The 10 sexiest Radiohead songs
Back in 1985, Radiohead formed in the music rooms of Oxford’s Abingdon School, originally going by the name ‘On A Friday’, the day they met to practise each week. However, their teenage pursuit soon turned into a serious endeavour, and their early live shows attracted interest from several A&R representatives, leading to their signing with EMI. Their early songs were released to mixed reception, with the BBC blacklisting their debut single, ‘Creep’, because it was “too depressing.”
However, over the 1990s, Radiohead proved themselves to be one of of music’s most influential groups. The release of 1997’s OK Computer, which received unanimous praise, firmly cemented the five-piece as musical geniuses. Since then, the band have consistently released incredible and indefinable albums, such as Kid A and In Rainbows, experimenting with a vast array of genres, from freeform jazz to avant-garde and electronica.
However, due to the obsessive nature of much of Radiohead’s fanbase, who often fall into the stereotypical ‘music nerd’ category, the internet has been quick to label the band as symbols of anything but sex appeal. Moreover, due to the self-pitying lyrics of ‘Creep’, the song has been described as the ultimate incel anthem, in turn, lumping the rest of the band’s music into this category.
Yet Radiohead have a surprising amount of songs that possess a considerable amount of sex appeal, from ‘Climbing Up the Walls’ to ‘Talk Show Host’. Here are their ten sexiest songs.
The 10 sexiest Radiohead songs:
‘All I Need’
Thom Yorke paints an intense picture of longing on In Rainbow‘s ‘All I Need’, which features heady lines such as “I’m an animal/ Trapped in your hot car” and “I am a moth/ Who just wants to share your light.” The song is a slow-burning piece that reflects the unrequited desire that makes up the lyrics of Radiohead’s best-known hit, ‘Creep’. Similarly, they both build up to an intensely cathartic emotional release, although ‘All I Need’ feels much more refined than ‘Creep’.
The song’s fixation on obsession is mirrored by the dense synthesiser beats that dominate the instrumentation, with every note hitting as hard as Yorke’s desperate words. The climactic ending, in which Selway’s cymbals thrash alongside Yorke’s voice, serves as a form of euphoric release from the track’s earlier worries.
‘Bangers + Mash’
Although the name ‘Bangers + Mash’ doesn’t have the sexiest connotations, this track, which appears on In Rainbows (Disk 2), is surprisingly seductive. The song is one of the band’s heavier cuts, and it weaves plenty of drama through Yorke’s delivery of lines such as “You bit me, bit me/ And now I want more” with the ups and downs of the bombastic guitars and punchy drums.
‘Bangers + Mash’ is an underrated track, full of feistiness, showcasing the band indulging in pure rock and roll fun. Yorke cheekily delivers the lines, “You’re either in the club, baby, or you’re not/ Whatever turns you on, whatever gets you up,” a double entendre about both sex and power.
‘Climbing Up the Walls’
OK Computer‘s ‘Climbing Up the Walls’ has been described as scary by some listeners, mainly because of the screeching strings at the end of the track. Moreover, Yorke’s subject matter isn’t exactly sexy. He sings about extreme paranoia, spouting chilling lines such as “And if you get too far inside/ You’ll only see my reflection.” In an interview with Vox, Yorke described the song as “about the cupboard monster.”
Yet, despite the lyrical content, ‘Climbing Up the Walls’ is, at least sonically, one of the band’s sexiest-sounding cuts. The slightly muffled nature of Yorke’s voice, which seems to drag the words along, gives the track a sensuously moody feel. Selway’s hazy drums and the lingering guitar riffs make for an addictive listen.
‘Exit Music (For A Film)’
Like ‘Talk Show Host’, Radiohead’s ‘Exit Music (For A Film)’ appeared in Romeo + Juliet, which is why it sounds incredibly cinematic. A simple acoustic guitar opens the track, with Yorke’s voice taking on a melancholic quality as he sings, “Wake from your sleep/ The drying of your tears/ Today we escape, we escape.” The song retains this mellow tone until it comes close to hitting the three-minute mark. At this point, Selway’s drums transition the song into explosive territory.
