people have supposedly agreed on that make you feel better when you “really grow up.” It’s paired with instrumentals that made me feel sorry for myself. And when the ending hit, the voice describing people or itself as a pig in a cage on antibiotics, it was like this punch to the face that should’ve been said louder for everyone to hear.
The rest of the album hits hard into the continuing storyline of this almost robotic world. With “Electioneering” rising in this flame of wanting to fight back, it all falls back into this never-ending cycle of feeling crazy, defeat, and a newfound hope through “Climbing up the Walls” to “Lucky.”
Finally, “The Tourist” finished out the album just the way I had expected it to; simply, tiredly, and painfully clear. It was something I thought was close to perfection. Yorke sings about this man taking on too much too fast. It’s like everything is passing him by now without stopping, even when he feels like it is just moving too slowly. It was just how I think OK Computer should’ve finished out. The story and the path we were taking with Yorke and the rest of the band all led to this moment. I felt beautifully drained from the messages.
But, more importantly, I realized maybe I could’ve been one of the people Yorke sang about. Whether it was one of the robotically controlled residents who was trying to fit in the societal norms or maybe I was the man who kept finding himself in an endless, brutal cycle. Either way, I found OK Computer to stand the test of time. In its time of release, it was advancing everything we first thought about rock.
Now, it’s a story that is still present today. I think that’s why so many people appreciate, love, and connect with this album. People of all ages. And I think it won’t ever be forgotten. At least, not until we change.
