Editing Radiohead (section)

== Artistry ==
=== Style ===
Radiohead's musical style has been described as [[art rock]],{{refn|name="art-rock"|<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Radiohead: Biography |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/radiohead/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162156/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/radiohead/biography|archive-date=12 June 2018|access-date=20 January 2009 |quote="...the biggest art-rock act since Pink Floyd..."}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Radiohead – British rock group |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=http://www.britannica.com/topic/Radiohead|access-date=10 August 2015 |quote="...arguably the most accomplished art-rock band of the early 21st century..."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lahann |first1=Michael |title=All Surprises: Radiohead and the Art of Unconventional Album Releases |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/may/02/all-surprises-radiohead-and-art-of-unconventional-album-release |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 May 2016|access-date=8 May 2016}}</ref>}} [[alternative rock]],{{refn|name="alt-rock"|<ref name="allmusic-biography">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/radiohead-mn0000326249/biography |title=Radiohead biography |publisher=[[AllMusic]] | access-date=20 February 2016 |author=[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine|Erlewine, Stephen Thomas]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://consequence.net/2016/01/radiohead-will-tour-in-2016/ |title=Radiohead will tour in 2016 |publisher=[[Consequence of Sound]] |date=21 January 2016 | access-date=20 February 2016 |author=Young, Alex}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/12/sam-smith-thom-yorke-spectre-radiohead |title=Sam Smith Hasn't Heard Radiohead's Spectre Theme |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=12 January 2016 | access-date=20 February 2016 |author=Robinson, Will}}</ref>}} [[electronica]],{{refn|name="eletronica"|<ref>{{cite web |title=Ranked: Radiohead |url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/lists/ranked_radiohead/ |website=[[Under the Radar (magazine)|Under the Radar]]|access-date=8 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/kid-a-mw0000620999 |title=''Kid A'' – Radiohead |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=8 September 2011 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>}} [[experimental rock]],{{refn|name="exp-rock"|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/radiohead-tour-holly-herndon-shabazz-palaces/ |title=Why We're Happy Holly Herndon Is Touring with Radiohead |last1=Iadarola |first1=Alexander |website=[[Thump (Vice)|Thump]] |date=11 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512131123/https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/radiohead-tour-holly-herndon-shabazz-palaces|archive-date=12 May 2016|url-status=live |access-date=11 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/70598/true-love-waits-christopher-oriley-plays-radiohead |title=True Love Waits—Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=21 June 2003 | access-date=20 February 2016}}</ref>}} [[progressive rock]],<ref name="allmusic-biography" /> [[grunge]],<ref name="allmusic-biography" /> [[art pop]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Exit Music: How Radiohead's OK Computer Destroyed the Art-Pop Album in Order to Save It |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/ok-computer-at-20/10038-exit-music-how-radioheads-ok-computer-destroyed-the-art-pop-album-in-order-to-save-it/ |access-date=20 March 2017 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=20 March 2017}}</ref> and [[electronic rock]].<ref>{{cite web |date=23 April 2017 |title=Radiohead started a sonic revolution 25 years ago, and is still leading it |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/music/radiohead-tour-still-freshest-thing-in-music-2017/ |access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref> Critics found elements of [[grunge]] in their first album, ''Pablo Honey''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jahasuriya |first=Mehan |date=15 March 2009 |title=Jigsaw Falling into Place: Revisiting Radiohead's '90s Output |url=https://www.popmatters.com/71398-jigsaw-falling-into-place-revisiting-radioheads-90s-output-2496047786.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107022818/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/71398-jigsaw-falling-into-place-revisiting-radioheads-90s-output/P0/ |archive-date=7 January 2016 |access-date=28 December 2015 |work=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kemp |first=Mark |date=26 March 2009 |title=Radiohead: Pablo Honey, the Bends, OK Computer (Reissues) |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/radiohead/radiohead-pablo-honey-the-bends-ok-computer-reissu/ |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Spicer |first=Al |date=2008 |title=Radiohead Pablo Honey Review |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/j5xm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421180834/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/j5xm |archive-date=21 April 2010 |access-date=5 July 2010 |publisher=[[BBC Music]]}}</ref> Their second album, ''The Bends'', is sometimes described as [[Britpop]], though Radiohead disliked Britpop, seeing it as a "backwards-looking" pastiche.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Pappademas |first=Alex |date=23 June 2003 |title=The Spin Record Guide: Essential Britpop |url=http://www.spin.com/2003/06/spin-record-guide-essential-britpop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614002823/http://www.spin.com/2003/06/spin-record-guide-essential-britpop/ |archive-date=14 June 2017 |access-date=19 January 2017 |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=29 March 2017 |title=The 50 Best Britpop Albums |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/10045-the-50-best-britpop-albums/ |access-date=4 October 2024 |website=[[Pitchfork Magazine|Pitchfork]]}}</ref><ref name="inside OK Computer" /> O'Brien said they quickly tired of songs "with distorted guitars all the way through", preferring separation and "riffs and melodies that interweave at different registers".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Amit |first=Sharma |date=9 June 2020 |title=Ed O'Brien: 'The guitar to me is like an oscillator on a synthesizer – it's the start of a sound rather than the sound in itself' |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/ed-obrien-the-guitar-to-me-is-like-an-oscillator-on-a-synthesizer-its-the-start-of-a-sound-rather-than-the-sound-in-itself |access-date=14 February 2022 |website=[[Guitar World]] |language=en}}</ref>

