Parlophone Records

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

EMI signed Radiohead to a record contract in 1991 after the band formed in Oxfordshire in 1985. Their debut, the Drill EP (1992), drew little attention, but EMI supported the release of "Creep" as a single on 21 September 1992 following producer Kolderie's persuasion. Initially unsuccessful in the UK, where it reached number 78 and sold only 6,000 copies, the song gained traction in Israel after DJ Yoav Kutner played it. By December 1992, San Francisco station KITS began playing it, leading to a reissue in 1993 that made it an international hit likened to "slacker anthems" like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." This success gave the band freedom on their second album, The Bends (1995), though EMI pressured them to match the commercial performance of "Creep," creating significant tension. Radiohead eventually grew weary of the song, feeling it set narrow expectations, and did not perform it for several years despite it remaining their most successful single.

In Their Own Story

In late 1992, producer Paul Q. Kolderie convinced EMI to release "Creep" as a single after the band spontaneously performed it during rehearsals at Chipping Norton Recording Studios. According to drummer Philip Selway, the first take was so powerful because it was "completely unselfconscious," with the band unaware they were being recorded. When guitarist Jonny Greenwood added three blasts of guitar noise before the chorus to make the ballad less wimpy, Kolderie boosted the sound in the mix so "it punched you in the face." Despite EMI's initial reluctance—BBC Radio 1 found it "too depressing" and excluded it from playlists—the single took off in Israel and later in American alternative rock radio. By mid-1993, with Pablo Honey released on 22 February, the song became a hit in America. The success of "Creep" led EMI to pressure Radiohead to replicate its formula for their next album, The Bends (1995), causing the band to depart from the style of "Creep" and feel trapped by narrow expectations.

Reader's Guide

EMI served as the primary record label for Radiohead's debut single "Creep" and their first two albums, Pablo Honey (1993) and The Bends (1995). The label released "Creep" on 21 September 1992 after producer Kolderie convinced them to do so. EMI distributed a censored version of the single for radio, replacing "so fucking special" with "so very special," following the band's idols Sonic Youth. When the song became an international hit in 1993, EMI issued promotional singles to US stations like KROQ-FM and Capitol Records began promoting the band heavily. However, this success created tension; EMI pressured Radiohead to match the commercial performance of "Creep" on their follow-up album. This pressure contributed to the band's decision to move away from the "Creep" style, eventually leading them to grow weary of performing the song and setting narrow expectations for their music.

Did You Know?

• Producer Paul Q. Kolderie convinced EMI to release "Creep" as a single after the band spontaneously performed it during rehearsals.
• "Creep" reached number 78 on the UK singles chart upon its initial release, selling only 6,000 copies before finding success in Israel and the US.
• The song's famous guitar blasts were added by Jonny Greenwood to make the ballad less wimpy, a decision producers later boosted so "it punched you in the face."
• EMI required a censored version of "Creep" for radio play, changing the lyric "so fucking special" to "so very special," which the band accepted because their idols Sonic Youth had done the same.
• After becoming an international hit in 1993, EMI pressured Radiohead to match the success of "Creep," causing tension that led the band to stop performing the song for several years.