Every once in a while, an album transcends its time, speaking to the present and future in a way that feels almost prophetic. For many, Radiohead’s OK Computer is one of those albums. Released on May 21, 1997, the record captured the angst of a world hurtling toward the digital age with abstract lyrics, unconventional production, and themes of alienation, globalization, and technological overload. It’s been dissected, celebrated, and even inducted into the US Library of Congress for preservation. But even with its legendary status, there are still secrets lurking within its tracks and artwork.
1. The Numbers on the Back Represent a Key Moment in the Album’s Creation
The sequence of numbers on the back of OK Computer—18576397—marks a precise moment in the album’s history. It represents the time and date the album was officially completed: 6:57 PM, March 6, 1997. This small detail immortalizes the conclusion of months of intense, groundbreaking work and symbolizes the meticulous care Radiohead poured into the project.
2. It Was Nearly Recorded in a Haunted Mansion
Most of OK Computer was recorded at St. Catherine’s Court, a historic rural mansion near Bath. The sprawling estate allowed the band to experiment with natural reverberation (like recording vocals on a stone staircase for “Exit Music (For a Film)”). But did you know the mansion is rumored to be haunted? While Radiohead never confirmed any ghostly encounters, the eerie atmosphere may have seeped into the album’s layered, haunting soundscapes.
3. “Paranoid Android” Was Inspired by a Los Angeles Bar Fight
The sprawling six-minute epic, often hailed as the band’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” was born out of Thom Yorke’s experience at a bar in LA. After witnessing a woman lose her temper when someone spilled a drink on her, Yorke envisioned a dystopian world where petty human outbursts are magnified into existential crises. The song’s title, of course, is a nod to Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
4. The Album Almost Had a Different Title
Before settling on OK Computer, Radiohead toyed with other names, including Ones and Zeroes (a reference to binary code) and Your Home May Be at Risk If You Do Not Keep Up Payments (a satirical nod to mortgage warnings). Ultimately, OK Computer stuck, inspired by a phrase from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Yorke described it as both “terrified of the future” and “resigned to it.”
5. “Fitter Happier” Was Written in Ten Minutes
Working at the speed of light (or sound), Yorke dashed off the lyrics to “Fitter Happier” in just ten minutes. Feeling creatively blocked, he typed a list of slogans and buzzwords he’d absorbed from media and advertisements. Rather than singing the words himself, Yorke handed them over to Fred, the text-to-speech voice from an old Macintosh computer. The result is one of the album’s most unsettling tracks, a sterile critique of consumerist self-improvement culture.
Almost 30 years after its release, OK Computer remains a towering achievement in music, one that predicted the alienation and anxieties of the digital age with uncanny precision. From the cryptic numbers on its back cover to its ghostly recording sessions, every detail adds to its mystique.