Radiohead songs often use [[Pivot (music)|pivot]] notes and [[pedal points]], creating "looser, roomier" harmonies and a "bittersweet, doomy" feeling.<ref name="ROSS" /> Many use unusual or changing [[time signature]]s, such as "You", "[[Everything in Its Right Place|Everything In Its Right Place]]", "Morning Bell" and "[[15 Step]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Witmer |first=Phil |date=22 February 2018 |title=The first song on Radiohead's debut album predicted their future greatness |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/radiohead-you-pablo-honey-25th-anniversary-music-theory-essay/ |access-date=12 June 2024 |website=[[Vice (website)|Vice]] |language=en}}</ref> O'Brien said Radiohead were hesitant to create "epic" music, which they felt had negative associations of [[stadium rock]]. However, he conceded that "epic is also about beauty, like a majestic view", and cited "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" as an example of a song that was "obviously epic in scope".<ref>{{cite news |author=Paytress |first=Mark |date=1 January 2008 |title=Chasing Rainbows |work=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]}}</ref>

Jonny Greenwood said Radiohead strive to find a middle ground between their experimental influences and rock music, and were driven by a desire not to repeat themselves rather than to be "experimental".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pettigrew |first=Jason |date=September 2001 |title=How to reinvent completely |journal=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |issue=158}}</ref> The drummer [[Clive Deamer]], who has recorded and performed with Radiohead since 2011, said Radiohead do not see themselves as a rock band and that their methodology is closer to jazz: "They deliberately try to avoid cliché and standard forms for the sake of the song ... Rock bands don't do that. It's far more like a jazz mentality."<ref>{{cite news |date=11 April 2012 |title=How jazz secretly invaded pop music |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/how-jazz-secretly-invaded-pop-music-7630523.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718063833/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/how-jazz-secretly-invaded-pop-music-7630523.html |archive-date=18 July 2016 |access-date=25 July 2016 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Yorke dismissed accusations that Radiohead make "depressing" music, saying in 2004: "Depressing music to me is just shit music. It's like air freshener – just a nasty little poison in the air."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Draper |first=Brian |date=October 2004 |title=In-depth interview with Thom Yorke |url=https://highprofiles.info/interview/thom-yorke/ |access-date=21 January 2022 |website=High Profiles |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Songwriting ===
Though Yorke acts as Radiohead's director, all the members have a role in arrangement.<ref name="ECCLES" /><ref name="Klosterman-2003">{{Cite journal |last=Klosterman |first=Chuck |author-link=Chuck Klosterman |date=July 2003 |title=No more knives |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N0HASap-qBoC&dq=no%20more%20knives&pg=PA64 |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref> In 2004, Yorke said that while his power was once "absolutely unbalanced" and he would "subvert everybody else's power at all costs", later albums had been more democratic.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dalton |first=Stephen |date=1 April 2004 |title=Are we having fun yet? |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/11/1081326991553.html?from=storyrhs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112192700/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/11/1081326991553.html?from=storyrhs |archive-date=12 January 2008 |access-date=26 March 2007 |newspaper=[[The Age]] |location=Melbourne}}</ref> He apologised to his bandmates for his earlier "control freak" behaviour.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mohdin |first=Aamna |date=22 September 2019 |title=Thom Yorke opens up about pain of ex-partner's death |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/22/thom-yorke-ex-partners-death-desert-island-discs-rachel-owen |access-date=6 May 2023 |work=[[The Observer]] |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> O'Brien said that no member was replaceable and each was comfortable with their position.<ref name="Klosterman-2003" />

