Kid A cover art

  Studio Album · No. 4

Kid A Songwriting Credits by Radiohead

2000 Parlophone 10 tracks 50 min

Produced by Nigel Godrich, Radiohead  ·  Engineered by Nigel Godrich

Parlophone Experimental RockElectronicaArt Rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 10 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 10 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Radiohead carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
10 trackswritten by Radiohead 0 tracksoutside writers
Radiohead's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
5
Lyricists
2
Producers
2000
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Best Alternative Music Album (2001)
Data Insight

Like every Radiohead release, all songs on Kid A are credited collectively to the five members (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway) rather than to individual writers, a convention the band has kept throughout its catalog. The album was recorded during the same January 1999 to April 2000 sessions that also produced Amnesiac, with Nigel Godrich producing and engineering. It marked a deliberate break from guitar-driven rock toward electronic textures, modular synthesizers, and processed sound. Radiohead controversially released no conventional singles to promote it.

Radiohead's fourth studio album, released October 2, 2000. A radical departure from guitar-based rock, Kid A drew on electronic music, jazz, and twentieth-century classical composition to produce one of the most critically discussed albums of its era. All songs are credited to Radiohead collectively. 'Idioteque' samples 'Mild und Leise' by Paul Lansky and 'Short Piece' by Arthur Kreiger, resulting in additional composer credits for both. Despite receiving no singles or music videos prior to release, the album debuted at number one in both the UK and US and won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Everything in Its Right Place
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
2
Kid A
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
3
The National Anthem
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
4
How to Disappear Completely
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
5
Treefingers
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
6
Optimistic
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
7
In Limbo
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
8
Idioteque
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil SelwayPaul LanskyArthur Kreiger Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
9
Morning Bell
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
10
Motion Picture Soundtrack
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 9 contributors

More from Radiohead

Frequently Asked Questions Kid A

Did Radiohead write Kid A themselves?
Yes. Every song on Kid A is credited collectively to all five members of Radiohead: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway. The band has used this shared-credit convention across its entire catalog rather than attributing songs to individual writers.
Why did Kid A have no singles?
Radiohead deliberately released no conventional singles from Kid A, a controversial choice at the time. The band promoted the album instead through short ambient promotional films called blips and radio play, rejecting the standard single-and-video marketing cycle.
Who produced Kid A?
Nigel Godrich produced, engineered, and mixed Kid A, working alongside the band who share a production credit. Godrich has worked with Radiohead since OK Computer and is often described as the band's de facto sixth member.
Was Kid A recorded with Amnesiac?
Yes. Kid A and Amnesiac came out of the same recording sessions held between January 1999 and April 2000. The band split the material into two separate albums rather than releasing a double album.
What does the song Everything in Its Right Place represent on Kid A?
'Everything in Its Right Place' opens Kid A and signals the album's shift toward electronic sound, built around a Fender Rhodes electric piano run through processing and vocal manipulation. It set the tone for the album's move away from conventional rock instrumentation.
Did Kid A win any Grammy Awards?
Yes. Kid A won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Album of the Year.
What genre is Kid A?
Kid A is generally described as experimental rock blended with electronica and art rock. The album incorporated ambient textures, modular synthesizers, jazz, and krautrock influences, marking a sharp departure from the guitar rock of Radiohead's earlier work.

Sources