Paranoid Android: Radiohead’s Greatest Song Shouldn’t Have Worked as a Single

Everything pointed to Radiohead's lead single off OK Computer being the WORST pick to introduce fans to their third album. It was too long, it had no consistent chorus, and there were multiple time and key changes. Conventional wisdom pointed to it being a flop. But people loved it. This is the wild story behind the track, from how Thom Yorke wrote the lyrics, to cutting down the original 9-10 minute version (featuring a masterful Hammond Organ solo from Jonny Greenwood) down to fit the album, to producer Nigel Godrich's wizardry, and the full story behind the groundbreaking music video by Magnus Carlsson. 👉 Subscribe for More Videos: https://youtube.com/c/AndyFenstermaker/?sub_confirmation=1 ✉️ Read the transcript & hear the music on the Poetic Wax Substack: https://poeticwax.substack.com WATCH NEXT: ✓ Should Radiohead Be Canceled? https://youtu.be/PB2MqxVuauY ✓ Why Thom Yorke Hated "Let Down" https://youtu.be/cib584GTSWk ✓ The Story of Fake Plastic Trees: https://youtu.be/UjzAvjWhuCA 🎥 Radiohead on Poetic Wax: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLylroYWVYWWVUIWVFqMuPRxWfHae3_CBr Get OK Computer on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/4twmoT3 MY GEAR: ✅ U-Turn Orbit Turntable: https://amzn.to/4tLTheP ✅ Edifier Speakers: https://amzn.to/4eXfSQV ✅ RØDE PodMic https://amzn.to/4unPKmO ✅ Logitech MX Brio Webcam: https://amzn.to/4uohKXx ✅ Meze Audio 105 Silva Headphones: https://amzn.to/3QIIZgW Poetic Wax is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Thom Yorke Walks Into A Bar... 1:46 Fragments Gathered on the Road 4:25 The Influences Behind Paranoid Android 5:43 Chaos Captured in an Ancient Hall 9:38 The Single That Carried Its Own Weight 10:45 The Paranoid Android Music Video (The Robin Series) 13:14 The Echo That Remains 15:13 This SHOULDN'T Have Worked... CLIPS & REFERENCES: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Dir Garth Jennings, Touchstone Pictures, 2005): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh-W8QDVA9s Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Official Music Video) Credit Queen Official via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ Radiohead “Paranoid Android” (Official Music Video, Dir Magnus Carlsson, 1997): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHiGbolFFGw Radiohead Live at Glastonbury Festival (1997): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATvonKDt6jQ Radiohead “Paranoid Android” (Live at Mansfield, 1996): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNZ2pauQezc Radiohead “Paranoid Android” (Later with Jools Holland, 1997) cr BBC Music via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzPtr_n-m8A George Michael Bluth Does the Sad Walk (Arrested Development): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REiJQrmglBs Dave Grohl talking about Radiohead and Ok Computer (Reality Ain’t Pretty via YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTXJNG4DeA4 Radiohead MTV Interview with Matt Pinfield (June 15, 1997): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiwpL3NlzZ4 Radiohead “Paranoid Android” Live in Madrid Nov 5, 2025 (via Javi Dieguez): https://youtu.be/uqszJwLUiJc?si=oPkC0_-Urh8r9AIh Radiohead Interview with MTV Japan - April 1997 (via Serfi) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyIuMhkTEFY Thom & Ed in an Electronics Store (MuchMusic, June 3, 1997) via Radioheads Interviews Archive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS7dnkQpn6U Radiohead Interview for OK Computer (1997) via scaryclaireyfairy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FpFENbFw1A Radiohead Interview for OK Computer’s Release in 1997 (via scaryclaireyfairy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaCD7dwSujI #radiohead #paranoidandroid #thomyorke #jonnygreenwood #interview #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #andyfenstermaker #fensepost #vinylchannel #poeticwax #musicessay #musicstory #albumstory #musichistory #albumhistory #musicdocumentary