Radiohead's Grammy-Winning Masterpiece Soars To A NeW All-Time High

Forbes

19 hours ago

For weeks now, Radiohead's 'Let Down' has been rising on charts globally. The tune is one of the rare surprise smashes that comes out of nowhere, as people on social media platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) have turned the track into a hit long after it was originally released – and many are discovering it for the first time.
Thanks to the way charts are constructed these days, a huge increase in streams or sales of one track featured on an album can benefit the parent project — and that's exactly what's happening with OK Computer. That beloved set is on the rise in America once again, decades after it initially helped establish Radiohead as one of the most progressive and interesting groups in alternative rock.
'Let Down' Climbs Globally
'Let Down' appears on half a dozen Billboard charts, four of which are focused entirely on American consumption. While the track — never pushed as a single — dips on several rock and alternative lists, it does manage to climb worldwide. 'Let Down' reaches new peaks on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S., surging to Nos. 155 and 186, respectively.
OK Computer Hits a New Alternative Peak
All the attention being paid to 'Let Down' is aiding OK Computer, specifically in the United States. The full-length climbs on a trio of tallies and even manages to hit a new all-time peak on the Top Alternative Albums chart, which details the most consumed alternative projects in the U.S. The band's early career release jumps from No. 21 to No. 17 in its eleventh frame on that list.
Radiohead's Decades-Late Debut
OK Computer only debuted on the Top Alternative Albums ranking in May of this year, thanks to the sudden popularity of 'Let Down.' The Top Alternative Albums chart didn't exist when the full-length was new, so it took a very special set of circumstances to send it to this list.
Even as it climbs to a never-before-seen high, OK Computer stands as the second-lowest-peaking of the band's nine appearances on the alternative-only roster. Only The Best Of (2 CD Limited Edition), which stalled at No. 22, has managed a lower high point.
Radiohead's Gains on the Rock Charts
OK Computer is also growing on two other rankings, though it doesn't reach peak positions on either of them. The set jumps two spaces on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, settling at No. 38 — one spot below its all-time peak of No. 37.
On the Billboard 200, where it originally rose to No. 21, OK Computer surges 10 spots to No. 145. Luminate reports that the set, originally released in 1997, moved another 10,300 equivalent copies in the past tracking period, which is up a little more than 2.5% from the frame before.
OK Computer's Ongoing Cultural Impact
Upon its release in June 1997, OK Computer marked a turning point for Radiohead, shifting its sound from guitar-driven Britpop toward more experimental, atmospheric sounds. The title became a critical triumph, earning the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. Widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of the 1990s, its helped show what could become commercially successful, and its influence on countless bands that came after it dropped is hard to state.