High and Dry

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Lore & Background

The history of "High and Dry" is rooted in experimentation and rediscovery. While attending the University of Exeter in the late 1980s, Thom Yorke performed an early version with Headless Chickens. In 1993, Radiohead recorded a demo at Courtyard Studios, Oxfordshire, but dismissed it as "too Rod Stewart." Years later, this discarded recording was found and remastered for The Bends. The song's influence extended well beyond the band; in 2017, Pitchfork credited it, along with "Fake Plastic Trees," for influencing the "airbrushed" post-Britpop sound of Coldplay and Travis. The Irish Times went further, stating that "High and Dry" had "essentially invented Coldplay." Despite Yorke's later criticism of the track in 2006, describing it as "very bad" and citing label pressure from EMI, its impact on subsequent rock acts remains a documented part of its legacy.

In Their Own Story

The narrative behind "High and Dry" is deeply personal to Thom Yorke. He revealed that the lyrics were originally about "some loony girl I was going out with." Over time, these personal details became entangled with broader themes regarding success and failure. The recording process itself mirrors this tension between rejection and acceptance; the demo recorded in 1993 was initially thrown away by the band, only to be brought back years later for their second album. The song's creation also connects to a specific moment of vulnerability: while working on "Planet Telex" around the same time, Yorke recorded his vocals drunk and slumped in a corner after returning from a restaurant. Although that specific session was for "Planet Telex," it captures the raw, unpolished atmosphere of the era when "High and Dry" was being re-evaluated and prepared for its final release.

Reader's Guide

Listeners exploring "High and Dry" should note its dual existence as both a discarded demo and a polished album track. The song was recorded at Courtyard Studios in Oxfordshire with engineer Jim Warren before being remastered for The Bends. For the single release on 27 February 1995, two distinct music videos were produced to reach different markets. Directed by David Mould, the UK video features Radiohead performing at the Vasquez Rocks outside Los Angeles. For the American market, Capitol Records commissioned a second video directed by Paul Cunningham, set in a roadside diner and inspired by the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Notably, MTV requested edits to this US version to remove a shot of an exploding car. Fans can also trace the song's lineage back to Yorke's time with Headless Chickens at the University of Exeter in the late 1980s.

Did You Know?

• Thom Yorke performed an early version of the song with Headless Chickens while attending the University of Exeter in the late 1980s.
• The demo recorded in 1993 was initially dismissed by the band as "too Rod Stewart" before being remastered for The Bends.
• In 2006, Thom Yorke stated that EMI had pressured him into releasing the song, calling it "very bad."
• The Irish Times claimed that "High and Dry" had "essentially invented Coldplay," a sentiment echoed by Pitchfork in 2017.
• The US music video for the song was edited at MTV's request to remove a shot of an exploding car.