Creep

"Creep" is Radiohead's debut single, released on 21 September 1992 through Parlophone, and it sits at the very start of their story. It pairs bursts of guitar noise with lyrics about an obsessive, unrequited crush. The band hadn't planned to put it out: they recorded it at the suggestion of producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie while working on other songs. It borrows elements from "The Air That I Breathe", so Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood were later credited as co-writers.

It made little impact at first, but found airplay in Israel and on American alternative rock radio. A 1993 reissue turned it into an international hit, mentioned alongside slacker anthems such as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Beck's "Loser". That success gave the band freedom on The Bends (1995), though they later tired of the expectations it set. It remains their most successful single.