Paranoid Android

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“Paranoid Android”
“Paranoid Android” cover
Single by Radiohead
from the album OK Computer
Released 26 May 1997
Format 7" vinyl, CD
Genre Alternative rock
Art rock
Length 6:23
Label Parlophone
Producer Nigel Godrich
Radiohead singles chronology
"Street Spirit (Fade Out)"
(1996)		 "Paranoid Android"
(1997)		 "Karma Police"
(1997)

"Paranoid Android" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, and was the lead single from the band's third album, OK Computer (1997). Its release marked the start of Radiohead's reputation as art rock innovators, and the album subsequently received huge acclaim. The song's structure, though unique among Radiohead material, was also responsible for most of the comparisons with 1970s progressive rock that the band subsequently earned. Singer Thom Yorke often refers to it as a "joke" song, though not derisively; the band continues to play it live at nearly every concert, usually toward the end of the set. The song's title refers to the depressed robot Marvin the Paranoid Android from Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The song appeared at #256 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Contents

[edit] History

Paranoid Android was recorded in actress Jane Seymour's fifteenth-century mansion, a house that Yorke was convinced was haunted.[1] Bassist Colin Greenwood said "On 'Paranoid Android' what we were into was the idea of a DJ Shadow meets The Beatles thing."[2] Thom Yorke also compared the song to The Beatles' work, saying "it really started out as three separate songs and we didn't know what to do with them. Then we thought of 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun' — which was obviously three different bits that John Lennon put together — and said 'Why don't we try that?'"[2]

Early versions of the song performed in 1996 had a different structure and varying lyrics. According to members of the band, "Paranoid Android" originally exceeded 10 minutes. It is unknown whether this long version, also fabled to include organ solos, was ever played live. However, it was possibly played by Radiohead at the Rock Werchter Festival in Belgium in July 1996, apparently the song's first live performance.

One month later, Radiohead began a brief tour as opening band for Alanis Morissette, in which they premiered many new songs that would go on to make up OK Computer, and played "Paranoid Android" regularly. By this point, the song was six to eight minutes long, without extended organ solos. However, the ending differed markedly from the final version of "Paranoid Android." The third section originally had the lyrics "Hallelujah", where the final version has "Rain down...", and instead of the lyrics "God loves his children /God loves his children, yeah," the final line of the song was reportedly, "God loves his children / That's why he kills 'em, yeah," which was part of a different third section which also included other different lyrics and was extended longer, eventually returning to the opening theme and guitar riff of the song's first section, while the released version ultimately went straight into the final guitar solo. When played live since 1997, the song is performed as on the album, lacking these elements.

[edit] Music video

Magnus Carlsson, Swedish creator of the animated series Robin of which the band were fans, was commissioned to make a music video. Having first wanted to do a video for "No Surprises" instead, Carlsson was uncertain how to approach "Paranoid Android". He came up with a scenario that was to the band's liking after locking himself in his office, staring out the window at a distant bridge while listening to nothing but the song over and over again.

This animated video features mild-mannered Robin and a friend venturing out into the world, running into miserable EU representatives, bullying pub patrons, two kissing leathermen, a junkie, deranged businessmen, mermaids, and an angel who plays ping pong with Robin after rescuing him. The band has a cameo appearance in the video at a bar, where they are sitting at a table drinking and watching a man with a head coming out of his navel dancing on top of their table.

Although the single did not receive much radio play due to its length, MTV immediately put the video in high rotation. However, the version most often shown on television was edited. Thom Yorke was not happy about this: "The video of 'Paranoid Android' has been censored by MTV. They took all nipples out of the cartoon, but they had no problem with the scene in which a man cuts off his own arms and legs." In Europe, MTV also blurred the head that protruded out of the dancing man's stomach. The uncut version was later compiled along with other Radiohead videos on the DVD and home video release 7 Television Commercials.

[edit] Cover versions

Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau has performed a cover of Paranoid Android on his album "Largo". It is also a live performance on his 2004 "Live in Tokyo" disc. Tribute and Radiohead cover albums also prominently feature the song; Christopher O'Riley's Hold Me to This features a version, as do Sia Furler on Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads and the reggae group Easy Star All-Stars on their cover album Radiodread. Los Angeles rock band Phantom Planet has also covered the song; a version of it is on their album Connect Sets, and they perform it live.

[edit] Track listing

  • CD1 CDNODATAS01
  1. "Paranoid Android"
  2. "Polyethylene Parts 1 & 2"
  3. "Pearly*"
  • CD2 CDNODATA01
  1. "Paranoid Android"
  2. "A Reminder"
  3. "Melatonin"

[edit] References

  1. ^ Paranoid Android. Rolling Stone (2004-12-09). Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
  2. ^ a b Paranoid Android. Radiohead At Ease. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.

[edit] External links

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