3 Anxious Classics From Radiohead’s Masterpiece ‘OK Computer’

When I first heard OK Computer in 1997, it sounded like the future to me. But it wasn’t just the glitching production or the sound of Radiohead as the band entered its post-rock phase. Lyrically, the songs seemed to predict a dystopian future where capitalism, governments, and technology run amok. Or perhaps, the dystopia had already arrived.

Well, here we are. So let’s revisit three anxious classics from Radiohead’s prescient masterpiece.

“Airbag”

If you’re looking for an anxiety-inducing opening track title, you’ve come to the right place. When you feel a total loss of control, there’s always the safety of a rapidly inflating bag of gas that’s deployed following the collision. Written abstractly, Thom York gets reborn after jackknifing near calamity. It’s surviving the crash, the storm, the chaos. Producer Nigel Godrich directs the band through distorted drums, a stop-and-go bass groove, and celestial guitar layers from Ed O’Brien and Jonny Greenwood. It echoes both the crashing cars and the morning after—the coming to as one removes the bandages.

In an interstellar burst,
I’m back to save the universe.

“Exit Music (For A Film)”

Originally written for Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film adaptation of Romeo And Juliet, Yorke wrote a song about two lovers kept apart—so they vow to be together after (or in) death. But the band was also obsessed at the time with Johnny Cash’s live album recorded at Folsom Prison. Cash’s iconic 1968 recording inspired the upfront vocal mix. It sounds like Yorke is in the room with the listener. “Wake from your sleep,” he sings. Later, “Breathe, keep breathing. I can’t do this alone.” Utterly gorgeous, heartbreaking, unnerving.

We hope that you choke,
That you choke.

“Fitter Happier”

Before we became accustomed to the sound of Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, there was the synthesized voice of Macintosh’s Fred. Atop Yorke’s wobbly piano notes, Fred delivers a list of random pronouncements about self-improvement. You can exercise, improve your diet, improve work relationships, drive better in a safer car, avoid the microwave, sleep well, have no more bad dreams, routinely check your credit score, see old friends, stop killing bugs, and avoid childish behaviors. And “Fitter Happier” could have come out today as humans obsess over counting steps and sleep hours on their phones and smartwatches, tallying social media likes, and optimizing their lives for more productivity in an endless and unsustainable doom loop to achieve “more.”

Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images