Radiohead songs usually begin as a sketch by Yorke, which is harmonically developed by Jonny Greenwood before the rest of the band develop their parts.<ref name="ROSS" /> Whereas Yorke does not read sheet music, Greenwood is trained in [[music theory]]. In ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'', Ryan Dombal wrote that "the duo's left brain-right brain dynamic has proven to be one of the most adventurous in rock history".<ref name="Pitchfork-review" /> Yorke typically plays [[rhythm guitar]], while Greenwood plays most [[lead guitar]] parts and O'Brien often creates ambient effects, making extensive use of [[effects unit]]s.<ref name="Wylie-1997">{{Cite journal |last=Wylie |first=Harry |date=November 1997 |title=Radiohead |journal=[[Total Guitar]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |issue=37}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=3 December 2010 |title=Ed O'Brien – 100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke's Picks |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-of-all-time-19691231/ed-obrien-20101202 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=24 August 2015}}</ref> On ''Pablo Honey'', all three guitarists typically played similar parts, creating a "[[Wall of Sound|wall of sound]]", but created more complex arrangements on later albums.<ref name="Wylie-1997" />

The ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac'' sessions brought a change in Radiohead's music and working methods.<ref name="ECCLES" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Radiohead: Biography |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/radiohead/biography |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926075633/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/radiohead/biography |archive-date=26 September 2011 |access-date=14 September 2011 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> Since their shift from conventional rock instrumentation, the members have gained flexibility and often switch instruments.<ref name="ECCLES" /> On ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac'', Yorke played keyboard and bass, Jonny Greenwood played [[ondes Martenot]], Colin Greenwood worked on sampling, and O'Brien and Selway worked with drum machines and digital manipulation.<ref name="ECCLES" />

Jonny Greenwood said he saw Radiohead as "just a kind of an arrangement to form songs using whatever technology suits the song", be it a cello or a laptop.<ref name="inside OK Computer" /> They often attempt several approaches to songs, and may develop them over years. For example, Radiohead first performed "[[True Love Waits (song)|True Love Waits]]" in 1995, and recorded several versions before releasing it on ''A Moon Shaped Pool'' in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=8 May 2016 |title=Review: in Radiohead's ''A Moon Shaped Pool'', patient perfectionism |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/09/arts/music/radiohead-a-moon-shaped-pool-review.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512202652/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/09/arts/music/radiohead-a-moon-shaped-pool-review.html |archive-date=12 May 2016 |access-date=10 September 2016 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Selway said Radiohead had a tendency to overanalyse their work: "You have it there and then you just try to pull it apart and then when you put it back together it doesn't look like a television set any more ... But it was there all along."<ref name="Selway-2017">{{cite interview |last=Selway |first=Philip |subject-link=Philip Selway |interviewer=John Kennedy |title=X-Posure with John Kennedy |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7itTi8B7P_4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7itTi8B7P_4 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live |work=[[Radio X (United Kingdom)|Radio X]] |publisher= |location= |date=June 2017 |author-link= |others=}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== Influences ===
Among Radiohead's earliest influences were [[Queen (band)|Queen]],<ref name="influenceone">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd8SBdqDd9k&t=1397s | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/Dd8SBdqDd9k| archive-date=28 October 2021 |title=WTF with Marc Maron [Thom Yorke audio interview] |publisher=youtube |date=25 May 2013 |access-date=1 October 2015 |quote=I love Queen, they are great when I was really small [...] and then as I hit as a teenager, the band that really changed my life was R.E.M. and Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and Bob Dylan}}{{cbignore}}<br />{{cite web |first=Jeff |last=Klingman |url=https://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2013/07/22/10-bullet-points-from-the-thom-yorke-interview-on-wtf-with-marc-maron |title=10 Bullet Points from the Thom Yorke Interview on WTF with Marc Maron |publisher=TheLmagazine.com |date=22 July 2013|access-date=23 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726113959/http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2013/07/22/10-bullet-points-from-the-thom-yorke-interview-on-wtf-with-marc-maron|archive-date=26 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Bob Dylan]],<ref name="influenceone" /> [[Pink Floyd]], [[Elvis Costello]], [[post-punk]] acts such as [[Joy Division]],<ref name="influenceone" /> [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]]<ref name="influenceone" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/EOBBandOfficial/posts/767582517144200 |title=Ed O'Brien about John McGeoch |website=Ed O'Brien Official website |date=18 September 2020|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201211204513/https://www.facebook.com/EOBBandOfficial/posts/767582517144200|archive-date=11 December 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Magazine (band)|Magazine]], and significantly 1980s [[alternative rock]] bands such as [[R.E.M.]],<ref name="influenceone" /> [[U2]], the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], [[the Smiths]] and [[Sonic Youth]].{{refn|name="influence-sonic-youth"|<ref name="guitar-world" /><ref name="ROSS" /><ref name="REYNOLDS" />}} Jonny Greenwood named the Magazine guitarist [[John McGeoch]] his biggest guitar influence.<ref>{{cite web |last=Greenwood |first=Jonny |date=11 February 2009 |title=I've been blown about for years |url=http://radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?a=455 |access-date=10 February 2022 |website=Dead Air Space |publisher=Radiohead.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321164928/http://radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?a=455 |archive-date=21 March 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> By the mid-1990s, Radiohead were adopting recording methods from [[hip hop music|hip hop]], inspired by the [[sample (music)|sampling]] work of [[DJ Shadow]],<ref name="guitar-world" /> and became interested in using computers to generate sounds.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gillespie |first=Ian |date=17 August 1997 |title=It all got very surreal |newspaper=[[London Free Press]] |url=http://www.greenplastic.com/coldstorage/articles/londonfreepress.html |url-status=usurped |access-date=21 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927012229/http://www.greenplastic.com/coldstorage/articles/londonfreepress.html |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> Radiohead cited 60s and 70s jazz artists such as [[Miles Davis]], [[Charles Mingus]] and [[Alice Coltrane]] as influences.<ref name="Varga">{{Cite web |last=Varga |first=George |date=25 April 2019 |title=Radiohead's Jazz Frequencies |url=https://jazztimes.com/archives/radioheads-jazz-frequencies/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826142100/https://jazztimes.com/archives/radioheads-jazz-frequencies/ |archive-date=26 August 2019 |access-date=13 May 2020 |website=[[Jazz Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref> According to Jonny Greenwood, "We bring in our favourite jazz albums, and say: we want to do this. And we enjoy the sound of our failing!"<ref name="Varga" /> He likened their jazz influence to 1950s English bands imitating American blues records.<ref name="Varga" /> Other influences include the soundtracks of [[Ennio Morricone]], 1960s rock groups such as [[the Beatles]] and [[the Beach Boys]], and [[Phil Spector]]'s "[[Wall of Sound|wall of sound]]" production.<ref name="guitar-world" /><ref name="LAUNCH" />

