Album
OK Computer
OK Computer is Radiohead's third studio album, released on 21 May 1997 on Parlophone. Made with producer Nigel Godrich, it was recorded mostly in the band's rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and at the historic St Catherine's Court mansion in Bath, with strings added at Abbey Road. After the guitar-led, inward-looking The Bends, the band turned towards abstract lyrics, densely layered textures and a broad range of influences, setting up the more experimental records that followed.
Its songs picture a dystopian world of consumerism, alienation, technological anxiety and political corruption, and many listeners hear an uncanny foretaste of 21st-century life. EMI thought it uncommercial, yet it went to number one in the UK and sold at least 7.8 million copies worldwide. "Paranoid Android", "Karma Police", "Lucky" and "No Surprises" were all singles. It also nudged British rock away from Britpop towards something more atmospheric and melancholic.
OK Computer on Riffology
riffology.co →
OK Computer: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 53:27Tracklist
- 1AirbagGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:44
- 2Paranoid AndroidGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke6:23
- 3Subterranean Homesick AlienGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:28
- 4Exit Music (for a Film)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:25
- 5Let DownGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:59
- 6Karma PoliceGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:22
- 7Fitter HappierGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke1:57
- 8ElectioneeringGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:51
- 9Climbing Up the WallsGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:45
- 10No SurprisesGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:49
- 11LuckyGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:20
- 12The TouristGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke5:25
- Produced by
- Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
- Recorded at
- Canned Applause (Didcot, England), St Catherine's Court (Bath, England), The Church (Crouch End, London)
- Recorded
- *4 September 1995 ("Lucky") *July 1996 – 6 March 1997
- Mixed by
- Nigel Godrich
- Engineered by
- Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
- Labels
- Parlophone, Capitol
- Length
- 53:27
Line-up
- Colin Greenwood · percussion, bass guitar, bass synthesizer
- Jonny Greenwood · mellotron, organ, piano, glockenspiel, guitar, keyboard
- Ed O’Brien · percussion, guitar, effects, background vocals
- Philip Selway · percussion, drums (drum set)
- Thom Yorke · piano, guitar, vocals
Singles
- “Paranoid Android” · 26 May 1997
- “Karma Police” · 25 August 1997
- “Lucky” · 26 December 1997 (FR)
- “No Surprises” · 12 January 1998
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1997–2017 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1997–2017 | 21 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1997–2017 | 1 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) · 1997–2017 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1997–2017 | 1 |
| Scottish Albums · 1997–2017 | 1 |
| US Dance Electronic · 1997–2017 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1997–2017 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 1997–2017 | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1997–2017 | 3 |
All 29 charts
| European Albums (Billboard) · 1997–2017 | 3 |
| French Albums · 1997–2017 | 3 |
| Swedish Albums · 1997–2017 | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1997–2017 | 4 |
| Argentine Albums (CAPIF) · 2023–2025 | 6 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2023–2025 | 6 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) · 1997–2017 | 6 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 1997–2017 | 6 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1997–2017 | 7 |
| Finnish Albums · 1997–2017 | 10 |
| German Albums · 1997–2017 | 13 |
| Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn) · 2023–2025 | 13 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1997–2017 | 16 |
| Austrian Albums · 1997–2017 | 17 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) · 2023–2025 | 21 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1997–2017 | 39 |
| Swiss Albums · 1997–2017 | 40 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) · 1997–2017 | 42 |
| Poland 2 · 2023–2025 | 76 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina · 1997 | Platinum |
| Australia · 1997 | Platinum |
| Belgium · 2007 | 2× Platinum |
| Canada · 2022 | 5× Platinum |
| Denmark · 2023 | 4× Platinum |
| France · 1997 | 2× Gold |
| Italy · 2025 | 2× Platinum |
| Japan · 1998 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1997 | Platinum |
| New Zealand · 2025 | 2× Platinum |
| Norway · 1997 | Gold |
| Spain · 1997 | Gold |
| Sweden · 1997 | Gold |
| Switzerland · 1997 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | 5× Platinum |
| United States | 2× Platinum |
| Europe · 2006 | 3× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
96.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
25k
ListenBrainz listeners
492k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
184k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 21 May
Every year →
More from Radiohead
Full discography →
Drill
1992
Creep
1992
Pablo Honey
1993
Itch
1994
Anyone Can Play Guitar
1994
My Iron Lung
1994
The Bends
1995
No Surprises / Running From Demons
1998
Airbag / How Am I Driving?
