History Music / PabloHoney

''Pablo Honey'' was supported by three singles: "Creep", "Anyone Can Play Guitar", and "Stop Whispering". Of these three, "Creep" acted as a brief BreakthroughHit for Radiohead, catapulting them into the mainstream and by Thom's admission fueling the sheer egotism the band suffered from while promoting the album.

->''From you"''
-->--'''"You"'''

Coming out nearly a decade after the band's initial formation as On a Friday in 1985 (owing to the fact that it took 6 years for the band to snag a record deal), it stands as perhaps one of the most conspicuous cases of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness by a British alternative band since Music/DepecheMode put out ''Music/SpeakAndSpell''. Rather than being a melancholic, experimental effort commenting on sociopersonal decay, economic malaise, and/or political corruption, ''Pablo Honey'' is an introspective affair that wears its {{grunge}} and [[AlternativeRock alt-rock]] influences on its sleeve-- and across the whole damn shirt for that matter.

* InsecureLoveInterest: "Creep." "You're so [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] special / I wish I was special." {{Stalker|WithACrush}}s can be insecure, too.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Thom has come to view the band's behavior during this album's era as this, being at a time when the success of "Creep" made them feel like they were on top of the world despite the fact that A: they had only one hit single by that point, and B: it was their ''debut'' single, with plenty of room to trip up immediately after. Particular mention goes to Thom's attempts to play himself up as a British Music/KurtCobain and the infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance, both of which factor into the ''Pablo Honey'' era's in-universe OldShame status for the band and for Thom especially. Thom went on to describe himself during that point as "unbearable," stating that "as soon as you get any success you disappear up your own arse."

* TakeThat: "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is a big one towards rock idolization, particularly in regards to the constant pressure to live up to the legacy of Music/TheDoors. Thom had previously stated in interviews that he had a "pathological disrespect" for frontman Jim Morrison and his posthumous deification, dismissing him as "a fat, talentless bastard [who's] dead" (note that this specific interview was just one year after Creator/OliverStone's [[Film/TheDoors1991 eponymous biopic]] on the Doors and Morrison in particular, which was credited for a large-scale revival of public interest in them). Thom would double down on this further in the band's infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance of "Anyone Can Play Guitar", during which he ad-libbed the line "FAT. UGLY. ''DEAD.''" shortly after namedropping Morrison.

-->''"And everything I touch...Turns to stone"''

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Most of the album is in the 5-6 territory, the outliers being "Thinking About You" and "Lurgee" (a 2 and 3, respectively).

Coming out nearly a decade after the band's initial formation as On a Friday in 1985 (owing to the fact that it took 6 years for the band to snag a record deal), it stands as perhaps one of the most conspicuous cases of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness by a British alternative band since Music/DepecheMode put out ''Music/SpeakAndSpell''. Rather than being a melancholic, experimental effort commenting on sociopersonal decay, economic malaise, and/or political corruption, ''Pablo Honey'' is an introspective affair that wears its {{grunge}} influences on its sleeve-- and across the whole damn shirt for that matter.

* TakeThat: "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is a big one towards rock idolization, particularly in regards to the constant pressure to live up to the legacy of Music/TheDoors. Thom had previously stated in interviews that he had a "pathological disrespect" for frontman Jim Morrison and his posthumous deification, dismissing him as "a fat, talentless bastard [who's] dead" (note that this specific interview was just one year after Creator/OliverStone's [[Film/TheDoors1991 eponymous biopic]] on the Doors and Morrison in particular, which was credited for a large-scale revival of public interest in them). Thom would double down on this further in the band's infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance of "Anyone Can Play Guitar", during which he ad-libbed the line "FAT. UGLY. ''DEAD.''" shortly after the namedrop of Morrison.

The end result was an album that was met with decently positive reception from critics, but an apathetic reception from listeners, who considered it nothing more than a Music/{{Nirvana}} imitation that did nothing to set itself apart from the ongoing grunge boom of the early 90's (didn't stop it from going platinum in the US and double-platinum in the UK & Canada, though). This certainly wasn't helped by a conscious attempt on Radiohead's part to actively become a TransatlanticEquivalent of Nirvana, aping not just their musical style, but also their looks and manner of music video, reaching something of a breaking point with the non-album single "Pop is Dead", released while ''Pablo Honey'' was still being promoted; tellingly, Radiohead would drop the "British Nirvana" act entirely during the recording of and promotion for their next album, 1995's ''Music/TheBends''.