{{Listen
| filename=Radiohead - Pyramid Song (sample).ogg
| title="Pyramid Song"
| description="[[Pyramid Song]]" was influenced by jazz musician [[Charles Mingus]]' 1963 piece "Freedom".<ref name="KENT" /> This sample shows the Radiohead track's string arrangement and [[timing (music)|irregular timing]] on the piano and drums.
}}

The [[electronic music]] of ''Kid A'' was inspired by Yorke's admiration for artists signed to the record label [[Warp Records]], such as [[Aphex Twin]] and [[Autechre]].<ref name="ZORIC" /> In 2013, Yorke named Aphex Twin as his biggest influence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 January 2013 |title=Uni of Yorke Class 1: FlyLo, the Gaslamp Killer & FaltyDL |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/15435/1/uni-of-yorke-class-1-flylo-the-gaslamp-killer-faltydl |access-date=11 June 2024 |website=[[Dazed]] |language=en}}</ref> ''Kid A'' also samples early [[computer music]].<ref name="SMITH" /> 1970s [[krautrock]] bands such as [[Can (band)|Can]] and [[Neu!]] were other major influences during this period.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Lauren |last=Zoric |title=Fitter, Happier, More Productive |date=1 October 2000 |journal=[[Juice (magazine)|Juice]]}}</ref> Jonny Greenwood's interest in [[20th-century classical music]] also had a role, citing the influence of the composers [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] and [[Olivier Messiaen]].<ref name="LAUNCH" /> Since the recording of ''Kid A'', Greenwood has played the [[ondes Martenot]], an early electronic instrument popularised by Messiaen.<ref name="ROSS" /> While recording ''In Rainbows'', Radiohead mentioned rock, electronic, hip hop and experimental musicians as influences, including [[Björk]], [[M.I.A. (artist)|M.I.A]], [[Liars (band)|Liars]], [[Modeselektor]] and [[Spank Rock]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Radiohead's Secret Influences, from Fleetwood Mac to Thomas Pynchon |date=24 January 2008 |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/18060334/radioheads_secret_influences_from_fleetwood_mac_to_thomas_pynchon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612012329/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/18060334/radioheads_secret_influences_from_fleetwood_mac_to_thomas_pynchon|archive-date=12 June 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=7 February 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Nick |last=Kent |title=Ghost in the Machine |date=1 August 2006 |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |pages=74–82}}</ref> In 2011, Yorke denied that Radiohead had set out to make "experimental music", saying they were "constantly absorbing music" and that a variety of musicians are always influencing them.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 October 2011 |title=Radiohead: Everything In Its Right Place |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/10/06/141093025/radiohead-everything-in-its-right-place |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108021946/http://www.npr.org/2011/10/06/141093025/radiohead-everything-in-its-right-place |archive-date=8 November 2011 |access-date=26 October 2011 |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref>

