01 and 10
The folks over at Puddlegum have brought up the idea of a complementation between Radiohead’s OK Computer and the band’s recently released In Rainbows, claiming the two albums work together as binary components.
I’m always a bit skeptical about such theories without proof of origin, but nonetheless, it’s cool (in that music blog kind of way) to note some of the similarities and coincidences.
Before delving into it, you should know that the purported combined playlist goes as follows:
Radiohead - 01 and 10 playlist:
1. Airbag (OK Computer)
2. 15 Step (In Rainbows)
3. Paranoid Android (OK Computer)
4. Bodysnatchers (In Rainbows)
5. Subterranean Homesick Alien (OK Computer)
6. Nude (In Rainbows)
7. Exit Music (For A Film) (OK Computer)
8. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (In Rainbows)
9. Let Down (OK Computer)
10. All I Need (In Rainbows)
11. Karma Police (OK Computer)
12. Fitter Happier (OK Computer)
13. Faust Arp (In Rainbows)
14. Electioneering (OK Computer)
15. Reckoner (In Rainbows)
16. Climbing Up The Walls (OK Computer)
17. House Of Cards (In Rainbows)
18. No Surprises (OK Computer)
19. Jigsaw Falling Into Place (In Rainbows)
20. Lucky (OK Computer)
For the most part, it follows a back-and-forth sequence, with the combination of “Karma Police” and “Fitter Happier” serving as a bridge of sorts, separating the first ten songs from the last ten. Some claim that playing it with a 10-second crossfade causes the albums to sonically match up even closer, although it could be argued that crossfading might make anything blend together better. With the crossfade, several transitions work quite well (“Subterranean Homesick Alien” into “Nude”), while others are completely muddled (“Paranoid Android” into “Bodysnatchers”).
Now for the background info. The theory goes way back to the working title of OK Computer, which was Zeros and Ones, giving us our motif. The title was of course changed, but it kept its vague tie to the binary idea. One could claim the theme runs throughout the album both sonically and lyrically: “Fitter Happier,” for example, embodies the idea on both fronts. The album is overwrought with ideas of personal disillusionment and a desaturation of humanity. A computerized world.
Ten years later, along comes In Rainbows, ten tracks released on 10/10 and announced 10 days in advance. The announcement was preceded by nine cryptic messages marked by an abundance of X’s, the Roman numeral for 10. Possibly a coincidence, or possibly the band just having a little fun. But coincidence or not, there are several interesting things to note.
First off, the titles have the same amount of letters, and one could claim that the “O” in OK Computer represents the number 0, while the “I” in In Rainbows represents the number 1. Furthermore, the combined playlist does flow well sonically, and several of the lyrical transitions maintain a common theme:
“I’ll hit the bottom and escape” into “Transport, motorways and tram lines”
“Crushed like a bug in the ground/Let down and hanging around” into “I’m the next act/waiting in the wings/I’m an animal/Trapped in your hot car”
“Pull me out of the air crash/Pull me out of the wreck/’Cause I’m your superhero/ We’re standing on the edge” into “When I’m at the pearly gates/This’ll be on my videotape”
Some thematic continuity does exist, both on a line-by-line basis and also on a higher level, but it could be argued that the continuity exists simply because these lyrics are coming from the same mind, and let’s face it, Radiohead’s lyrics have always had a certain thematic tone to them. Nonetheless, one can draw several distinct parallels throughout the lyrics of these two particular albums: when one album talks of despair, the other hints at hope. (The titles themselves embody this very idea.)
Personally, the most striking complement came with the “bridge,” when the lyrics “For a minute there, I lost myself” segue into the trance-like “Fitter Happier” monologue, which we’re then snapped out of by the lyrics “Wakey wakey, rise and shine/It’s on again, off again, on again” (another possible binary reference: 1 0 1).
All of this speculation gets pretty heady and oftentimes far-reaching, and again, I’m skeptical as to the validity of it all. But if nothing else, the practice has been an interesting deep-dive into the lyrical and musical themes of two masterful albums, and it’s an interesting highlight of the decadal similarities and differences of one of today’s great bands.
The only conclusion I can draw for certain is that I’m doubly melancholy after listening to the two albums combined.
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Purposeful or not, the 01 and 10 playlist was a joy to listen to. I’m almost convinced it was on purpose.
I like that it works on a sonic scale but I’m more than skeptical. Most of the songs on In Rainbows were written many years ago and I doubt this has been in planning for than a couple months let alone a decade. I do think there is something about the 10 however. All the puzzles and codes that Radiohead had been posting before the release leads me to believe there is something to it. I doubt it’s as huge as whats being proposed.
That would certainly change my opinion and review completely.