History YMMV / Radiohead

* FanNickname: Until the name was announced as ''A Moon Shaped Pool'', the band's 2016 album was often referred to as ''[=LP9=]'' by fans.

* ParanoiaFuel: "Climbing Up the Walls" draws on Thom's time spent working in a mental hospital:
--> [[ProperlyParanoid Either way you turn]]
-->[[LookBehindYou I'll be there.]]
-->[[BodyHorror Open up your skull]]
-->[[BeingWatched I'll be there.]]

--> I keep the wolf from the door but he calls me up
--> Calls me on the phone, tells me all the ways that he's gonna mess me up
--> Steal all my children if I don't pay the ransom
--> And I'll never see them again if I squeal to the cops

-->"The thing that worries me about the computer age is the fact that people know so much about you. It's an incredible invasion of privacy. And no matter where you are in the world people can monitor you if you're using your credit card. I heard this weird rumor on TheInternet about how the military is funding this great big research project and basically, they believe that in the future, the balance of power won't be determined by who has the most nuclear weapons, but by who has all the information. I'm not afraid of being taken over by computers though, because the thing is, computers cannot resist. You can always smash 'em up, and they're totally defenseless. All we need are more people with hammers."

-->'''Jonny''': But then I remember, we started ''Kid A'' in Copenhagen in the middle of December, because we had this rightly inflated idea of ourselves that we were a... were a kind of cold northern European band. We need darkness and snow and, you know... which is just, [[SubvertedTrope it's just nonsense, really]].

* FollowTheLeader: A whole crop of fresh faced post-{{Britpop}} British alternative bands became popular after Radiohead released ''OK Computer'' and were at least somewhat indebted to the band sonically. Many of these bands later made a name for themselves, separated themselves from the "Radiohead clone" tag and proceeded to become some of the most popular and acclaimed British rock acts of the 2000's, including such bands as Music/{{Muse}}, Music/{{Coldplay}}, Music/{{Travis}}, Music/SnowPatrol, and Stereophonics. Thom's response? "Good luck with ''Kid A''!"

** Whenever Thom says ''"release me"'' in "Morning Bell" (either version). [[Main/UpToEleven It gets even better]] with the Kid 17 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCs63lh7pH4 version]].

* HilariousInHindsight: "Idioteque" contains the lyrics "ice age coming, ice age coming". Two years later WesternAnimation/IceAge was released.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: Stanley Donwood's artwork has been a key factor to their career since ''The Bends'', creating some of the most iconic album covers of all time, as well as just all-around amazing pieces of art to fit in with the themes of each album.

* UncannyValley:
** The video for "Go to Sleep". Cue creepy CGI Thom.
** The cover art for ''Music/TheBends'', depicting a CPR dummy.[[note]][[WhatCouldHaveBeen Thom wanted to use a photo of an iron lung, but misplaced it]].[[/note]]
** 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/MileyCyrus once attempted to [[InvokedTrope invoke this]]. After the 2009 Grammys, she was snubbed by the band when she asked for a sitdown. [[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/miley-cyrus-snubbed-by-radiohead-vows-to-ruin-them-20090305 When asked about it on the radio]], [[RantInducingSlight she promptly went off on a highly emotional, nigh-unlistenable rant, swearing that she would "ruin them"]].[[note]]Many are unsure as to which is sillier: the rant itself, or the fact that Miley's evidently a Radiohead fan.[[/note]] Attempts to do so have not appeared on the media's radar, if they have been made at all. The tension between the ''fandoms'' is actually minor (and mostly VERY confused by her outburst, on both sides).

* SongAssociation: Lots of instances. "Exit Music (for a Film)" and "Talk Show Host" being used in (and in the former's case, written for[[note]]Yes, the song was specifically written for, and featured in the end credits of, the 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare's classic story. Director Baz Luhrmann approached the band with the request for a song during their 1996 tour and showed them the last 30 minutes of the movie, which gave them enough inspiration to begin work immediately. (It was heavily inspired by the original story as a whole, as well as the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film adaptation that Thom saw as a teenager, and was built around the idea of what would've happened if the pair had escaped the morning after they consummated their marriage.) Due to the song's inclusion on ''OK Computer'', the song was held off of the soundtrack at the band's request, but in its place, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nesLOCQEhVI a remix of "Talk Show Host" was used.]][[/note]]) ''Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet'', "15 Step" being used in ''Film/{{Twilight}}'', "Everything in Its Right Place" being used in ''Film/VanillaSky'', "Life in a Glasshouse" being used in ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'', "High and Dry" being used in ''Film/FiftyFifty''...[[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1955602/ the list goes on.]]

*** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus material disc on ''KID A MNESIA'' was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating the ''OK Computer'' era's B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings (which aside from "If You Say the Word" are considered underwhelming), without including any of the B-sides from the ''Kid A''/''Amnesiac'' period.

*** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus material disc on ''KID A MNESIA'' was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating the ''OK Computer'' era's B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of the B-sides from the ''Kid A''/''Amnesiac'' period.

*** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus material disc on ''KID A MNESIA'' was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the era's B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of the B-sides from that period.

*** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus material disc on ''KID A MNESIA'' was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of the B-sides from that period.

*** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus material disc on ''KID A MNESIA'' was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of its the B-sides from that period.

*** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus material disc on ''KID A MNESIA'' is considered something of a disappointment MNESIA'', was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of its the B-sides from that period.

** "A Wolf at the Door" was inspired by an incident where Thom was physically assaulted and the police did nothing because, apparently, he was "asking for it" by being famous. The chorus pairs this up with AdultFear:

* AcceptableTargets: Businessmen, yuppies, and [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate figures]] are all sharply targeted in ''Music/OKComputer''.

** "Radiohead predicted ''WesternAnimation/IceAge''."[[labelnote:Explanation]]The opening lyric to the second verse of "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]]

** ''Music/KidA'' was this initially, due to its GenreShift to avant garde and jazz-influenced electronica. It was VindicatedByHistory fairly quickly, though many stalwart fans of ''Music/TheBends'' and ''Music/OKComputer'' have not returned to the fandom.
** The quality of ''Hail to the Thief'' and ''The King of Limbs'' are hotly debated. Some fans dislike TKOL's softer sound and short length (it's the shortest album in Radiohead's discography, clocking in at 38 minutes) and think the production and song choice are not all that interesting for a Radiohead album. ''Hail to the Thief,'' conversely, is the longest Radiohead album to date (clocking in at 56 and a half minutes, which while not gargantuan in length is still very much on the long side); this led to arguing over whether having more tracks on an album is good because it means more Radiohead, or worse because it makes the album ''too'' long and may lead to [[AlbumFiller filler]] and [[ObviousBeta unfinished songs]]. The band themselves seem to be on the "too long" camp regarding ''Hail to the Thief'', with Thom Yorke devising a rearranged tracklist which cuts out four songs.
** 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) didn't help matters.

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

* CreepyAwesome: The band's artwork, which makes liberal use of SurrealHorror to create imagery that is as unsettling as it is hypnotically captivating.

** "Idioteque", "Talk Show Host", "How to Disappear Completely", "Lotus Flower", and "Burn the Witch" are examples of Ensemble Dark Horses that transcended the fandom and become some of the band's best-known songs.

* FandomRivalry: Music/MileyCyrus attempted to [[InvokedTrope invoke this]]. After the 2009 Grammys, Miley was snubbed by the band when she asked for a sitdown. [[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/miley-cyrus-snubbed-by-radiohead-vows-to-ruin-them-20090305 When asked about it on the radio]], [[RantInducingSlight she promptly went off on a highly emotional, nigh-unlistenable rant, swearing that she would "ruin them"]].[[note]]Many are unsure as to which is sillier: the rant itself, or the fact that Miley's evidently a Radiohead fan.[[/note]] Attempts to do so have not appeared on the media's radar, if they have been made at all. The tension between the ''fandoms'' is actually minor (and mostly VERY confused by her outburst, on both sides).
** Played straight with Lana Del Rey, after Radiohead's management filed a major lawsuit against her for the similarities between "Creep" and her song "Get Free".

* FriendlyFandoms: Radiohead and Music/BoardsOfCanada have listed each other as influences, thus introducing fans of one to the other.

** 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 and sang "I've Seen It All" with her as a duet on her soundtrack album ''Selmasongs''.

** The aspects of ''A Moon Shaped Pool'' shaped by Thom's divorce from his wife of 23 years become astronomically [[TearJerker sadder]] once you discover that [[http://www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/news/dr-rachel-owen-1968-2016 his wife has passed away]].

** [[BaldOfAwesome Phil's hair]] has been a recurring joke amongst fans for a while.

** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus disc on ''KID A MNESIA'', was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the B-sides and three previously unheard tracks from the ''OK Computer'' era, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of the B-sides from the period that spawned both ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac''.

* EnsembleDarkHorse: ''Amnesiac'' is probably the band's least-recognized album outside of the fandom, with critics preferring ''Music/KidA'' and mainstream audiences preferring ''Music/OKComputer'' and ''Music/InRainbows'', but it has a stalwart following in hardcore Radiohead circles. Its b-sides are considered to be some of the best of the band's career, and "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy"'s live debut on the ''King of Limbs'' tour was greeted with much enthusiasm.

** "thm"[[note]]A popular meme on the band's subreddit that comes from a Reddit AMA Thom did with Nigel (as Atoms for Peace, not Radiohead) where Thom's [[YouMakeMeSic poorly spelled]] answers to questions were sometimes suffixed by "thm".[[/note]]

** Likewise, many feel ''Kid Amnesiae'', the bonus disc on ''KID A MNESIA'', was disappointing compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of the B-sides from that period.

** Likewise, the bonus material on ''KID A MNESIA'' is considered something of a disappointment compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''Kid Amnesiae'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and only a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of its B-sides from that period.

** Likewise, the bonus material on ''KID A MNESIA'' is considered something of a disappointment compared to ''OKNOTOK'', which was very comprehensive in terms of collating all the B-sides and three previously unheard tracks, whereas ''KID A MNESIA'' consists of alternative takes and isolated tracks and a handful of unheard recordings, without including any of its B-sides from that period.