Why did Radiohead think ‘Paranoid Android’ would be ignored?
Since the beginning of their career, Radiohead have subverted the norm and operated utterly on their own accord. Their decisions are always driven by their creative senses rather than worrying about possible commercial results.
Following the stratospheric success of The Bends, which led to Radiohead being unwillingly classified as a Britpop band, the group needed to make a drastic change with their next project. It was crucial their first single from their follow-up album was a left-field statement of intent which was incomparable to any other group on the planet.
Bravely, Radiohead decided upon ‘Paranoid Android’ as the lead cut from OK Computer, despite being the opposite of radio-friendly. It’s not a song that will appeal to people innocuously listening to the radio and wanting a piece of music to pass the time, yet, Radiohead decided to go along with it anyway.
In an interview with Melody Maker in 1997, Colin Greenwood explained how their label, Capitol, gave Radiohead their full support. He also said it was “hardly the radio-friendly, breakthrough, buzz bin unit shifter [radio stations] have been expecting”.
While BBC Radio 1 premiered the track on ‘The Evening Show’, Radiohead didn’t expect the biggest radio station in Britain to support the song during the daytime. At first, they were proven right to hold this suspicion, but the public spoke with their pockets by buying the record, eventually leading to it playing regularly on the station.
At one point, ‘Paranoid Android’ was being played to the nation on Radio 1 a dozen times a day, which was a source of pride for the band. However, it wouldn’t have happened if their fans didn’t buy the track in their numbers, placing it at three in the Official Singles Chart.
During an interview with MOJO in 2001, Thom Yorke said: “I was most proud of the fact we were able to get things slipped through [into the mainstream]. One of the proudest moments for me was getting ‘Paranoid Android’ on Radio 1. The reaction it got was just fucking wicked. Just amazing. “
He emotionally added: “You couldn’t listen to it a lot on Radio 1. Each time I’d hear it, I’d keep thinking about people doing intricate jobs in factories – working on industrial lathes – getting injured from the shock of being exposed to it (laughs). Otherwise, as regards that whole period… I think we just toured too long.”
Lead singles are intended to give fans a sample of an album, and the release of ‘Paranoid Android’ allowed Radiohead to break free from the shackles of The Bends, as they opened the doors to OK Computer. Even if the song didn’t get recognition from Radio 1, it would have still been a success for ushering in a bold new era for the band, and the radio play was the cherry on top of the icing.
