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About This Track
No Surprises is a song by the British alternative rock band Radiohead. It was released as the third and final single from the group’s 1997 album OK Computer. Accompanied by a music video that featured a single shot of singer Thom Yorke’s head in a plastic bubble that filled with water, the single peaked at number four in the United Kingdom.
Radiohead wrote “No Surprises” while touring with the band R.E.M. in 1995. “No Surprises” was the first song Radiohead recorded on the first day of recording sessions for OK Computer. The version of the song on the album is the first take recorded. Singer Thom Yorke commented, “We did endless versions afterwards […] and they were all just covers of the first version. So we gave up and went back to .”
The lyrics originally told the story of a man who has become fed up with the way things are working out for him and is having problems with his girlfriend. Two lines from this version are, “He was sick of her excuses / To not take off her dress when bleedin’ in the bathroom.” Preparing to record the song, Yorke altered the lyrics dramatically; instead of telling a love story about a man and his girlfriend, the song now appears to figuratively reference taking one’s own life (as evidenced in lyrics such as “I’ll take a quiet life/A handshake/Of carbon monoxide”) to illustrate contempt for the complacency of British “normality”.
“No Surprises” was released as the third single from OK Computer on 12 January 1998. The single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.
Radiohead wrote “No Surprises” while touring with the band R.E.M. in 1995. “No Surprises” was the first song Radiohead recorded on the first day of recording sessions for OK Computer. The version of the song on the album is the first take recorded. Singer Thom Yorke commented, “We did endless versions afterwards […] and they were all just covers of the first version. So we gave up and went back to .”
The lyrics originally told the story of a man who has become fed up with the way things are working out for him and is having problems with his girlfriend. Two lines from this version are, “He was sick of her excuses / To not take off her dress when bleedin’ in the bathroom.” Preparing to record the song, Yorke altered the lyrics dramatically; instead of telling a love story about a man and his girlfriend, the song now appears to figuratively reference taking one’s own life (as evidenced in lyrics such as “I’ll take a quiet life/A handshake/Of carbon monoxide”) to illustrate contempt for the complacency of British “normality”.
“No Surprises” was released as the third single from OK Computer on 12 January 1998. The single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.
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Albums featuring this track
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OK Computer
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Shouts
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LordWilmor wrote:
My favorite song from Radiohead.
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xXJokerBPXx wrote:
The intro just draws you right in to this amazing song.
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Damita_Stev wrote:
Gorgeous <3
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Matheus1_ wrote:
Uma obra de arte que me faz chorar.
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itisnotsobad wrote:
bring down the government, they don't, they don't speak for us.
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Heliodaphne wrote:
An Evergreen ...
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shellbyrne wrote:
oh my God what a song, it's transfixing
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p-each wrote:
no alarms and no surprises please
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callmemc wrote:
just featured radiohead on my new blog coachellafestival.tumblr.com. every day for 99 days I feature one artist that is a part of the coachella 2012 lineup, creating an information center where you can access basic artist information, third party reviews, music videos, and song downloads conveniently in one place. enjoy!
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apgoldenboy wrote:
I get so happy when I hear this intro!
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CidaDuarteF wrote:
Nice!!
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ubermenschean wrote:
Good song.
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ewcia93 wrote:
<3!
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Evacuant wrote:
"a delightful homage to the final, epileptic fit that our ju-ju brains will spasm into if we don't FUCKING ESCAPE! " now I wish last.fm would allow me to use this as a tag.
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obscurecendo wrote:
bruises that won't heal ):
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LBozic wrote:
pedaazo de video,
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kaisersozay wrote:
i thought it was a glockenspiel? spiele eine glockenspiele, as they say in der vaderland? in any case, a delightful homage to the final, epileptic fit that our ju-ju brains will spasm into if we don't FUCKING ESCAPE!
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Bodysnatcher94 wrote:
Ultimate Anarchist song <3
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Babak-Gallagher wrote:
Sunday Morning > No Surprises
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covermachine wrote:
first song recorded on the first day of recording sessions for OK Computer
Track Stats
6,626,263 Scrobbles
913,022 Listeners
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wsu21311, claytonee, deja_fluz and 8 other people loved Radiohead – No Surprises. 1 hour ago
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