1998
Kid A
2000
Amnesiac
2001
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
2001
Hail to the Thief
2003
Com Lag: 2plus2isfive
2004
In Rainbows
2007
Album Box Set
2007
The Best Of
2008
In Rainbows: From the Basement
2008
In Rainbows Disk 2
2009
The King of Limbs
2011
TKOL RMX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2011
A Moon Shaped Pool
2016
KID A MNESIA
2021
Hail to the Thief: Live Recordings 2003–2009
2025
The best of 1997
All of 1997 →
Reload
Metallica · 1997
The Colour and the Shape
Foo Fighters · 1997
nimrod.
Green Day · 1997
Around the Fur
Deftones · 1997
Be Here Now
Oasis · 1997
Sehnsucht
Rammstein · 1997
Cryptic Writings
Megadeth · 1997
Album of the Year
Faith No More · 1997
1967: The First 3 Singles
Pink Floyd · 1997
BBC Sessions
Led Zeppelin · 1997
Bonfire
AC/DC · 1997
Official Live: 101 Proof
Pantera · 1997
More on Parlophone
The label →The Bends
Radiohead · 1995
Pablo Honey
Radiohead · 1993
The Endless River
Pink Floyd · 2014
Innuendo
Queen · 1991
Brave New World
Iron Maiden · 2000
The Miracle
Queen · 1989
Creep
Radiohead · 1992
Live at Wembley ’86
Queen · 1992
Album Box Set
Radiohead · 2007
The 12″ Collection
Queen · 1992
Drill
Radiohead · 1992
Greatest Hits III
Queen · 1999
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1997-06-16 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 16 June 1997 | ignored lone early release dated 1997-05-21 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 21 May 1997 | |
| Wikidata | 21 May 1997 | |
| US release | 1 July 1997 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 16 June 1997 | earliest UK or European date |
39 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | — | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 1997 | AR | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 1997 | XE | Parlophone | 724382133827 | other |
| 1997 | PL | Parlophone | 724385522949 | other |
| 1997 | CA | Capitol Records | other | |
| 1997 | AU | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 21 May 1997 | JP | EMI | 4988006729254 | original |
| 16 June 1997 | XE | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 16 June 1997 | XE | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 16 June 1997 | GB | Parlophone | 724385522918 | other |
| 16 June 1997 | GB | Parlophone | 724385522987 | other |
| 16 June 1997 | XE | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 16 June 1997 | XE | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 16 June 1997 | GB | Parlophone | 724385522949 | other |
| 17 June 1997 | CA | EMI Music Canada | 724385522925 | other |
| 1 July 1997 | US | Capitol Records | other | |
| 1 July 1997 | US | Capitol Records | 724385522925 | other |
| 1999 | XE | Parlophone | 724385522925 | other |
| 6 September 2006 | JP | EMI | 4988006846333 | other |
| 2008 | US | Capitol Records | 724385522918 | other |
| 23 March 2009 | XE | EMI | 5099969362620 | other |
| 23 March 2009 | GB | EMI | 5099969362323 | other |
| 24 March 2009 | CA | EMI | 5099969362927 | other |
| 24 March 2009 | US | Capitol Records | 5099969362323 | deluxe |
| 1 April 2009 | JP | EMI | 4988006871502 | other |
| 1 April 2009 | JP | EMI | 4988006871472 | other |
| 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078119 | other |
| 1 April 2016 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904078164 | other |
| 1 May 2016 | US | XL Recordings | 634904078126 | other |
| 1 May 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078126 | other |
| 13 May 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078126 | other |
| 22 June 2017 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904086831 | other |
| 23 June 2017 | GB | XL Recordings | 0634904086817 | other |
| 23 June 2017 | GB | XL Recordings | 634904086800 | deluxe |
| 23 June 2017 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904086862 | other |
| 23 June 2017 | JP | XL Recordings | 4580211852187 | other |
| 23 June 2017 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904086824 | other |
| 23 June 2017 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904086855 | other |
| 7 July 2017 | US | XL Recordings | 634904086824 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 4000×4000 | native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |