Final project Research: Radiohead Paranoid Android

  On this post I will analyze the  masterpiece  Ok Computer from Radiohead. to write that album they brought influences from alternative rock and concrete music. They used new  audio equipment and were really creative to use the more traditional ones. In an interview to Jools Hollandin 2021, Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters frontman  stated: “This is a pivotal moment not only in Radiohead’s career but, I think in the history of music. When they made the OK Computer record, I honestly felt like that was the beginning of some kind of revolution musically. Of course, as a live band, they are one of the greatest live bands of all time. Performing this song that was challenging the audience to join them in this crazy revolution, and ‘Paranoid Android’ live, it’s not exactly like the record, but it’s better because it’s happening. Of course, I really do think that record changed the landscape of popular music for years to come.” (Grohl, 2021).

    The Radiohead guitarist told in an interview (to  Humo magazine  in July 22, 1997) about the process and the inspirations  they had to write this song "We wanted to make a crossing of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and The Pixies. No, it didn't become a 'Bohemian Rhapsody' of the '90s; it's not complex enough for that and it contains too much tension. It's the song that we played to our friends when they, a long time ago, wanted to know what the new album was going to sound like. You could see them thinking: 'If that's the new single, what will all the rest be like?'" ( O'Brien, 1997).

    Paranoid Android is very unconventional song, it uses really interesting suspended chords, which are chords that do no have major or minor quality, they omit the 3rd and use the 2nd or 4th to build tension. To write this Radiohead used intriguing modulations and prefect-placed barrow chords, they also used metric modulation and tempo changes. This song is divided in 2 different sections, the first one starts in the key of Cm, the melody is  syncopated, the accent is played off the beats. The percussion really moves the song and rhythmic is really playful and contrast with the melancholic harmonic and hauntingly melody. On the first chorus they start to explore polymetric. The second section they modulate to A major, the guitars get a bit heavier and distorted, the guitar solos are really experimental, and in general everything gets more dissonant. On this section there is also a beautiful use mode mixture, which means mix both scales of the same note, on this case they blend C minor with C major

    I might  use some of the techniques I learned analyzing this song into my own music and my final project composition such as polymetric, tones  and chords. The first section is so beautifully sad, really interesting use of minor harmony and gave me food for thought, it made me challenge myself to write more emotional and melancholic music. 

References:

“ShieldSquare Captcha.” Www.songfacts.com, www.songfacts.com/facts/radiohead/paranoid-android. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.

Taysom, Joe . “Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl Named His Favourite Radiohead Album.” Faroutmagazine.co.uk, 20 Nov. 2021, faroutmagazine.co.uk/dave-grohl-foo-fighters-favourite-radiohead-album/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2023.