History YMMV / Radiohead

%%** "Climbing Up the Walls."
%%** Most or all of ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac.''
%%** "Ful Stop."

** The whole "Radiohead should've won an Oscar for 'Spectre'" debacle detailed in AwardSnub above. Music/SamSmith's response to the song (has never heard it, doesn't know who Thom is) doesn't help the matters.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: ''Music/TheBends'' is a lot more refined than ''Pablo Honey''.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Some fingers were pointed at "Knives Out" for its melody being taken from (if not heavily influenced by) "Paranoid Android".

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The initial reaction of some to the drastic change the band made in ''Kid A''. Some fans reacted to ''The King Of Limbs'' this way, too.

** Their signature sonic angst [[SubvertedTrope hasn't stopped them from taking a break and doing]] ''[[LighterAndSofter In Rainbows]]'' [[LighterAndSofter and]] ''[[LighterAndSofter The King of Limbs]]''.
** ''A Moon Shaped Pool'' marks a return to a bleaker sound, which may not be a surprise given [[RealitySubtext Yorke's separation from his partner of twenty-three years and the death of Nigel Godrich's father]].

** Another creepy CGI Thom shows up in a couple of ''Music/KidA'' blips (specifically ones made for the TitleTrack)-- except it's only his disembodied head calmly gazing into space as digital snow falls on his face; in one blip he gradually suffers a nosebleed. Brrrrrrrr.

** ''Music/KidA'' got mixed reviews when it first came out, but now it's considered the best album of the '00s by many (a verdict that Pitchfork might have had a hand in).
** Even ''Pablo Honey'' got vindicated, being considered one of the best debut albums in recent years. Initially this album faced an inversion of this trope, being well-regarded by critics upon its debut but earning more and more ire as Radiohead's later albums continued to one-up it and expose how derivative of Music/{{Nirvana}} it was (a complaint that also hindered its ability to catch on among general audiences). Nowadays the common opinion lies somewhere within the territory of "good in its own right and a great debut, but outperformed by its successors."

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Despite the overtones of a title like ''Music/HailToTheThief'', the band denies it refers to the 2000 presidential election. However, they ''did'' admit to the album being about the rise of the far right, among other things. Thom Yorke claims the title is a reference to a slogan that became popular after the 1888 US presidential election, which ended with an outcome similar to the 2000 election.
** Of course, Thom himself has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nHK9iqdoDo#t=319 stated otherwise]], leaving things a little ambiguous.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: When ''Music/TheBends'' first released in 1995, its melancholy tone, introspective lyrics, and eclectic influences were a radical deviation from {{Britpop}}'s generally upbeat and rockist template. Alongside its follow-up, ''Music/OKComputer'', it instigated a shift away from the genre and directly influenced its successor movement, post-Britpop. However, while ''OK Computer'' is still regarded as standing apart from the artists it influenced, the initial novelty of ''The Bends'' is hard to see decades later, when its style became the new basic standard among British AlternativeRock; Radiohead themselves were aware of this, motivating their shift to more GenreBusting material in the 2000's.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Someone who's already familiar with Music/{{Coldplay}}, early Music/{{Muse}}, Music/{{Keane}}, and Music/{{Travis}} might listen to ''The Bends'' and not get what all the fuss is about. The band has averted this for most of its other albums by [[DarkerAndEdgier going much darker than their contemporaries]] on ''OK Computer'' and delving into GenreBusting on ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac.''

* OldShame: The ''Pablo Honey'' era in general. Songs from then are virtually never performed anymore, with the exception of "Creep" every dozen or so shows. It also had [[SoBadItsGood excellent]] performances such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXUBE_wiPtU this one]], in which Thom starts screaming, and then dives into a pool.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Climate change sucks. Climate change denial sucks, too. Political corruption also sucks, especially when innocent people suffer for it. Whether or not you think references to these issues in Radiohead's music are anvilicious, there is certainly cause for concern.

* CrazyAwesome: Thom Yorke's dancing. [[http://thomhipsdontlie.ytmnd.com/ Hypnotizing]], too.

