If you’re just now getting into Radiohead, you’re not alone. A lot of younger listeners are jumping on a bandwagon that has never really stopped since the late 1990s. OK Computer is the band’s third album and also one of their finest works. For those who have given it a listen (or plan to) and want to understand the real depth behind this deeply existential album, let’s take a look at the story behind the concept of OK Computer by Radiohead.
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What ‘OK Computer’ by Radiohead is Really About
OK Computer was very much a product of its time. The late 1990s was an era of immense growth, especially in terms of technology and digital landscapes. Where one might find a positive in that change, Radiohead saw it as something more dystopian.
Specifically, the lyrics behind much of OK Computer focus on the then-current culture’s obsession with consumerism, the rapid descent toward late-stage capitalism, political exhaustion, and the general feeling of being alienated from other people. This could apply to most of the world at the time, not just the band’s native United Kingdom.
Just as well, OK Computer explores a number of different themes outside of technology, from mortality to globalization.
Plenty of artists have explored these concepts before, but few bands were doing it in 1997. One could say that OK Computer was a window into the future, considering a lot of the problems the record explored are problems we’re having today.
Outside of the incredible, beautifully written, and emotionally arresting lyrics on this album, the actual music was on another level in the late 1990s. Radiohead used a number of unusual yet groundbreaking production ideas and techniques for this album. They used natural reverb, for one thing. Despite sounding digital at times (which was on-theme for the subject matter), almost the entirety of the record was recorded live, with no audio separation.
Listeners identified with the album’s lyricism and fascinating production. Despite not being the easiest record to market, OK Computer hit no. 1 on the UK Albums chart and debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Today, OK Computer is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. I could keep writing about it and picking it apart. But when it comes down to it, there is absolutely nothing like hearing the album for yourself.
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