Yorke takes an operatic turn as he stretches his voice to one of the most impressive deliveries of his career as he sings menacing lines like “We hope that you choke, that you choke.” The atmosphere created as the song slowly builds and combusts is an undoubtedly sexy-sounding moment.
‘I Might Be Wrong’
‘I Might Be Wrong’ appears on 2001’s Amnesiac, which continued experimenting with the electronics Radiohead employed for Kid A the year before. Yet, this track is one of the album’s most guitar-driven, using a cyclical downbeat bluesy riff that emits a subtle sultriness. Similar to ‘Climbing Up the Walls’, the slightly muffled nature of Yorke’s vocals adds a sexy element to lines such as “I used to think, I used to think/ There was no future left at all.”
The bassline, performed by Colin Greenwood, was inspired by Bernard Edwards from Chic, which explains the traces of funk that give the track an infectious quality.
‘Jigsaw Falling into Place’
Taken from In Rainbows, ”Jigsaw Falling into Place’ is effortlessly smooth, demonstrating the band’s skills for creating a phenomenal piece of music that maintains a rather linear and steady rhythm. An acoustic guitar and melodic backing vocals are the track’s cornerstones, propelled forward by Yorke’s narrative. His low voice details stories of drunken nights, recalling the band’s time at university.
Lines such as “Just as you take my hand/ Just as you write my number down/ Just as the drinks arrive/ Just as they play your favourite song” create a lucid image of the buzz of going out and interacting with someone you really like. By the end of the song, regret segues in, but that doesn’t stop it from possessing an inherently sexy sound.
‘Lucky’
Acting as the penultimate track on OK Computer, ‘Lucky’ is full of contradictions and bold declarations, with Yorke labelling himself a “superhero” whilst simultaneously asking his lover to “kill me” and “Pull me out of the aircrash/ Pull me out of the lake.” The relationship that Yorke describes is co-dependent, finding solace in each other’s company even though “We are standing on the edge.”
The ominous opening seconds of ‘Lucky’ don’t initially feel incredibly sexy, but as the gentle guitar chords begin to play, the track quickly harnesses a sensual feeling. However, the chorus and outro see ‘Lucky’ hit its peak, with the distinctive riff warping around Yorke’s voice as the drums create a symphonic crash.
‘Man of War’
Although ‘Man of War’ was first performed by Radiohead in 1995, it wasn’t recorded until 1998 as a potential contribution to The Avengers soundtrack. However, the track didn’t make the cut and faded into obscurity until 2017’s OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017. ‘Man of War’ appears among various B-sides, but it stands out as one of the best due to its cinematic nature, reflected in the rise and fall of musical action that plays out in just four and a half minutes.
The guitar riffs possess an inherently sexy quality, making for the perfect companion to Yorke’s voice as he sings, “When you come home/ I’ll bake you a cake/ Made of all their eyes/ I wish you could see me/ Dressed for the kill/ You’re my man of war/ You’re my man of war.”
‘Paperbag Writer’
In 2004, Radiohead released an EP called Com Lag (2plus2isfive), which featured the track ‘Paperbag Writer’, an obvious tongue-in-cheek reference to The Beatles’ ‘Paperback Writer’. Yet the two songs couldn’t sound more different, with Radiohead’s taking inspiration from trip-hop beats. It also features delicate strings, which accompany Yorke’s soft delivery of “Blow into this paperbag.”
When Greenwood’s bassline kicks in, another layer of dynamism is added, giving the track an enigmatic and attractive quality. The track – one that is consistently overlooked – evokes mystery and secrecy, giving it an inexplicably seductive sound.
‘Talk Show Host’
Released in 1996, ‘Talk Show Host’ has quickly become one of the band’s most popular B-sides, perhaps because it is one of their most hypnotic tracks. Inspired by trip-hop artists such as Massive Attack and Portishead, the song slowly builds towards prominent drums courtesy of Philip Selway, which anchor the track’s calculated guitar riffs and Yorke’s sensual vocal delivery. As he sings, “You want me?/ Fucking well come and find me,” a gentle lilt in his voice loads the lines with mystery.
A Nellee Hooper remix of the track featured on the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film Romeo + Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, although it doesn’t pack the same punch as the original version.
