Paranoid Android
"Paranoid Android" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, serving as the lead single from their third studio album, OK Computer. Released on 26 May 1997 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Capitol Records in the United States, the track runs for 6 minutes and 27 seconds and features a multi-part structure divided into four distinct sections that shift through various tempos, keys, and moods.[1][2] The song's title derives from Marvin, the depressed and pessimistic android character in Douglas Adams' science fiction comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[2] Composed primarily by frontman Thom Yorke with contributions from the full band, "Paranoid Android" originated from improvisational jamming sessions during the recording of OK Computer in early 1996, where disparate song fragments were combined into a cohesive epic.[2] Produced by Nigel Godrich, the track draws stylistic influences from the elaborate, multi-section compositions of Queen—particularly "Bohemian Rhapsody"—and the Beatles' "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," blending acoustic introspection, orchestral swells, and a chaotic guitar-driven climax to evoke themes of alienation, societal disconnection, and modern anxiety.[2] Upon release, "Paranoid Android" debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, marking Radiohead's highest-charting single at the time and earning immediate praise for its ambition despite its unconventional length for radio play.[3] Critics lauded its innovative structure and emotional depth, with Rolling Stone later ranking it number 267 on their 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4] The song's accompanying music video, directed and animated by Swedish illustrator Magnus Carlsson, presents a surreal, grotesque tableau of urban decay and bizarre characters in a European city, amplifying the track's sense of unease without directly featuring the band.[5] Over the years, "Paranoid Android" has become one of Radiohead's signature works, frequently performed live—including during their 2025 tour—and widely regarded as a landmark in alternative rock for pushing the boundaries of song form and production.[6]Background and Development
Writing Process
The song "Paranoid Android" originated from an incident Thom Yorke witnessed in a Los Angeles bar during Radiohead's 1996 tour, where a woman reacted violently after someone spilled a drink on her, inspiring lyrics that evoke themes of alienation and human disconnection.[7] Yorke later described the woman's expression as "inhuman," noting, "There was a look in this woman's eyes that I'd never seen before anywhere," which fueled his sense of societal detachment during the trip.[7] This experience contributed to the track's portrayal of urban paranoia and emotional collapse, aligning with the broader conceptual framework of the band's third album, OK Computer.[8] The title draws directly from Marvin the Paranoid Android, the depressed robot character in Douglas Adams' science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[2] Yorke cited the reference as a humorous counterpoint to the song's dark tone, explaining that "what liberates Paranoid Android is a sense of humour - Marvin the paranoid android. The blackest things can be said with jokes."[7] Yorke and the band assembled the track by fusing three distinct song fragments, each originating from different members, into a single multi-part composition.[7] This approach was explicitly modeled after The Beatles' "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" for its spliced structure and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" for its ambitious, shifting sections, with Yorke recalling, "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]'... and said, 'Why don't we try that?'"[7][2] Development began during early 1996 rehearsals for OK Computer, where Yorke provided the foundational guitar riffs and vocal melodies that anchored the evolving piece.[9] An initial demo from these Oxfordshire sessions extended to approximately 15 minutes, capturing raw experiments with the song's sections before refinement.[10] Ed O'Brien noted the challenge of integration, stating, "We basically had three and a half songs and we wanted to put them into one song," highlighting the collaborative ideation phase prior to studio work.[7]Recording Sessions
