| "The Tourist" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Radiohead | |
| from the album OK Computer | |
| Released | 21 May 1997 |
| Recorded | 1996 |
| Studio | St Catherine's Court, Bath |
| Genre | Art rock, Blues rock |
| Length | 5:24 |
| Label | Parlophone, Capitol |
| Songwriters | |
| Producers |
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"The Tourist" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the twelfth and final track on their third studio album, OK Computer (1997). A slow-tempo, blues-influenced ballad, the song serves as a deliberate contrast to the frantic energy of the rest of the album, concluding with a single chime from a triangle. Critics have praised the song for its "graceful" and "cathartic" quality, providing a moment of rest following the album's themes of technological anxiety. [1]
"The Tourist" was written by Jonny Greenwood, who intended for the song to have a "slow, square" rhythm. He wrote the music after watching a group of tourists in France frantically trying to see as many sites as possible in a limited time, which he found "idiotic." [2] Greenwood wanted to create a song where "nothing happens every three seconds," forcing the listener to slow down. [3]
The song was recorded at St Catherine's Court, where the band utilized the large rooms to capture a spacious, natural reverb. During the production, Nigel Godrich and the band worked to ensure the track felt "unhurried," emphasizing Philip Selway's steady drumming and the soaring guitar melodies in the chorus. [4] The final sound heard on the album is a single chime of a triangle, which Yorke suggested was intended to represent the "ding" of a spiritual awakening or a microwave finishing its cycle. [2]
Lyrically, "The Tourist" is an appeal for patience and mindfulness. The refrain "Hey man, slow down / Idiot, slow down" acts as a summary of the album's rejection of the speed and chaos of modern life. [4] Unlike the paranoid and aggressive lyrics of previous tracks like "Electioneering" or "Climbing Up the Walls", "The Tourist" suggests that the solution to alienation is to simply stop and observe. Yorke noted that it was the only way to end the album, as it represented "the only thing that made sense" after the preceding hour of music. [3]
