Gimme That Dope Depressing Sh*t
OK Computer, Parlophone/Capitol (1997)
By R. J. F.
I was vaguely aware of Radiohead when I was 15, but almost everyone that listened to alternative radio had at least heard their song “Creep” and had maybe seen their hazy looking music video for the song. Personally, I had really latched onto their song “Talk Show Host” because it was on the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack, which I had been obsessed with the year prior. By the time OK Computer was released in 1997, I was well on my way into my depressive and angsty teenage years. I thought I was edgy because I wrote poetry, wore oodles of black rubber band bracelets, and had a penchant for plastering gel glitter around my eyes, a look that is now synonymous with the show Euphoria. So, when radio stations started playing “Karma Police” off of Ok Computer on an endless loop, I figured I’d give this band a real shot since I had enjoyed some of their songs.
I loved the album from the get go. I would listen to it every night as I was falling asleep, my Discman headphones uncomfortably pressing against my ear as I was laying on my pillow. As usual, the depressing songs struck me the most. “Exit Music (For A Film)” fits this role perfectly. It starts with an acoustic guitar and lead singer Thom Yorke singing, “Wake from your sleep, the drying of your tears, today we escape, we escape.” This was all that my little, dark soul needed. Eventually, the song becomes more powerful as it continues and a distorted guitar, as well as heavy drums, are added in. The song becomes one that you might hear in the middle of a nightmarish situation, and I loved it. The end of the song features Yorke softly singing, “We hope that you choke,” over and over again. The grumpy teenage version of myself was in depressive heaven.
I don’t know if “Fitter Happier” can really be considered a song. Sure, there’s a piano playing in the background, but is it really a song? There’s no real melody, or what one might consider to be a melody. The lyrics are a computer voice reading a laundry list of adult duties that eventually take on more morbid tasks such as, “Will not cry in public.” There is some kind of electro noise going on in the background that gives the feeling of suffocating under these duties. This is not to say that I don’t like this track. I just always wondered what the motivation to include it on this album was. The song is only about two minutes long, and is a disturbing break from what one would consider a song. “Fitter Happier” may bring about an existential crisis to be more empathetic to/towards people, as the computer voice drones on and eventually gets taken over by feedback. I guess that was the point: to make people feel like they are dying.
Many of the songs on the album are quite slow and somber. “Karma Police”, even though it was extremely popular, isn’t an upbeat tune that you would imagine being played on the radio nonstop. That’s why “Electioneering” is a welcome break from the genius drear that Radiohead brings forth on this album. It’s pretty much smack dab in the middle of OK Computer. I like to think that they chose the placement of this song to snap their listeners out of the morose state that the rest of the album put them into. With a tambourine keeping count in the background, and electric guitars surrounding Yorke’s voice, “Electioneering” brings a much needed kick to the guts to keep things moving along.
Ok Computer won the Grammy for “Best Alternative Music Album”, and it’s very clear why. It’s a carefully crafted suicide note, a look at the dark human pyche, a beautifully tragic story of unrequited love, everything that makes someone breakdown and then rebuild. I doubt Yorke, or the band really gave two fucks about winning that award, but an album that impacted the music scene in such a heavy way deserves recognition. I can still appreciate this album even though I have risen from the depths of listless teenage emotions (for the most part). Radiohead has produced some amazing work over their many years, but OK Computer solidified their presence and power in alternative music.
