No Surprises

by Radiohead

No Surprises cover art
  • Type: Single
  • Released: 12 January 1998
  • Label: Parlophone
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Length: 10:42
  • Community rating: 4.18/5 from 4 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Hidden beneath a childlike glockenspiel melody and acoustic strumming, 'No Surprises' is a harrowing commentary on crushing suburban conformity and suicidal ideation. The track represents the first take recorded during the 'OK Computer' sessions, capturing a distinct atmosphere of quiet exhaustion. Its famous music video, featuring Thom Yorke singing while submerged inside an expanding diving helmet, starkly underscores the song's themes of suffocation.

Genres

Descriptors: suicide, alienation, existential, melodic, hushed

Tracklist

  1. No Surprises (3:49)
  2. Palo Alto (3:43)
  3. How I Made My Millions (3:09)

Credits

  • Stanley Donwood - artwork
  • The White Chocolate Farm - artwork

More from Radiohead: full discography