Its reception certainly hasn't gotten much better in the years since, with most agreeing that while it was a decent debut album, it's heavily surpassed by the more original and experimental mannerisms of Radiohead's later albums. All that said however, the album still managed to be a moderate commercial success for the band, peaking at No. 25 on the UK Albums chart and No. 32 on the Billboard 200. As the band grew more popular and acclaimed with their later material, the album would see continued {{Colbert bump}}s over the years, allowing it to eventually be certified double-platinum in the UK and Canada, platinum in the US and Belgium, and gold in Argentina, Australia, and the Netherlands.

''Pablo Honey'' was supported by three singles: "Creep", "Anyone Can Play Guitar", and "Stop Whispering". Of these three, "Creep" acted as a brief BreakthroughHit for Radiohead, catapulting them into the mainstream and by Thom's admission fueling the sheer egotism the band suffered from while promoting the album. However, the song would quickly become an albatross around Radiohead's necks, as it became apparent that it was the only song people really seemed to care for, to the point where they'd attend concerts just to hear it, demand for it to be played incessantly, and then leave once it was sung.

For years, at least in the US, the band failed to match the success of "Creep" again (though they had several more hits in their native UK); even after the second wave of popularity ''Music/OKComputer'' garnered in 1997, they were known primarily as "the guys who did 'Creep'" outside of their homeland, leading to a longstanding bout of CreatorBacklash that took until 2016 for them to recover from.

At the end of the day, ''Pablo Honey'' stands as an odd dichotomy in the band's history. It was too derivative to hold up against their later work, but too important (if only via "Creep") to outright ignore. It was too egotistical to feel like the Radiohead music listeners now know and love, but still contained conspicuous hints as to what the band would later become. Whatever one's opinion on ''Pablo Honey'', it's hard to ignore its presence in the band's history.

''Pablo Honey'', released in 1993, is the debut studio album by English AlternativeRock group Music/{{Radiohead}}. Coming out nearly a decade after the band's initial formation as On a Friday in 1985 (owing to the fact that it took 6 years for the band to snag a record deal), it stands as perhaps one of the most conspicuous cases of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness by a British alternative band since Music/DepecheMode put out ''Music/SpeakAndSpell''. Rather than being a melancholic, experimental effort commenting on sociopersonal decay, economic malaise, and/or political corruption, ''Pablo Honey'' is an introspective affair that wears its {{grunge}} influences on its sleeve-- and across the whole damn shirt for that matter.

''Pablo Honey'' was supported by three singles: "Creep", "Anyone Can Play Guitar", and "Stop Whispering". Of these three, "Creep" acted as a brief BreakthroughHit for Radiohead, catapulting them into the mainstream and by Thom's admission fueling the sheer egotism the band suffered from while promoting the album. However, the song would quickly become an albatross around Radiohead's necks, as it became apparent that it was the only song people really seemed to care for, to the point where they'd attend concerts just to hear it, demand for it to be played incessantly, and then leave once it was sung. For years, at least in the US, the band failed to match the success of "Creep" again (though they had several more hits in their native UK); even after the second wave of popularity ''Music/OKComputer'' garnered in 1997, they were known primarily as "the guys who did 'Creep'" outside of their homeland, leading to a longstanding bout of CreatorBacklash that took until 2016 for them to recover from.

The end result was an album that was met with decently positive reception from critics, but an apathetic reception from listeners, who considered it nothing more than a Music/{{Nirvana}} imitation that did nothing to set itself apart from the ongoing grunge boom of the early 90's (didn't stop it from going platinum in the US and double-platinum in the UK & Canada, though). This certainly wasn't helped by a conscious attempt on Radiohead's part to actively become a TransatlanticEquivalent of Nirvana, aping not just their musical style, but also their looks and manner of music video, reaching something of a breaking point with the non-album single "Pop is Dead", released while ''Pablo Honey'' was still being promoted; tellingly, Radiohead would drop the "British Nirvana" act entirely during the recording of and promotion for their next album, 1995's ''Music/TheBends''.

Its reception certainly hasn't gotten much better in the years since, with most agreeing that while it was a decent debut album, it's heavily surpassed by the more original and experimental mannerisms of Radiohead's later albums. All that said however, the album still managed to be a moderate commercial success for the band, peaking at No. 25 on the UK Albums chart and No. 32 on the Billboard 200. As the band grew more popular and acclaimed with their later material, the album would see continued {{Colbert bump}}s over the years, allowing it to eventually be certified double-platinum in the UK and Canada, platinum in the US and Belgium, and gold in Argentina, Australia, and the Netherlands.

At the end of the day, ''Pablo Honey'' stands as an odd dichotomy in the band's history. It was too derivative to hold up against their later work, but too important (if only via "Creep") to outright ignore. It was too egotistical to feel like the Radiohead music listeners now know and love, but still contained conspicuous hints as to what the band would later become. Whatever one's opinion on ''Pablo Honey'', it's hard to ignore its presence in the band's history.