The recording sessions for "Paranoid Android" primarily took place at St Catherine's Court, a 16th-century mansion in Bath, Somerset, during late 1996 and early 1997, under the production guidance of Nigel Godrich.[11] Initial work on the track had begun earlier that year at the band's self-built Canned Applause Studios in Oxfordshire, but the bulk of the production shifted to St Catherine's Court to foster a more immersive creative environment away from conventional studio constraints.[11] Godrich, who had previously collaborated with the band as an engineer, played a pivotal role in shaping the song's complex structure, manually splicing together sections recorded months apart onto a single 24-track tape.[11] The track originated from a 14-minute demo that combined elements of three separate song ideas, featuring an extended outro that lacked resolution; Godrich and the band edited it down to a concise 6:27 runtime through careful arrangement and excision decisions, preserving the multi-part form while enhancing its narrative flow.[12] This process emphasized dynamic contrasts, with sections captured in single takes to maintain organic energy, often using guide vocals that Thom Yorke later overdubbed for precision.[12] Instrumentation drew from a rich palette to build the song's textural depth, including layered electric guitars processed through Fender Twin Reverb and Vox AC30 amplifiers for the abrasive riffs and solos, Jonny Greenwood's Hammond XB2 organ for harmonic swells, and a Mellotron providing eerie choir simulations in the transitional passages.[11][13][14] Additional orchestral-like elements emerged from multi-tracked choral vocals in the breakdown section, where Yorke layered his own harmonies to evoke a haunting, collective unease, recorded using Neumann U47 and Rode NTK microphones with minimal reverb and delay for natural timbre.[12] Yorke faced particular difficulties in nailing the emotional intensity of these overdubs, requiring multiple passes to achieve the desired falsetto precision and harmonic blend amid the track's shifting tempos.[12] Final mixing occurred at AIR Studios and Mayfair Studios in London, where Godrich balanced the song's abrupt transitions and volume swells using Otari tape machines and EMT 140 plate reverbs, ensuring the dynamic shifts—from frenetic aggression to introspective calm—remained impactful without overwhelming the listener.[11]Musical Composition
Structure and Arrangement
"Paranoid Android" features a four-part structure that divides the track into distinct yet interconnected sections, creating a dynamic progression through varying rhythms and textures. The song opens with a verse-chorus form in 4/4 time, characterized by an acoustic guitar intro that establishes a brooding atmosphere before building into layered electric elements. This initial segment maintains a steady tempo of approximately 82 beats per minute (BPM), with the arrangement emphasizing clean tones and subtle instrumentation to draw listeners into the composition.[15][16][12] The second section shifts to a swing-inflected passage in 7/8 time, introducing irregular phrasing that disrupts the established pulse and evokes a sense of unease through its off-kilter rhythm. This is followed by a heavy guitar riff section, where electric distortion builds aggressively, featuring a prominent solo by guitarist Jonny Greenwood that showcases dissonant bends and rapid phrasing. The track then transitions into an orchestral outro, incorporating Mellotron choir sounds for a sweeping, layered climax that fades into resolution. These changes reflect influences from progressive rock, particularly Genesis's multi-part epics like "Supper's Ready," as well as broader art rock traditions that prioritize structural experimentation.[16][17][12][18] Throughout its 6:27 duration, the song modulates keys starting in G minor and incorporating shifts to related modes such as G Dorian and D minor, culminating in tonal areas approaching A minor for added tension; these modulations heighten the sense of unease and progression through the themes of alienation. Tempo variations further enhance the pacing, creating a decelerating, immersive close in the outro. Seamless transitions between sections are achieved through the recording process's complex layering of guitars, keyboards, and orchestral elements, ensuring a cohesive flow despite the stylistic shifts.[19][15][17][12]Lyrics and Themes
The lyrics of "Paranoid Android" were written primarily by Radiohead's lead singer Thom Yorke, portraying a dystopian vision of societal breakdown marked by violence, emotional numbness, and unchecked greed, as exemplified in the line "When I am king, you will be first against the wall" which evokes revolutionary retribution against the elite.[20] Yorke drew direct inspiration from a disturbing night in 1996 at a Los Angeles bar, where he felt overwhelmed by aggressive, cocaine-fueled patrons, including a woman he described as "inhuman" with a "strange look in her eye," leading to imagery like the "kicking, squealing Gucci little piggy" that satirizes superficial excess.