=== Themes and lyrics ===
{{Further|Thom Yorke#Lyrics}}
Yorke is Radiohead's lyricist.<ref name="ROSS" /> Though his early lyrics were personal, from ''Kid A'' on, he experimented with [[Cut-up technique|cutting up]] words and phrases and assembling them at random.<ref>{{cite web |last=Eccleston |first=Danny |date=October 2000 |title=(Radiohead article) |url=http://www.followmearound.com/presscuttings.php?year=2000&cutting=89&PHPSESSID=c033bc19e81ba698894f33e264541fc4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311024424/http://www.followmearound.com/presscuttings.php?year=2000&cutting=89&PHPSESSID=c033bc19e81ba698894f33e264541fc4 |archive-date=11 March 2007 |access-date=18 March 2007 |work=Q Magazine}}</ref> He does not write biographically, saying he instead writes "spasmodic" lyrics based on imagery and taken from external sources such as television.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dean |first=Jonathan |date=7 July 2019 |title=Thom Yorke interview: the Radiohead frontman on his new solo album, Anima, why he struggles if he can't make music, and Billie Eilish |language=en |work=The Sunday Times |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thom-yorke-interview-radiohead-anima-billie-eilish-2wnwqmxdw |access-date=8 July 2019 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hunter-Tilney |first=Ludovic |date=30 August 2023 |title=A Thom Yorke painting: yours for a song |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/353d0eb7-db21-4741-9fef-0232efaa369a |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> He deliberately uses [[Cliché|cliches]], [[idiom]]s and other common expressions,<ref name="Kearney-2016">{{Cite magazine |last=Kearney |first=Ryan |date=31 May 2016 |title=The Radiohead Racket |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/133773/radiohead-racket |magazine=[[The New Republic]] |issn=0028-6583 |access-date=4 August 2021}}</ref> suggesting "a mind consumed by meaningless data".<ref name="Pitchfork-2">{{cite web |title=Radiohead: ''A Moon Shaped Pool'' album review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21907-a-moon-shaped-pool/ |access-date=11 May 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> The ''[[The New Republic|New Republic]]'' writer Ryan Kearney speculated that Yorke's use of common expressions, which he described as "Radioheadisms", was an attempt "to sap our common tongue of meaning and expose the vapidity of everyday discourse".<ref name="Kearney-2016" />

According to Yorke, many of his lyrics are motivated by anger, expressing his political and environmental concerns<ref>{{Cite episode |title='Everything In Its Right Place' interview outtake: "Another outtake from my @Radiohead interview on @npratc with Thom and Ed. What's The King of Limbs about?" |url=http://tvider.com/view/66328 |access-date=7 October 2011 |series=All Things Considered |network=[[NPR]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010004818/http://tvider.com/view/66328 |archive-date=10 October 2011}}</ref> and written as "a constant response to [[doublethink]]".<ref>{{cite web |last=Sweet |first=Jay |date=8 August 2006 |title=Thom Yorke, Dancing in the Dark |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2006/08/thom-yorke.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027181555/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2006/08/thom-yorke.html |archive-date=27 October 2017 |access-date=4 May 2015 |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]}}</ref> The ''[[GQ]]'' critic Josiah Gogarty wrote of "the uncharitable caricature that's sometimes fixed to [Radiohead's] music – Thom Yorke warbling vaguely political sentiments over fiddly drum patterns and melodies", which he argued began with ''Hail to the Thief'' and its references to the war on terror.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gogarty |first=Josiah |date=20 March 2025 |title=Every Radiohead album, ranked |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/radiohead-albums-ranked |access-date=28 March 2025 |website=[[British GQ]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> ''Pitchfork'' wrote that Yorke's lyrics on ''A Moon Shaped Pool'' were less cynical, conveying wonder and amazement.<ref name="Pitchfork-2" />