Latest news with #OKComputer
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Radiohead's Nearly-30-Year-Old Song Hits New Peaks On Several Charts
Radiohead hasn't released a new studio album in more than nine years, and the band has mostly gone quiet. The members of the rock outfit have largely been focused on side projects and no new music is expected from the act, but recently, something unexpected happened. One of the group's tunes began to pick up steam, and it's become a certified, late-in-career hit for the alternative favorites – one which has been reaching new peaks on a number of Billboard charts for weeks now. "Let Down" Climbs on the Billboard Global Charts 'Let Down' is in the midst of a viral moment, and this week, it climbs on both of Billboard's global tallies. The track improves from No. 173 to No. 155 on the Billboard Global 200 and lifts from No. 200 — the very bottom of the ranking — to No. 186 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. list. Both of those positions now stand as new peaks for the OK Computer track, which is charting for the first time ever, more than two decades after it was released. Streaming Activity Pushes "Let Down" Higher The Radiohead cut debuted on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. just last week, so its upward movement isn't a surprise. On the Billboard Global 200, 'Let Down' is in its seventh week, and streaming activity and sales from multiple countries help it rise – but it seems that plays on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and others are largely to thank for the tune's success. TikTok and The Bear Drive the Revival The 'Let Down' resurgence began on TikTok, where creators have adopted the emotional slow-burn in a wave of content. A recent sync in the FX hit series The Bear aided in the cut's momentum. "Creep" Also Enjoys a Global Boost At the same time that 'Let Down' is growing, Radiohead's biggest single is also on the move. 'Creep' jumps from No. 48 to No. 43 on the Billboard Global 200. The tune doesn't hit a new high on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., but it recently passed 100 total weeks on both of the rankings. The alternative song has peaked as high as No. 52 outside the U.S. "Let Down" Drops on the U.S. Charts Despite its current traction globally, 'Let Down' is starting to trend downward in America. The tune is still present on four U.S.-focused Billboard rankings, but it is sliding on all of them this frame — a sign that its revival is playing out more abroad than at home at the moment. "Let Down" Marked a Surprise Return for Radiohead Originally released in 1997, 'Let Down' was never pushed as a single, but it's long been a fan favorite from OK Computer, which is widely considered to be one of the band's most important releases. Now, a quarter-century later, it's earning its first real run on the charts, showing that anything is possible in the streaming era.
Forbes
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Radiohead's Early-Career Masterpiece Leads A Sale Surge
Just a few weeks ago, Radiohead's song "Let Down" began picking up steam on TikTok. The tune quickly went viral and has spent more than a month reaching both longtime fans of the band and those who were previously unfamiliar with the track. Although "Let Down" was actually released decades ago, its recent success has spread to much of the Grammy-winning act's catalog. All the attention being paid to the tune — and to Radiohead in general — seems to be powering something of a comeback for the group. Multiple albums, which have already enjoyed their time in the spotlight, are now on the rise in the United Kingdom, and impressively, it's not just streams that are growing. Pure purchases are growing noticeably as well, which is a relatively uncommon occurrence when virality is involved. Radiohead Fills Three Spots on the Official Albums Sales Chart This week, Radiohead claims three spaces on the Official Albums Sales chart, the U.K. ranking that looks at the bestselling projects of any length or style. Three of the group's titles are rising — some by just one space, while others grow much more dramatically. OK Computer, which includes "Let Down" on its tracklist, ascends four rungs to No. 23, and it stands as Radiohead's current highest-placed and highest-rising full-length on the Official Albums Sales chart. At the same time, In Rainbows improves by just one space to No. 48. Further down the list, The Bends enjoys a significant push, jumping more than 20 spots to settle at No. 50. OK Computer Emerges as Radiohead's Most Successful Album Among all of Radiohead's charting albums, OK Computer is the most successful when looking at the total number of rankings on which it appears. The Bends and In Rainbows live on three tallies apiece, while OK Computer reaches one more and performs best overall, as it also hits No. 74 on the consumption-based Official Albums chart. 'Let Down' Manages a Revival, and It's Not Alone Radiohead may have "Let Down" to thank for this moment of glory, as the albums currently performing the best for the group are tied to the viral tune, but it's not the group's only hit song right now. "Let Down" itself appears on just two rankings, climbing on both the Official Singles Sales chart and the Official Streaming Chart. Another smash, "Creep," also manages to inch north two spaces on the streaming-only tally.