** "I'm back to say the N-word!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]An infamous mishearing of the line "I'm back to ''save the universe'' in "Airbag", which quickly became popular to quote among fans whenever the song comes up thanks to how absurd and out-of-place it is in the context of a Radiohead song.[[/labelnote]]

** "I'm back to say the N-word!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]An infamous {{mondegreen}} of the line "I'm back to ''save the universe'' in "Airbag", which quickly became popular to quote among fans whenever the song comes up thanks to how absurd and out-of-place it is in the context of a Radiohead song.[[/labelnote]]

*** "[[CarefulWithThatAxe ANYWHERE! ANYWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEREEEEEE!!!! AAAAAAAAHH!!! AAAAHHHHH!!! AAAAAHHH!!!]]" [[note]]The same performance also has Thom screaming his lungs out, improvising the "Anywhere" part of the second refrain. Some fans have the liking to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmA9iYHt3Tc&list=PLyHuW7IK95WVC3HMeB967vDpCWgwnQg4J&index=13 make fun]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC_gdMBCmf8&list=PL7MXv-3mFypwA_9yq6WE6t4nCaNtKSBIn&index=37 of]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3pDB8CNaQs&list=PLyHuW7IK95WVC3HMeB967vDpCWgwnQg4J&index=47 his]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nccKVtXnqiY screams]]. [[/note]]
*** Thom diving into the pool is also a moment you'll never miss, like one [=YouTube=] comment jokingly said, "This is still the highlight of Yorke's career".
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0-iKNrx98U This video]] sums up everything that went on at the Beach House.
** THE FLAN IN THE FACE [[note]]A repeated phrase from "A Wolf At the Door", which has become a meme because of how strange it is out of context and has been looped in videos [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTfDn9bcWbk such as this one]]. [[/note]]
** No x42 [[note]] A reference to "A Punchup At a Wedding", which starts by repeating the word "no" [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly 42 times]]. Like "the flan in the face" from the same album, it's often brought up when discussing some of Thom Yorke's stranger lyrical choices.[[/note]]

** "I'm back to say the N-word!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]An infamous {{mondegreen}} of the line "I'm back to ''save the universe'' in "Airbag", which quickly became popular to quote among fans whenever the song comes up thanks to how absurd and out-of-place it seems even by Radiohead standards.[[/labelnote]]

** "I'm back to say the N-word!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]An infamous {{mondegreen}} of the line "I'm back to ''save the universe'' in "Airbag", which quickly became popular to quote among fans whenever the song comes up thanks to how absurd and out-of-place it seems.[[/labelnote]]

** THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, [[BrokenRecord THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE,THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE...]] [[note]]A line from "A Wolf At the Door", which has become a meme because of how strange it is out of context and has been looped in videos [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTfDn9bcWbk such as this one]]. [[/note]]
** No x42 [[note]] A reference to "A Punchup At a Wedding", which repeats the word "no" [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly 42 times]].[[/note]]

** "Radiohead predicted ''WesternAnimation/IceAge''."[[labelnote:Explanation]] The opening lyric to "Idioteque" is "Ice age coming, ice age coming". The song was released in 2000, while the first ''Ice Age'' was released in 2002. Many have joked about this coincidence.[[/labelnote]]

* THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, [[BrokenRecord THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE,THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE, THE FLAN IN THE FACE...]] [[note]]A line from "A Wolf At the Door", which has become a meme because of how strange it is out of context and has been looped in videos [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTfDn9bcWbk such as this one]]. [[/note]]
* No x42 [[note]] A reference to "A Punchup At a Wedding", which repeats the word "no" [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly 42 times]].[[/note]]

** Played straight with Lana Del Ray, after Radiohead's management filed a major lawsuit against her for the similarities between "Creep" and her song "Get Free".

** There's also a significant overlap between fans of Radiohead and fans of Music/{{Bjork}}. It helps that Thom Yorke has cited her as one of his favorite musicians.

* {{Mondegreen}}
** "Power rangers, power rangers, power rangers, power rangers..."[[note]]"The raindrops"[[/note]] ("Sit Down, Stand Up", see above)
*** Another interpretation offered on last.fm for the same would be "cunnilingus, cunnilingus, cunnilingus, cunnilingus..."
*** ''Another'' possible misinterpretation could be "[[NightmareFuel Rearrange us, rearrange us, rearrange us, rearrange us...]]"
** "Who the hell are the 'comma police?'" is a common joke regarding "Karma Police"
** From "Go to Sleep": "This is hiiiiighly insulting."[[note]]"This is how I end up sucked in"[[/note]]
** "The Moonies are up on the mountain!" (The official Radiohead chord book has the opening lyrics of "The Daily Mail" as "The moon is a rock on a mountain", but the clipping of the vocal's sibilants leads to this common mondegreen)
** "You can try domestic ham, you can try domestic ham, domestic ham is good enough." ("Optimistic")[[note]]"the best you can"[[/note]]
** "PENETRATION PENETRATION PENETRATION PE-NE-TRA-TION *moans*" ("2 + 2 = 5")[[note]]"Paying attention"[[/note]]
** "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box": Aboriginal man, get off my cakes![[note]]"I'm a reasonable man, get off my case"[[/note]]
** From "Burn the Witch": "This is a lo-fi banker tax."[[note]]"This is a low flying panic attack"[[/note]]
** "Airbag": "In an interstellar burst, I'm back to [[NWordPrivileges say the N word!]]"[[note]]"save the universe"[[/note]]