[21][20] Central themes in the song revolve around mental instability, profound alienation in contemporary society, and a sharp anti-capitalist critique, reflecting Yorke's frustration with the dehumanizing effects of fame and consumerism during the band's grueling tours.[22] The lyrics capture a sense of paranoia and disconnection, with references to "yuppies networking" and ambition distorting human relations, underscoring a broader commentary on apathy amid corporate dominance.[21] Yorke has characterized the song as a visceral "rant" against yuppie culture, stating it concerns "'the dullest fucking people on Earth,'" highlighting his disdain for the shallow, self-serving social climbers he encountered.[23] Employing a stream-of-consciousness approach across its four distinct sections, the lyrics weave absurd, fragmented imagery—such as "unclear voices in my head" and pleas amid "panic, the vomit"—to convey an unfiltered torrent of insomnia-fueled thoughts rather than a coherent storyline.[20] This style evolved significantly from early demos recorded during Radiohead's 1996 tour with Alanis Morissette, where the piece stretched over 14 minutes in live performances and featured extended improvisations like a Hammond organ outro; the final studio version, pared down to six minutes, prioritized surreal, non-literal expression to heighten the disorienting atmosphere over straightforward narrative.[8]Release and Formats
Commercial Release
"Paranoid Android" was released on 26 May 1997 as the lead single from Radiohead's third studio album, OK Computer, by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and Capitol Records in the United States.[1][24] The single's rollout was designed to build anticipation for the album's impending release, with the track premiering on BBC Radio 1's The Evening Session, hosted by Steve Lamacq, on 30 April 1997.[7] The promotional campaign emphasized radio airplay and media appearances to introduce the song's ambitious six-and-a-half-minute structure and its ties to the album's dystopian exploration of technology, alienation, and modern disconnection.[24][25] Initial radio plays began in April, expanding to broader stations by 30 April, alongside television interviews on The Big Breakfast and an exclusive performance on The Chart Show.[24] Press coverage, including features in Melody Maker, highlighted the single's experimental edge as a departure from radio-friendly norms, positioning Radiohead as innovators in alternative rock.[24] The single was issued in multiple formats, including CD singles and 7-inch vinyl, with international editions featuring variations such as digipaks in Australasia and limited-edition translucent vinyl in the UK.[1] Exclusive B-sides like "Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)" and "Pearly*" were included on CD editions, offering fans unreleased material not available on the album.[1] These bundling choices supported targeted marketing in different regions, with promotional copies distributed to broadcasters via specialized artwork derived from the single's visuals.[1]Track Listings and B-Sides
The "Paranoid Android" single was released on May 26, 1997, in multiple formats by Parlophone Records, with variations across regions and editions.[1] In the United Kingdom, two CD singles were issued. CD1 (catalogue number CDODATAS 01) featured the following tracks:| Track | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paranoid Android | 6:27 |
| 2 | Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2) | 4:23 |
| 3 | Pearly* | 3:34 |
| Track | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paranoid Android | 6:27 |
| 2 | A Reminder | 3:50 |
| 3 | Melatonin | 2:11 |
Commercial Performance
Chart Performance
"Paranoid Android" achieved significant commercial success upon its release, particularly in the UK, where it became Radiohead's highest-charting single to date. The track entered the UK Singles Chart at number three during the week ending 7 June 1997 and spent a total of eight weeks on the chart, including three weeks in the top 40.[30] Its performance was bolstered by the anticipation surrounding the album OK Computer, which generated substantial buzz, along with strong radio support that amplified its visibility. In the United States, "Paranoid Android" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 but received airplay on alternative radio formats and MTV, highlighting its appeal within niche audiences despite limited mainstream promotion. The single's international performance varied, with a notable entry in Australia, where it reached number 29 and spent two weeks on the chart. These positions underscored the song's global resonance, driven by the album's critical acclaim and cross-border radio play.| Chart (1997) | Peak Position | Weeks on Chart |
|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 3 | 8 |
| Australian Singles | 29 | 2 |