Radiohead Had Only 1 Hit Song, but for a Very Good Reason

Classic rock is full of surprising anecdotes. For example, Radiohead only released one song that became much of a hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune doesn’t exactly seem like the sort of song that would appeal to a mass audience. However, the song has a meaning that lots of people can relate to — even if they wouldn’t want to admit it.

Radiohead wrote a perfect song about common and uncomfortable feelings

If you know one Radiohead song, it’s “Creep.” The fact that people have heard “Creep” but not other classic Radiohead tracks like “Fake Plastic Trees” or “Karma Police” has become an enduring meme among the band’s fans. It’s no accident that “Creep” is the most ubiquitous Radiohead song. It was their only tune to have any staying power on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Creep” doesn’t have the sort of sound that generally appeals to a mass audience. It sounds like it’s being played in a coffee shop. In addition, harder rock is usually a hard sell. 

However, many people have felt like creeps, whether they deserved to or not. Many people have felt like they aren’t as special as they’d like to be. If Mötley Crüe were there to help people fantasize about being rock stars, Radiohead was there to give a voice to your insecurities. That might be why “Creep” is a bigger deal than any Mötley Crüe song.

Thom Yorke discussed why he wrote the song

During a 1993 interview quoted in SongFacts, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke discussed the feelings he expressed in “Creep.” “I have a real problem being a man in the ’90s,” he said. “Any man with any sensitivity or conscience toward the opposite sex would have a problem. To actually assert yourself in a masculine way without looking like you’re in a hard-rock band is a very difficult thing to do. 

“It comes back to the music we write, which is not effeminate, but it’s not brutal in its arrogance,” he added. “It is one of the things I’m always trying: To assert a sexual persona and on the other hand trying desperately to negate it.”

Radiohead had 3 songs that charted in the United States

“Creep” peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. It was the only song from the band that could be described as a hit in the general sense. The band’s other charting singles were “High and Dry,” which reached No. 78 and spent eight weeks on the chart, and “Nude,” which reached No. 37 and spent one week on the chart. “High and Dry” and “Nude” were nowhere near as popular as “Creep.” 

“Creep” appeared on the album Pablo Honey. The record hit No. 32 and stayed on the chart for 26 weeks. Pablo Honey wasn’t exactly a massive hit. However, it helped Radiohead become one of the most essential and beloved alternative rock bands of all time. Unlike many 1990s rock bands, Radiohead managed to stay relevant in the 2000s and beyond.

“Creep” is one of the most amazing rock tracks of the 1990s and it was Radiohead’s only real hit in the United States.