The analysis then goes on a completely different spectrum by looking at concepts that are of a sacred nature, which seems to be a bit out of character for this genre and even this album, but he does make a valid argument. These two themes go together quite nicely as they are not one without the other, even though this a very small segment of the song the references to these themes make a fierce opening sets a tone for the rest of the song, which is why we feel Griffiths thought it was important to bring up in his analysis. Thinking of the alternative rock genre as regal is not really a descriptive word that comes to mind, which is why Griffiths is discussing regal in the sense of torture and violent means (Griffiths, 52). Griffiths describes the song as having an instant feel of gothic and regal qualities, which really don’t seem to go hand-in-hand – and they don’t.
The instrumental may be very important-especially in this genre, but overlooking the importance of lyrical meaning is a misjudgment on the Griffiths part.Īs the analysis continues onward, it shifts to the next song on the album “Paranoid Android”. When analyzing a song all musical aspects need to be taken into consideration and because the lyrics are disregarded, it takes away the legitimacy of the critique. Something that is truly over looked in this detailed analysis are the lyrical aspects, as the majority of the analysis is on “distinct ranges, highs and lows” and “melodic figures” (Griffiths, 50-51).
This may seem to be a bad thing, but Griffiths points out that this is not the case and that the enriched sound comes from the layering of drums, guitars and the production elements produced by Teo Marceo’s (Griffiths, 49). Griffiths is by no means calling this song pop, but he believes it has an aspect that embodies an enriched deeper meaning, but when listened to closer the meaning is more ordinary. He then goes on to make an odd comparison to pop songs, by using the idea of Paul Simon and his concept of the contrast of ‘ordinary’ and ‘enriched’ being key elements in pop songs (Griffiths, 49). Reading through Griffiths’ analysis there is a moment that you are to believe that there is a deep meaning in the song, then Griffiths draws you back to the idea that the song is really a literal interpretation of a car airbag (Griffiths, 48). This is what you want with the first song of an album – something that will catch the attention of the listener automatically and give the audience an idea of what else is to come on the album.
#Analysis of ok computer radiohead full
The first song up for discussion is “Airbag”, Griffiths believes that it kicks off the album like “a boxer coming out at the bell on full attack” and has an ability that “seduces and dazzles” the listeners (Griffiths, 48). The book that best suited for this analysis is a novel completely based on the OK Computer album, written by Dai Griffiths, as it breaks it down two songs at a time leaving a lot of room for thorough analysis. Radiohead’s 1997 album cover of OK Computer
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