The Guardian
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘A succession of bad paintings': Stanley Donwood and Radiohead's Thom Yorke
For decades, Radiohead's Thom Yorke and the artist Stanley Donwood have been locked in an intense creative partnership. They scribble over each other's drawings, scrawl in each other's notebooks, push each other, inspire each other. Their work has been on every Radiohead album cover since 1995's The Bends, every Yorke solo record, every poster and every T-shirt. Nothing is farmed out to designers or agencies – Radiohead's visual identity has been fully overseen by Donwood and Yorke. And now, in a homecoming of sorts for local hero Yorke, their artistic output is being celebrated at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum. There's no doubt that Donwood and Yorke, who met while studying at the University of Exeter, have created some of the most recognisable, ubiquitous and maybe even iconic album covers of their generation. But do they make sense in a huge, historic gallery such as the Ashmolean? Does any of it make for good art? Does it stand up to scrutiny when removed from the context of the records and merchandise it was designed for? It's a nice dream, but nope. The exhibition starts with LPs, CDs, posters and T-shirts arranged as though you are in a very hip but dour record shop. The gasping, deathly resuscitation dummy of The Bends; the ghostly schematics and angry doodles of OK Computer; the weeping little fella of Amnesiac; the mountains of Kid A; the multicoloured poetry of Hail to the Thief; the woodcuts of Yorke's The Eraser. This is how the work was meant to be seen, this is the context it works best in: arranged as if in racks, as if you could pull a record off the wall and play it. Donwood clearly has an issue with art galleries. 'They're just intimidating – it's not very democratic,' says a quote of his on the wall. 'Whereas you go into a record shop and it's full of all kinds of oiks.' I'm not sure I buy into this. Record shops can have exactly the same atmosphere of sneering exclusivity as galleries. There's a touchiness here that makes the show feel a little bitter. Guys, you're in the Ashmolean. You're not kicking against the establishment, you're in it. The exhibition goes album by album, with sketchbooks and paintings displayed to lay bare their creative process. Everything is jointly attributed, positioning Yorke and Donwood as equals. OK Computer sets an unfairly high bar early on in the show. The 1997 album captured the era's zeitgeist with its anxious teardown of corporate facelessness, technological paranoia and capitalist excess. It still resonates, as does its sense of isolation and loneliness in a world where you're constantly surrounded by people. The artwork looked like nothing else of its era: featuring a motorway overlayed with airplane safety manuals and the ghosts of people rushing by, the cover image looks how the music sounds – cold, frustrated, isolated, desperate. A brilliant meeting of music and album artwork. But it works infinitely better as a CD insert. You gain almost nothing by seeing these digital images enlarged, framed and plonked on a gallery wall. Radiohead would struggle to capture the moment again in quite the way they did with OK Computer. The same goes for the art. Donwood and Yorke made vast, bleak acrylic paintings for the covers of Kid A and Amnesiac. Eight canvases are displayed here and they are an unbelievable mess: badly composed, poorly executed, smudgy, splodgy, confused landscapes that even the RA Summer Exhibition would reject. The paintings of spiders and trees for 2011's King of Limbs are even worse; sub-A Level attempts at Max Ernst that almost make me embarrassed for them. The woodcuts for Yorke's solo albums are less visually offensive, and the ultra-colourful paintings of rivers and forests for the most recent albums by his other band the Smile work better as artworks, but are still quite a distance from anything you'd call brilliant. Plenty of the work here, especially from the 90s and early 2000s, has entered the wider public consciousness in a way that proves album artwork has cultural heft. It matters. It has an impact. But that doesn't mean any of it is especially good, or even interesting, as art. If you're a Radiohead fan, there is tons of insight and detail here to keep you happy, but from an art perspective it is a succession of bad paintings. Donwood and Yorke probably shouldn't have put themselves in this position, but they did it to themselves, and that's what really hurts. This Is What You Get: Stanley Donwood, Radiohead, Thom Yorke is at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, from 6 August to 11 January
Forbes
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Radiohead Pushes Several Decades-Old Titles To New Chart Peaks
Radiohead's 'Let Down' climbs Billboard charts thanks to viral popularity, helping OK Computer reach ... More a new peak while 'Creep' hits 100 weeks globally. Musician Thom Yorke, of group Radiohead, performs, Chicago, Illinois, August 3, 2001. (Photo by) 2025 has turned out to be a big year for the band Radiohead, even though no brand new music has emerged, and none is expected at the moment. The group suddenly and unexpectedly went viral with the tune 'Let Down,' which has become a surprise hit. The decades-old composition has long been a favorite among fans, but only recently has it reached a more mainstream audience, thanks to platforms like TikTok. The popularity of 'Let Down' has been growing for weeks now. As it soars on several charts in the United States, the album it's featured on manages to hit a new high point at the same time. 