Radiohead

Radiohead lives in the middle ground — 55 moderate songs that balance intensity with control. 7 quiet anchors and 16 songs where they let go completely.

The character of Radiohead

Across the 78 Radiohead songs we've measured, intensity averages 49/100 — right around the catalog average (46/100).

They run from How I Made My Millions (the calmest here, 15) to Ful Stop (the most charged, 88), with layered textures most common and a mix of the expected and the surprising. It spans 1993–2021.

The widest dynamic swing belongs to Paranoid Android.

6.6
Avg Intensity
78
Songs Decoded
3
Fan Stories
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The songs that hit hardest

Creep intense
complex texture · mild changes · DR 8 · 1993
Street Spirit (Fade Out) intense
harsh texture · none changes · DR 8 · 1995
Climbing Up the Walls intense
complex texture · moderate changes · DR 8 · 1997
Electioneering intense
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 8 · 1997
Paranoid Android intense
layered texture · frequent changes · DR 9 · 1997
Idioteque intense
complex texture · frequent changes · DR 9 · 2000
Life in a Glasshouse intense
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 8 · 2001
Like Spinning Plates intense
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 8 · 2001
2 Plus 2 Equals 5 intense
complex texture · frequent changes · DR 8 · 2003
2+2=5 intense
layered texture · frequent changes · DR 8 · 2003
A Wolf at the Door intense
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 8 · 2003
All I Need intense
layered texture · mild changes · DR 8 · 2007
Bodysnatchers intense
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 8 · 2007
Feral intense
complex texture · frequent changes · DR 8 · 2011
Staircase intense
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 2011
Ful Stop intense
complex texture · extreme changes · DR 8 · 2016

The controlled burn

Fake Plastic Trees moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 1995
Lift moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 1996
Airbag moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 1997
Exit Music (For a Film) moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 1997
Karma Police moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 1997
Let Down moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 1997
Lucky moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 1997
No Surprises moderate
smooth texture · none changes · DR 6 · 1997
Pearly* moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 1997
Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2) moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 1997
Subterranean Homesick Alien moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 1997
The Tourist moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 1997
How I Made My Millions moderate
smooth texture · none changes · DR 4 · 1998
Palo Alto moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 8 · 1998
Everything In Its Right Place moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2000
How to Disappear Completely moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2000
In Limbo moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 6 · 2000
Morning Bell moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2000
Motion Picture Soundtrack moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2000
Optimistic moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 2000
Dollars and Cents moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2001
Knives Out moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2001
Pyramid Song moderate
complex texture · none changes · DR 7 · 2001
Go to Sleep moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 2003
Myxomatosis moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2003
Sail to the Moon moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 5 · 2003
Scatterbrain moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 6 · 2003
There There moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2003
Videotape moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2003
Where I End and You Begin moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 2003
15 Step moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2007
House of Cards moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2007
Jigsaw Falling Into Place moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2007
Nude moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2007
Reckoner moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 8 · 2007
Weird Fishes moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2007
Harry Patch (In Memory Of) moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2009
These Are My Twisted Words moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2009
Codex moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2011
Give Up the Ghost moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 5 · 2011
Lotus Flower moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2011
Separator moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2011
Supercollider moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2011
The Butcher moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2011
The Daily Mail moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 2011
Spectre moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2015
Burn the Witch moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2016
Daydreaming moderate
smooth texture · none changes · DR 6 · 2016
Decks Dark moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 7 · 2016
Identikit moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2016
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2016
True Love Waits moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2016
I Promise moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2017
Man of War moderate
layered texture · moderate changes · DR 7 · 2017
Follow Me Around moderate
layered texture · mild changes · DR 6 · 2021

The quiet ones

Frequently asked about Radiohead

Answered from our measurements of every song above.

What is the most intense Radiohead song?

Of the 78 Radiohead songs we've measured, “Ful Stop” scores highest at 88/100 for intensity — computed from its dynamic range, texture, sudden changes and tempo.

What is the calmest Radiohead song?

“How I Made My Millions” measures gentlest at 15/100. It runs 72 BPM. The songs here span 15–88 on our 0–100 intensity scale.

How intense is Radiohead overall?

Radiohead averages 49/100 intensity across 78 measured songs — right at our 46/100 catalog average.

What is the average tempo of Radiohead?

The Radiohead songs we've measured average about 96 BPM — midtempo.

Which Radiohead songs are calm enough for background listening?

These measure in our gentlest band (steady level, no sudden shifts): “Glass Eyes”, “The Numbers”, “Present Tense”, “If You Say the Word”.

The Wall — Fan Stories

Share your story

I was the weird kid in every room I walked into until I was about 25. This song told me that was not just okay but that it was a real thing other people felt too. Thom Yorke screaming what do not belong here was the first time music made me feel less alone.

Daniel — London

I played this during a panic attack at 3am in a foreign city where I knew no one. The line about not being here calmed me down because it gave me permission to just float instead of fight. Strange medicine.

Matt — Berlin

My anxiety disorder makes me terrified of anything unexpected. This song title alone felt like a prayer. The xylophone melody is the safest sound I know. I play it before job interviews.

Emma — Toronto

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