Its reception certainly hasn't gotten much better in the years since, with most agreeing that while it was a decent debut album, it's heavily surpassed by the more original and experimental mannerisms of Radiohead's later albums. Beyond its critical praise and tepid public reception, the album was a moderate commercial success for the band, peaking at No. 25 on the UK Albums chart and No. 32 on the Billboard 200. As the band grew more popular and acclaimed with their later material, the album would see continued {{Colbert bump}}s over the years, allowing it to eventually be certified double-platinum in the UK and Canada, platinum in the US and Belgium, and gold in Argentina, Australia, and the Netherlands.

* ObsessionSong: "Creep" from Pablo Honey. According to Thom Yorke, it's about a drunk guy following around a woman he's attracted to, lacking the self-confidence to actually approach her. However, many listeners think it's a straightforward unrequited-love song from the perspective of a guy with self-esteem issues... which is perfectly reasonable from the lyrics themselves, ''except'' that it provides no explanation for the line "she's running out the door", making it a bit of a BreadEggsMilkSquick. In fairness, that's the least intelligible part of the song, so a lot of people probably didn't even know that's what he was saying. Going by the "unrequited love song from the POV of a guy with self-esteem issues" interpretation, "she's running out the door" could mean that said guy attempted to admit his feelings but only succeeded in scaring her.

* RearrangeTheSong: "You", "Thinking About You", and "Prove Yourself" are all re-recordings of songs from the 1992 EP ''Drill''; the one other song on it, "Stupid Car", was not re-recorded for this album for reasons unknown. While the EP was presented as a proper studio effort back in the day, the 2009 collector's edition re-release of ''Pablo Honey'' relabels the 1992 versions of "You", "Thinking About You", and "Prove Yourself" as demos. Of note is that while "You" is relatively unchanged between the 1992 and 1993 versions, the re-recordings of "Thinking About You" and "Prove Yourself" are noticeably different, the former changing from an Music/ElvisCostello-inspired NewWaveMusic song into an acoustic ballad and the latter featuring multi-tracked vocals instead of processed ones during the chorus.

The end result was an album that was met with decently positive reception from critics, but an apathetic reception from listeners, who considered it nothing more than a Music/{{Nirvana}} imitation that did nothing to set itself apart from the ongoing grunge boom of the early 90's (didn't stop it from going platinum in the US and double-platinum in the UK & Canada, though). This certainly wasn't helped by a conscious attempt on Radiohead's part to actively become a TransatlanticEquivalent of Nirvana, aping not just their musical style, but also their looks and manner of music video, reaching something of a breaking point with the non-album single "Pop is Dead", released while ''Pablo Honey'' was still being promoted; tellingly, Radiohead would drop the "British Nirvana" act entirely during the recording of and promotion for their next album, 1995's ''Music/TheBends''. Its reception certainly hasn't gotten much better in the years since, with most agreeing that while it was a decent debut album, it's heavily surpassed by the more original and experimental mannerisms of Radiohead's later albums.

''Pablo Honey'' was supported by three singles: "Creep", "Anyone Can Play Guitar", and "Stop Whispering". Of these three, "Creep" acted as a brief BreakthroughHit for Radiohead, catapulting them into the mainstream and by Thom's admission fueling the sheer egotism the band suffered from while promoting the album. However, the song would quickly become an albatross around Radiohead's necks, as it became apparent that it was the only song people really seemed to care for, to the point where they'd attend concerts just to hear it, demand for it to be played incessantly, and then leave once it was sung. For years, at least in the US [[note]]in their native UK, their 1996 single Street Spirit was actually a bigger hit than Creep, as was Paranoid Android, No Surprises, There There and, rather bizarrely, Pyramid Song[[/note]], the band failed to match the success of "Creep" again, and even after the second wave of popularity ''Music/OKComputer'' garnered in 1997, they were known primarily as "the guys who did 'Creep'" outside of their homeland, leading to a longstanding bout of CreatorBacklash that took until 2016 for them to recover from.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

''Pablo Honey'' was supported by three singles: "Creep", "Anyone Can Play Guitar", and "Stop Whispering". Of these three, "Creep" acted as a brief BreakthroughHit for Radiohead, catapulting them into the mainstream and by Thom's admission fueling the sheer egotism the band suffered from while promoting the album. However, the song would quickly become an albatross around Radiohead's necks, as it became apparent that it was the only song people really seemed to care for, to the point where they'd attend concerts just to hear it, demand for it to be played incessantly, and then leave once it was sung. For years the band failed to match the success of "Creep" again, and even after the second wave of popularity ''Music/OKComputer'' garnered in 1997, they were known primarily as "the guys who did 'Creep'" among laypeople, leading to a longstanding bout of CreatorBacklash that took until 2016 for them to recover from.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The album to this day has no Parental Advisory sticker on it, despite being widely distributed AND bearing an incredibly famous and explicit lead single.

