![]() ![]() Evidently, the song was not conceived with a unifying story in mind. The group has explained that "Paranoid Android" began as three separate songs which sounded cool when stuck together. I wish to stress that this is not necessarily what the song is meant to be about. Keeping in mind the way that lyrics like those in "Paranoid Android" have been used to convey meaning in other Radiohead songs, and liberally interpreting the symbolic significance of certain musical passages, I have constructed a narrative to accompany the song. The caustic and metallic chorus of "Bones" represents the song’s theme of bodily decay. The ethereal guitar flourishes in "Subterranean Homesick Alien" are the alien vessels of which Thom sings. The musical climax of "Nice Dream" is the nightmare that the song tries to deny. Radiohead have previously used musical phrases and passages to represent specific events, characters, and ideas in a song. By investing a short descriptive story with a moral, Thom can compress a complex theme like this into the small span of a song. Thom has explained that this song is about the human consequences of our ‘throw away’ materialistic society. In "Fake Plastic Trees," a single from The Bends, Thom sings a simple story about an old, weary couple, While not very meaningful in isolation, within the context of the song, these lyrics help evoke the feelings of aimlessness and impotence which are at its core. These two stanzas convey, with a minimum of words, the hectic oscillatory motion of the modern rat race, and the image of a spirit crushed by that race. Starting and then stopping, taking off and landing. ![]() Consider some of the lyrics to "Let Down," also from OK Computer, While they don't often provide a clear story, they usually evoke a mood, or a theme. But what does it mean? An analysis of how Thom has used lyrics in the past provides useful guidance. From the peculiar pleas of the opening stanzas, through the angry cries and distorted guitar riffs of the midsection, and breaking into the hymn-like pleadings which preface the jarring finale, "Paranoid Android" is a brilliant and exciting song. Please write me with your thoughts at is the meaning of "Paranoid Android," Radiohead's first single released from OK Computer? Is there any meaning to be found in its disjointed and bizarre lyrics? While the listener may not have a clue what lead singer Thom Yorke is singing about, the song remains engrossing and ultimately rewarding. ![]() ![]() It was included in the 2008 Radiohead: The Best Of.Paranoid Android: A Narrative Interpretation The track has been covered by artists in a variety of genres. At the 1998 Brit Awards, the song was nominated for Best British Single. Its animated music video, directed by Magnus Carlsson, was placed on heavy rotation on MTV, although the network censored portions containing nudity in the US. The track has appeared regularly on lists of the best songs of all time, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Released as the lead single from OK Computer, "Paranoid Android" charted at number three on the UK Singles Chart. "Paranoid Android" takes its name from Marvin the Paranoid Android of Douglas Adams series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The song is over six minutes long and contains four sections. The lyrics were written by singer Thom Yorke following an unpleasant experience in a Los Angeles bar. "Paranoid Android" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the lead single from their third studio album OK Computer (1997) on. ![]()
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