* RealLifeWritesThePlot:
** Rumor has it that "Pearly*" was inspired by a Japanese girl who prostituted herself in order to get Radiohead tickets, much to Thom's horror.
** ''Hail to the Thief'' followed both 9/11 and the birth of Thom's son and has very, very heavy political overtones. For specific song examples, "I Will" was inspired by a news scene of a bunker full of women and kids being bombed during the first Gulf War; "Sail to the Moon" was reportedly written in five minutes for Thom's son.
*** In addition, "A Punchup at a Wedding" was inspired by Thom getting extremely upset after reading a very negative and caustic review of an Oxford show that was intended to be a homecoming concert.

** "Fat! Ugly! Dead!" [[note]] Radiohead's SoBadItsGood live performance on the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0si0fB0lnow 1993 MTV Beach House]] gives us a rather infamous improvised quote shouted by yours truly Thom when they were playing "Anyone Can Play Guitar", right after the "I wanna be, wanna be, wanna be Jim Morrison" verse. [[/note]]
*** "[[CarefulWithThatAxe ANYWHERE! ANYWHEEEEEEEEEEEEEREEEEEE!!!! AAAAAAAAHH!!! AAAAHHHHH!!! AAAAAHHH!!!]]" [[note]]The same performance also has Thom screaming his lungs, improvising the "Anywhere" part of the second refrain. Some fans have the liking to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmA9iYHt3Tc&list=PLyHuW7IK95WVC3HMeB967vDpCWgwnQg4J&index=13 make fun]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC_gdMBCmf8&list=PL7MXv-3mFypwA_9yq6WE6t4nCaNtKSBIn&index=37 of]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3pDB8CNaQs&list=PLyHuW7IK95WVC3HMeB967vDpCWgwnQg4J&index=47 his]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nccKVtXnqiY screams]]. [[/note]]

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0-iKNrx98U This video]] sums everything in the Beach House live.

** "Power rangers, power rangers, power rangers, power rangers..." ("Sit Down, Stand Up", see above)

** From "Go to Sleep": "This is hiiiiighly insulting."

** "You can try domestic ham, you can try domestic ham, domestic ham is good enough." ("Optimistic")
** "PENETRATION PENETRATION PENETRATION PE-NE-TRA-TION *moans*" ("2 + 2 = 5")
** "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box": Aboriginal man, get off my cakes!
** From "Burn the Witch": "This is a lo-fi banker tax."

** "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", "Optimistic", "My Iron Lung", "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy", and "There There" have epic guitar riffs.

* FanonDiscontinuity: In most fans' eyes, ''PabloHoney'', either with the exception of or particularly "Creep". Although "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and "Blow Out" are widely considered the best songs off the album--if you dislike "Creep".[[note]]Like every album Radiohead puts out, it has its devotees. In this case, they just happen to be in a minority.[[/note]]

* HypeBacklash: Many people are sick of the music community's obsession with the band, especially ''Kid A.'' ''OK Computer'' has become this for some in recent years due to multiple publications, fans, and just ''anyone'' listing ''OK Computer'' as the greatest album ever made and of course, people are gonna be overwhelmed.

* MemeticBadass: Bizarrely enough, a ''song'' example. "Burn the Witch" was once legendary among Radiohead fans for being a total mystery: though the title was floating around since the ''Kid A''/''Amnesiac'' era, no recordings were heard and no lyrics were pinned down before it was released as the first single from ''A Moon Shaped Pool'' four albums and ten years later.

** "Who the hell are the 'comma police?'"

** "You can try domestic ham, you can try domestic ham, domestic ham is good enough."
** "PENETRATION PENETRATION PENETRATION PE-NE-TRA-TION *moans*"

* UglyCute: The Modified Bear and the Weeping Minotaur.

** Thom Yorke.