Let Down (Radiohead song)

Last updated
"Let Down"
Radiohead - Let Down.jpg
Promo CD issued in the US
Promotional single by Radiohead
from the album OK Computer
Released6 September 1997
Genre
Length4:59
Label
Songwriter(s) Radiohead
Producer(s)

"Let Down" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their third studio album, OK Computer (1997). It contains multilayered arpeggiated guitars and electric piano in different time signatures, and lyrics inspired by a disconnection from emotion.

Contents

"Let Down" was released as a promotional single in September 1997 and reached number 29 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was included on Radiohead: The Best Of (2008). In 2025, after it became popular on the social media platform TikTok, "Let Down" debuted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100, Radiohead's first entry since their 2008 single "Nude".

Recording

Radiohead recorded "Let Down" at 3 am in the ballroom of St Catherine's Court in Bath, Somerset, with the producer Nigel Godrich. [1] The guitarist Ed O'Brien said it was influenced by Phil Spector. [2] It contains multilayered arpeggiated guitars and electric piano. [3] Jonny Greenwood plays his guitar part in a different time signature to the other instruments, creating a phasing effect inspired by the American composer Steve Reich. [4]

The singer, Thom Yorke, originally recorded vocals for two additional verses, but neither felt right for the song. Instead, the band combined both vocals to create the final verse, with the overlapping "you know where you are with..." and "one day I am gonna grow wings" verses. [5] Yorke and Greenwood felt the song was too long, and wanted to fade it out during the instrumental bridge, but were persuaded against it by Godrich and the other band members. [5] Greenwood added an arpeggio generated with a ZX Spectrum computer. [5]

Lyrics

Yorke said the lyrics were about a fear of being trapped, [6] and "about that feeling that you get when you're in transit but you're not in control of it—you just go past thousands of places and thousands of people and you're completely removed from it". [7] Of the line "Don't get sentimental / It always ends up drivel", Yorke said: "Sentimentality is being emotional for the sake of it. We're bombarded with sentiment, people emoting. That's the Let Down. Feeling every emotion is fake. Or rather every emotion is on the same plane whether it's a car advert or a pop song." [8] Yorke felt that scepticism of emotion was characteristic of Generation X and that it had informed OK Computer. [9]

Release

"Let Down" was intended to be the first single from OK Computer, but "Paranoid Android" was chosen instead, which, along with "Karma Police", solidified Radiohead's popularity. [10] It was not released as a single because the band was unsatisfied with the music video. [10] "Let Down" reached No. 29 in the US Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. [11] In 2006, it was covered by the Easy Star All-Stars on Radiodread , a cover album of OK Computer in ska, dub and reggae styles. [12]

In June 2025, after it became popular on the social media platform TikTok, "Let Down" debuted at number 20 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts. It was Radiohead's first entry on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart since their debut single, "Creep" (1992). [13] It also reached number 85 on the UK singles chart. [14] In August, "Let Down" debuted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100. [15] It was Radiohead's fourth entry on the chart and their first since their 2008 single "Nude". [16]

Live performances

Radiohead has rarely performed "Let Down" live. After a 2006 performance, it was not performed until the tour for Radiohead's album A Moon Shaped Pool (2016). [17] The multi-track recording used in the studio version makes the song difficult to recreate live, especially with respect to the layering of multiple simultaneous vocal parts sung by Yorke. When it has been played live, Yorke has typically opted to skip the final verse and sing the accompanying background vocal part instead. [18]

Track listing

CD promo single [19]

  1. "Let Down" – 4:59
  2. "Let Down" (edit) – 4:27
  3. "Karma Police" – 4:21

Charts

1997 chart performance for "Let Down"
Chart (1997)Peak
position
US Modern Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [20] 29
2025 chart performance for "Let Down"
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [21] 75
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [22] 103
Greece International (IFPI) [23] 90
Ireland (IRMA) [24] 73
New Zealand Catalogue Singles (RMNZ) [25] 12
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) [26] 20
UK Singles (OCC) [27] 85
UK Indie (OCC) [28] 4
US Billboard Hot 100 [29] 91
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [30] 13

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Let Down"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [31] Gold15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [32] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Prepare Yourself for Radiohead's New Album Sunday With This Essential Playlist". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  2. ↑ Randall, Mac (1 April 1998). "Radiohead interview: The Golden Age of Radiohead". Guitar World . Archived from the original on 3 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Footman 2007, p. 73.
  4. ↑ Bamford, Thom (24 June 2025). "Jonny Greenwood joins the Hallé for a world-class weekend at Manchester Classical". I Love Manchester. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "6 Music's deep dive into OK Computer". BBC Radio 6 Music . 19 May 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  6. ↑ Moran, Caitlin (July 1997). "I was feeling incredible hysteria and panic ...". Select : 92.
  7. ↑ Sutherland, Mark (31 May 1997), "Return of the Mac!", Melody Maker
  8. ↑ Sutcliffe, Phil (October 1999), "Radiohead: An Interview with Thom Yorke", Q
  9. ↑ Gaitskill, Mary (April 1998), "Radiohead: Alarms and Surprises", Alternative Press
  10. 1 2 Footman 2007, p. 74.
  11. ↑ "Radiohead chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  12. ↑ "Radiohead Fully Dread". IGN . 27 July 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  13. ↑ Casalena, Em (16 June 2025). "A 28-Year-Old Song by Radiohead Just Became a Surprise Charting Hit in 2025". American Songwriter . Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  14. ↑ Gecsoyler, Sammy (26 August 2025). "Radiohead's Let Down enters US Billboard charts 28 years after its release". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  15. ↑ Coffman, Tim (26 August 2025). "Radiohead song 'Let Down' becomes their fourth ever Hot 100 hit". Far Out. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  16. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (26 August 2025). "Radiohead's 'Let Down' becomes their fourth-ever Hot 100 hit, 28 years after release". Pitchfork . Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Cheng, Cheryl (5 August 2016). "Radiohead Takes Down Donald Trump at Sold-Out Shrine Auditorium Show in L.A." The Hollywood Reporter .
  18. ↑ Ehmann 2020, p. 53.
  19. ↑ Footman 2007, p. 270.
  20. ↑ "Radiohead Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  21. ↑ "Radiohead Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "Radiohead Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 32-35/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  24. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 33, 2025)". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  25. ↑ "NZ Catalogue Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  26. ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 32, 2025". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  27. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  28. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  29. ↑ "Radiohead Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  30. ↑ "Radiohead Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  31. ↑ "Official Catalogue Singles". Official Aotearoa Music Charts. 13 June 2025. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  32. ↑ "British single certifications – Radiohead – Let Down". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 20 July 2025.

Bibliography