OK Computer cover art

  Studio Album · No. 3

OK Computer Songwriting Credits by Radiohead

1997 Parlophone 12 tracks 53 min

Produced by Nigel Godrich, Radiohead  ·  Engineered by Nigel Godrich

Parlophone Alternative RockArt Rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 12 of 12 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 12 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Radiohead carries a lyricist or composer credit.

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

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
5
Lyricists
2
Producers
7.8 million
Worldwide Copies Sold
1997
Released

Awards & Recognition 2

Best Alternative Music Album (1998)
Album of the Year (1998, Nominated)
Data Insight

All songs on OK Computer are credited collectively to the five members of Radiohead (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway), continuing the band's shared songwriting practice. The album was self-produced by Radiohead with Nigel Godrich, whose engineering role on The Bends had grown into a full production partnership. That close band-and-producer collaboration shaped the record's expansive, textured sound, with the writing remaining a group undertaking rather than the product of any individual member.

Radiohead's third studio album, released May 21, 1997. Produced by Nigel Godrich and the band in a mansion in Bath, OK Computer is a sweeping meditation on alienation, consumerism, and the dehumanizing effects of technology. It is widely ranked among the greatest albums ever made and won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1998. The album's complex arrangements, orchestral strings on 'Exit Music (For a Film)' and Jonny Greenwood's string score for 'Climbing Up the Walls', and its dense multi-part structures marked a decisive break from conventional rock songwriting. All songs are collectively credited to Radiohead.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Airbag
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
2
Paranoid Android #3
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
3
Subterranean Homesick Alien
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
4
Exit Music (For a Film)
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
5
Let Down
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
6
Karma Police #8
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
7
Fitter Happier
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
8
Electioneering
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
9
Climbing Up the Walls
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
10
No Surprises #4
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
11
Lucky
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)
12
The Tourist
Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Thom YorkeJonny GreenwoodColin GreenwoodEd O'BrienPhil Selway Nigel GodrichRadiohead Thom Yorke (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 7 contributors

More from Radiohead

Frequently Asked Questions OK Computer

Did Radiohead write OK Computer themselves?
Yes. Every song on OK Computer is credited collectively to the five members of Radiohead: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, and Phil Selway. The band shares songwriting credit on all tracks rather than naming individual writers.
Who produced OK Computer?
OK Computer was self-produced by Radiohead together with Nigel Godrich. Godrich had engineered The Bends, and OK Computer expanded his role into a full co-producing partnership that continued on later Radiohead albums.
Did OK Computer win a Grammy?
Yes. OK Computer won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1998. The album was also nominated for Album of the Year that year but did not win that category.
What was the highest-charting single from OK Computer?
'Paranoid Android' was the highest-charting single from OK Computer, reaching number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, Radiohead's best UK chart position at the time. The other singles 'No Surprises' and 'Karma Police' reached numbers 4 and 8.
How did Karma Police chart in the UK?
'Karma Police' reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. It became one of the most recognizable songs from OK Computer and a lasting favorite among the band's audience.
How many copies has OK Computer sold?
OK Computer has sold at least 7.8 million copies worldwide, including album-equivalent units. It is certified 5x Platinum in the UK and 2x Platinum in the US.
When was OK Computer released and on what label?
OK Computer was released in 1997 on Parlophone in the UK and Capitol Records in the US. It was Radiohead's third studio album, running about 53 minutes across 12 tracks.

Sources