'Let Down' Hits a New All-Time High At the moment, 'Let Down' appears on four Billboard rankings. It rises on two of them and declines — but only by one spot each — on the other pair. The track surges from No. 25 to No. 23 on the Alternative Streaming Songs list in just its second week on the tally, which ranks the most streamed alternative tunes across the country. The Radiohead cut reaches a never-before-seen peak as it improves its standing. The tune also returns to its previously-set high point on the general Hot Rock Songs chart, inching upward from No. 13 to No. 12. "Let Down" Boosts OK Computer's Chart Performance Continued consumption of 'Let Down' in particular helps OK Computer — the Radiohead album that the track is featured on — ascend. OK Computer lifts one spot on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, settling at No. 37. The band's third full-length project hits a new peak on the Billboard ranking 10 weeks into its resurgence, but decades after it was first released. At the same time, the critically-acclaimed studio effort holds at No. 153 on the Billboard 200, while descending slightly on the Top Alternative Albums roster. On that latter list, OK Computer reached its No. 19 high just last week and now dips two rungs to No. 21. As 'Let Down' Rises, 'Creep' Reaches a New Milestone As 'Let Down' reaches a brand new peak position, another Radiohead classic, 'Creep,' continues to stand out as perhaps the band's most celebrated tune. That cut declines slightly on both of Billboard's global rankings, but it does so as it reaches 100 weeks on the two tallies. That's a first for Radiohead, and it seems that renewed attention being paid to 'Let Down' has benefited more than just one track.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's why a classic Radiohead song is back in the charts again – and our pick of their best test tracks
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. If you're the sort of backwards cap-wearing whippersnapper who spends more time than they'd like to admit trawling the endless swathes of short-form content on popular social media platform TikTok, you may have already run into Radiohead's Let Down without even realising it. The jury's still out on TikTok and its impact on the still-forming brains of our society's youth, but for exposing audiences to new (and old) music that's often outside of the mainstream, it's performing a surprisingly valuable service. Let Down is just one of the many tracks enjoying a major resurgence thanks to its popularity on short-form social media. According to Forbes, the fifth track from Radiohead's seminal 1997 behemoth OK Computer has enjoyed such a revival that it's in danger of troubling the official US Hot 100 chart ranking, and it's not the only tune to have enjoyed such a retroactive bump. The likes of Alphaville's Forever Young, Coldplay's Everything's Not Lost and Modern Talking's Cheri Cheri Lady have become reborn colossi across the likes of YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, accompanying everything from Premier League goals compilations to in-depth makeup tutorials. I'll let you decide which of those I watch more often. Long may this continue. If TikTok gets more people listening to Radiohead and OK Computer, so much the better. That said, much as I appreciate the love for Let Down, it wouldn't be my go-to for testing anything from headphones to hi-fi. Instead, I'd direct audiences, be they teen TikTok trawlers or grizzled fellow Millennials, to the delights of another masterwork, this time taken from 2000's equally acclaimed masterwork Kid A. Let Down is great, but Everything In Its Right Place is the one to go for if you're serious about giving a product a chance to flex its muscles. We, as a What Hi-Fi? collective, have been using it since before TikTok was even a thing, and while it's another track enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to social media, we can't take much of the credit for the revival. Everything In Its Right Place represents, if such a thing exists, the definitive essence of Radiohead. It's an ethereal concoction, blending woozy, otherworldly synth sounds and warm, fuzzy keyboards with the unsettling glitches and twitches of a malfunctioning motherboard, pulling together seemingly contrary elements into a composition that feels both reassuringly warm and enveloping yet disturbingly fractured and bizarre. Perhaps the track's title would be best served by the inclusion of a question mark at its tail: Everything In Its Right Place? It's a sublime tester for anything you feel needs a test room challenge, but we particularly like the track for testing a pair of speakers. Those glitchy effects flit from one speaker to the other, elucidating how well a pair can handle organisation and separation, while Thom Yorke's arcing vocals should have both solidity and depth between your chosen pair of contenders. A great test of stereo imaging, then. We listen to a good deal of dear old Thom and his Oxford-born buddies, so we know which idiosyncrasies and vocal textures to seek out from that instantly recognisable falsetto. Yorke's voice should soar to appropriate heights, of course, but it's those oft-hidden elements, be they a slight hesitancy at the beginning of a line or the peaks and swells when singing words such as "everything" or "place" that should be tracked with absolute precision. We always come back to the same question: does he sound like he's singing at a pre-show rehearsal, or is this a man trying to communicate something with real emotional power? The longer it goes on, the more the intensity rises. Everything In Its Right Place might start off at a creeping pace, but it's the increasing sense of urgency as both tempo and volume build which creates, if you have the equipment, that paralysing sense of drama and heft. Once you're past the 1:30 mark, you should sense an active shift as the track changes gears from languid scene-setting to a clamorous and incessant climax in which layers upon layers pile upon one another, creating a dramatic denouement which should instil both panic and awe in equal measure. If you don't feel that change in tone, however, you may be dealing with hi-fi that doesn't have enough flexibility or sense of drama to take things to the next level. This being Radiohead, it's all about playing with your emotions. Do you feel unsettled yet intrigued by the track's moody, ambient opening, or just bored and uninvolved? Do you feel adrenalised yet slightly overwhelmed as it builds to its climax, or do you sense that the track, or the gear you're using to play it, is holding back? It's been something of a thrill to see social media reinvigorate the fortunes of various unexpected tunes, or else introduce a new generation of fans to music that isn't throwaway pop or a YouTube star's latest generic cash-in. If you're new to the world of Radiohead and want a truly mind-altering experience, I'd urge you to seek out Everything In Its Right Place. And if you want that experience to be genuinely life-altering, I'd urge you even more strongly to find headphones or hi-fi that can do it proper justice. MORE: JBL, Bose and Cambridge Audio: these are the 5 freshly announced products that are on our radar These are the best Radiohead tracks for testing your hi-fi 7 tracks we've been enjoying in our test rooms over the past month