* ObsessionSong: "Creep" from Pablo Honey. According to Thom Yorke, it's about a drunk guy following around a woman he's attracted to, lacking the self-confidence to actually approach her. However, many listeners think it's a straightforward unrequited-love song from the perspective of a guy with self-esteem issues... which is perfectly reasonable from the lyrics themselves, ''except'' that it provides no explanation for the line "she's running out the door", making it a bit of a Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick. In fairness, that's the least intelligible part of the song, so a lot of people probably didn't even know that's what he was saying. Going by the "unrequited love song from the POV of a guy with self-esteem issues" interpretation, "she's running out the door" could mean that said guy attempted to admit his feelings but only succeeded in scaring her.

* UncommonTime: "You" has three measures of 6/8 followed by one measure of 5/4.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"What the Hell am I doing here?"'']]

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The album has no Parental Advisory sticker on it, despite being widely distributed AND bearing an incredibly famous and explicit lead single.

* LargeHam: Performances during this era tended to be rather over the top. Special notice goes to the infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance, where Thom repeatedly belted his lungs out and threw himself into a swimming pool, almost drowning because of his heavy Doc Martens. While attempting to drag himself out of the water, he also came close to grabbing a live wire.

* RearrangeTheSong: "You", "Thinking About You", and "Prove Yourself" are all re-recordings of songs from the 1992 EP ''Drill''; the one other song on it, "Stupid Car", was not re-recorded for this album for reasons unknown. While the EP was presented as a proper studio effort back in the day, the 2009 collector's edition re-release of ''Pablo Honey'' relabels the 1992 versions of "You", "Thinking About You", and "Prove Yourself" as demos.

* TakeThat: "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is a big one towards rock idolization, particularly in regards to the constant pressure to live up to the legacy of Music/TheDoors. Thom had previously stated in interviews that he had a "pathological disrespect" for frontman Jim Morrison and his posthumous deification, dismissing him as "a fat, talentless bastard [who's] dead" (note that this specific interview was just one year after Creator/OliverStone's [[Film/TheDoors1991 eponymous biopic]] on the Doors and Morrison in particular). Thom would double down on this further in the band's infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance of "Anyone Can Play Guitar", during which he ad-libbed the line "FAT. UGLY. ''DEAD.''" shortly after the namedrop of Morrison.

* TakeThat: "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is a big one towards rock idolization, particularly in regards to the constant pressure to live up to the legacy of Music/TheDoors. Thom had previously stated in interviews that he had a "pathological disrespect" for frontman Jim Morrison and his posthumous deification, dismissing him as "a fat, talentless bastard [who's] dead" (note that this specific interview was just one year after Creator/OliverStone's [[Film/TheDoors1991 eponymous biopic]] on the Doors and Morrison in particular). Thom would double down on this further in the band's infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance of "Anyone Can Play Guitar", during which he ad-libbed the line "FAT. UGLY. ''DEAD." shortly after the namedrop of Morrison.

* TakeThat: "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is a big one towards rock idolization, particularly in regards to the constant pressure to live up to the legacy of Music/TheDoors. Thom had previously stated in interviews that he had a "pathological disrespect" for frontman Jim Morrison and his posthumous deification, dismissing him as "a fat, talentless bastard [who's] dead" (note that this specific interview was just one year after Creator/OliverStone's [[Film/TheDoors eponymous biopic]] on the Doors and Morrison in particular). Thom would double down on this further in the band's infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance of "Anyone Can Play Guitar", during which he ad-libbed the line "FAT. UGLY. ''DEAD." shortly after the namedrop of Morrison.

* TakeThat: "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is a big one towards rock idolization, particularly in regards to the constant pressure to live up to the legacy of Music/TheDoors.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is probably the weirdest album Radiohead ever put out in that it's not weird at all; likewise for ''Drill'', the 1992 EP before it.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Thom has come to view the band's behavior during this album's as this, being at a time when the success of "Creep" made them feel like they were on top of the world despite the fact that A: they had only one hit single by that point, and B: it was their ''debut'' single, with plenty of room to trip up immediately after. Particular mention goes to Thom's attempts to play himself up as a British Music/KurtCobain and the infamous MTV Beach House 1993 performance, both of which factor into the ''Pablo Honey'' era's in-universe OldShame status for the band and for Thom especially. Thom went on to describe himself during that point as "unbearable," stating that "as soon as you get any success you disappear up your own arse."