**The following is an essay I wrote for one of my lower division English classes this quarter. Wait, just forget I said that, this is an analysis of Radiohead. And this is my blog. Catherine Carroll's blog.
Generation Y-ers were given the chance to indulge in being the completely awkward individuals parental divorce, the internet, and video games had made them out to be. And frankly, this was possible thanks to an English band known as Radiohead, whose single titled “Creep,” resonated in the hearts of many, (probably millions, don’t count me on that though). The typical, avid Radiohead listener may or may not have low-self confidence, a tendency to be overly-pretentious about what he or she considers “good” music, and possibly wears really tight jeans and plaid shirts. Of course, these are all generalizations, and probably only speak for myself. In 1997, Radiohead released their third studio album OK Computer.
A considerable amount of the lyrics and artwork featured in the album share a common theme of isolation, anti-materialism, anti-government, all due in part to political and social stagnation. The album itself is a widely critically acclaimed and commercially successful work, that reinstated Radiohead’s status of being a band of truly experimental genius. Ok Computer’s first single, “Paranoid Android,” illustrates disdain for the conformist society that became ubiquitous in the mid to late 1990s (popular films like Office Space (1999) and the Matrix (1999) echo such themes, and show obvious rapport towards this new mundane way of life). Nearly every verse brings to mind a sense of the anonymity and monotonous lifestyle that is accompanied with working in cubicles, subscribing to inconsequential trends, and generally being a slave of a corrupt capitalistic society.
Nevertheless, to say Radiohead is a group of radical Marxists would be a bit of an over-exaggeration. “Paranoid Android’s” lyrics are indeed anti-capitalistic, and even quite abrasive in nature, however Radiohead is in a sense lamenting the obsessive consumerism found in the western world. In a tongue and cheek manner, the lyrics (and the way in which they are vocalized, think: distortion, confusion) express and induce the madness experienced by the protagonist in the song.
Before I proceed, let me say that Thom Yorke (lead vocalist and songwriter) has this wonderfully amazing voice that can reach the highest of octaves, and in a second, change to an almost monotone murmur. I will be the first person to admit though, his voice is not for everyone, as such, definitely not my dad nor my roommates. To me though, his voice, the songwriting, the instrumentals, everything, come together effortlessly to create hauntingly beautiful pieces of music. “Paranoid Android” is composed of three distinct parts (some argue four). I really do not want to do a second by second analysis of the song, ergo, the three main segments of the song and their significance:
PARANOID
The protagonist is presented as a feeble person (just listen to that falsetto!), “Please could you stop the noise/ I’m trying to get some rest.” Throughout the duration of the song, the line “What’s this?” is repeated numerous times, thus evoking a sense of insecurity and suspiciousness. All these queries are entirely rhetorical, which consequently, adds to the mounting paranoia of both the listener and the protagonist. The lyric “With your opinion that’s of no consequence at all,” transitions focus from the protagonist to the pronoun. Also, this line marks the beginning of the anti-government sentiment present in the rest of the song. The listener is told he does not have any real, discerning beliefs or notions, because of the asset-obsessed society he lives in.
DISCOVERY
An almost slurring Thom Yorke, sings around the 2:20 mark, “Ambition makes you look pretty ugly/ kicking and squealing, Gucci little piggy.” These lyrics clearly deride capitalism. True, the free market of the west has (relatively) allowed and prompted the economic stability and agency of many people, however as expressed in the following lyrics, happiness and the human spirit are drained from this system. Furthermore, the inclusion of the high fashion brand Gucci and its correlation with a filthy barn animal emphasizes the total disdain Yorke has for materialism (at least in this song, anyway).
ANDROID
At 3:34, the song takes a dramatic shift; a chorus of angelic-like chanting with the lyrics “Rain down. Come on down rain on me/ From a great height,” is repeated. Pristine and serene images come to mind, especially with the lyrically reinforced impressions of Heaven (“a great height”). The chorus continues to overlap with the repeated words, “The panic, the vomit.” The final lyric, “God loves His children, God loves His children, yeah,” shows great juxtaposition, unsettling images with a “caring” God. Again, Yorke is using sarcasm, but this time, to praise the ideological apparatus of religion.
I would not be lying if I said this album raised my IQ. In fact, it certainly did.
