The first single Thom Yorke ever owned
As the story goes for many successful musicians, Thom Yorke first knew he wanted to be a performer from a young age. After witnessing Brain May playing the guitar on television, Yorke decided he needed to pick up an instrument and began playing shortly thereafter. He experimented in bands during his days as a student before forming On A Friday, a group which would be renamed Radiohead in 1985.
During that same period, Yorke saw Siouxsie and the Banshees play live, solidifying his decision to become a musician. Their performance “completely blew my mind”, Yorke told Matt Everitt on The First Time With podcast, adding: “I’d never seen anyone manage to captivate an audience like she did. They were amazing to watch. It was an amazing show.”
Radiohead got off to an odd start following their signing to EMI. Although their debut single ‘Creep’ was received with widespread success, the band’s first album, Pablo Honey, failed to impress critics, even though it did reach number two on the UK Album Charts. With the release of The Bends in 1995, however, Radiohead began to gain more critical respect, which was bolstered by the release of OK Computer, widely hailed as a masterpiece. In less than a decade, Radiohead were one of the biggest alternative rock bands on the planet, and to this day, they continue to dominate with their vast catalogue.
The band’s success has hinged upon their unwavering dedication to experimentation, shocking critics and fans when their next album after OK Computer, Kid A, was primarily rooted in electronic instruments. Yet, their fusion of rock and electronics was wholly innovative, and Kid A has been labelled a landmark record. With other classics like In Rainbows and, most recently, 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead have demonstrated an incredible talent for blending sounds from rock to classical strings, jazz and synths, completed by Yorke’s impressive lyricism.
In the same interview with Everitt, Yorke discussed some of the records that have impacted him most throughout his life, beginning with his first musical memory. He recalled hearing Mungo Jerry’s 1970 song ‘In the Summertime’ as a child, which his grandmother bought him. Recalling the moment, he exclaimed, “Man! I still love that song”.
He continued: “I saw the video they did. The chops on the guy…wow! It’s a great tune. It really is a great tune. Everything about it is like… the hell were these people on?”
The classic song was Mungo Jerry’s debut single and remains their best-known. Despite reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart and becoming the fourth best-selling song of all time, Mungo Jerry failed to follow the hit with anything else as successful. Radiohead, whose debut single was also an international hit, had the musical chops to build an enduring career instead of fading into one-hit-wonder territory like Mungo Jerry.
Revisit the classic track below.
