The Radiohead song Noel Gallagher bitterly compared to The Beatles
No artist has had more influence on the swathes of musicians that succeeded them than The Beatles. Carving out some of the most beloved songs of all time and influencing the industry in an unparalleled capacity, the stylings of the Fab Four can be felt across genres and generations of artists, and Radiohead are no exception.
Led by frontman and songwriter Thom Yorke, Radiohead spent the 1990s and 2000s honing their own distinctive form of alternative rock. Though their take on the genre was far more melancholic than their Liverpudlian predecessors, Radiohead, like many rock bands, were unable to escape the influence of the Beatles, perhaps most notably on ‘Karma Police’.
Forming the second single for their iconic 1997 record OK Computer, ‘Karma Police’ found Yorke contemplating the comforting inevitability of karma. “This is what you’ll get,” he repeats in the chorus, over a piano chord progression which might sound familiar to Beatles fans. The instrumentation is similar to the track ‘Sexy Sadie’ from their 1968 self-titled record, more commonly known as the White Album.
Noel Gallagher of Oasis, who has never been shy with sharing his dislike for Radiohead, once bitterly compared the two tracks. While explaining the influence of The Beatles on his own songwriting in a conversation for The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters, the Gallagher brother suggested that Radiohead and Oasis were treated differently for lifting from the Fab Four.
“I’ll put it to you this way,” he began, “When Radiohead in the middle of ‘Karma Police’ dropped that bit in of ‘Sexy Sadie,’ to all the people down here that’s fucking brilliant, but when I do it I’m accused of some kind of plagiarism.” Despite his apparent bitterness towards Radiohead’s borrowing from the Beatles, Gallagher went on to suggest that he’s not against artists taking inspiration from their predecessors.
“The Beatles are in my DNA, and the Sex Pistols and The Kinks and The Who, for that matter,” he stated, “If bits of their songs find their way into mine, great; they’re well within their rights to sue me and I’m not arsed.” Bits of their songs certainly did find their way into the sound of Oasis, who admittedly owe a lot to the inspiration of the Beatles.
“That’s what music is,” Gallagher concluded, “You’re supposed to inspire the next generation. The Beatles were finished before Oasis came along anyway.” Whether it’s the brief glimpses of the Fab Four that crop up in Radiohead’s catalogue or the more direct impact they had on the likes of Oasis, the Beatles certainly did inspire generations of future musicians and hits.
Revisit ‘Karma Police’ below.
