No Surprises
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| “No Surprises” | |||||
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| Single by Radiohead from the album OK Computer |
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| Released | 12 January 1998 | ||||
| Format | CD, 12", Cassette | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock Art rock |
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| Length | 3:49 | ||||
| Label | Parlophone | ||||
| Producer | Nigel Godrich, Radiohead | ||||
| Radiohead singles chronology | |||||
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| OK Computer track listing | |||||
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"No Surprises" is the third single from Radiohead's 1997 album OK Computer. The song peaked at #4 in the UK and is perhaps the most instantly melodic Radiohead track, thanks to its soft electric guitar riff. The sparkly backing contrasts with sad and resigned lyrics, which contributes to the emotion of the track.
Thom Yorke introduced the song to his bandmates and the members of R.E.M. on the R.E.M. Monster Tour. They were all gathered on 3 August 1995, in a dressing room in Oslo, Norway. The lyrics originally told the story of a man who has become fed up with the way things are working out for him and is having problems with his girlfriend. Two lines from this version are, "He was sick of her excuses / To not take off her dress when bleedin' in the bathroom." Preparing to record the song, Thom Yorke altered the lyrics dramatically; instead of telling a love story about a man and his girlfriend, the song now appears to figuratively reference taking one's own life (as evidenced in lyrics such as "I'll take a quiet life/A handshake/Of carbon monoxide") to illustrate contempt for the complacency of British "normality". Musically and lyrically more direct than most of Radiohead's work, this track was also seen to fit smoothly into an album as complex as OK Computer.
Jonny Greenwood has commented on the recording of the song, saying "'No Surprises' was used to try our new equipment out. We thought it wasn't good to save that recording. It still sounds a bit "careful" and that suits the song."
The song is prominently featured in the soundtrack of the 2000 film L'Auberge espagnole.
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[edit] Music video
The single featured a simple video which consists entirely of a close-up shot of Thom Yorke's head inside a plastic bubble which slowly fills up with water until he is completely submerged. He spends 57 seconds completely submerged with his breath held before the water is released and he resumes singing. The documentary Meeting People Is Easy showed that Thom only held his breath for a fraction of the time, done by speeding up the track Thom is miming to as his face becomes totally submerged and that the footage was edited to make it look like he was under for longer. Additionally, reflected on the bubble the lyrics scroll up and lights blink on and off. Both the video and the documentary were directed by Grant Gee.
[edit] Cover versions
- "No Surprises" has been covered by the Japanese band Triceratops. It is used as the ending theme for the TV drama adaptation of Ballad of a Shinigami.
- The song was recorded by Shawn Lee for the 2006 tribute album Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads.
- There is a live version of The Mountain Goats performing a cover of this for radio station WFMU.
- The song was covered acoustically by Iron & Wine as an encore to their set at Pitchfork Music Festival on July 14, 2007.
- The song was covered humorously by Australian satire group The Chaser, paying homage to it as Australia's third favourite album. The 'crazy warehouse guy' (Andrew Hansen) singing the song is a regular character on the series.
- Covered by the Easy Star All-Stars for their reggae concept album Radiodread
- The song was covered live by Oxfordshire band Faster Now in February 2008
- Covered by the singer/song writer Ari Hest.
[edit] Track listings
- CD1 CDNODATAS04
- "No Surprises" – 3:51
- "Palo Alto" – 3:44
- "How I Made My Millions" – 3:07
- CD2 CDNODATA04
[edit] Trivia
- Thom Yorke originally wanted "No Surprises" as the closing track of OK Computer. Eventually the band reached a compromise, closing the album with "Lucky" (a song that had been released two years earlier for a War Child charity benefit album) and "The Tourist" (a song written very late in the recording period by guitarist Jonny Greenwood). In the handwritten track listing on the album's inside back cover artwork, a large space can be seen separating "No Surprises" from the two closing songs, apparently due to the last minute change; on vinyl, these two songs were given the entire fourth side to themselves.
- In the 2000s, live performances of "No Surprises", especially in the United States, have taken on an added significance not originally foreseen by the band. Though not directly a political protest song, "No Surprises" contains the lines "bring down the government / they don't, they don't speak for us." At many US Radiohead concerts, particularly since 2003, these lines have been met with cheers from the crowd and inspired the American audience to sing along, apparently in an expression of dissent from the government of George W. Bush. R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe has commented on this phenomenon as inspiring a personal epiphany for him when he attended Radiohead's 2003 concert at the Hollywood Bowl.[citation needed] In an interview on ITV, he even described it as "the most overwhelming moment" in his life.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- No Surprises (disc 2) at MusicBrainz
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