Radiohead are completely surprised by their TikTok success.
The band’s 1997 single Let Down returned to America Billboard Hot 100 in August, 28 years after its release, after the track became popular on the platform.
Frontman Thom Yorke admits the song’s resurgence feels “bizarre” because he originally fought to have it dropped from their 1997 album OK Computer.
Yorke told Sunday Times of the newspaper Culture magazine: “I think that’s particularly bizarre. Because I fought tooth and nail for it not to be included in the journal, but [guitarist] Ed O’Brien was like, ‘If it’s not, I’m leaving.'”
Ed O’Brien went on to tell the publication that he sees the song as the “emotional heart” of the album, but he was still confused by the song’s popularity on TikTok — so he asked his kids about it.
He said: “I was surprised [by the son’s success on TikTok]. So I told my kids, who are 18 and 21, and they said, ‘What do you expect? Teenagers are depressed. It’s depressing music!”
It is pertinent to mention that Radiohead announced last month that they will return to the stage in a number of European cities later this year to mark their first concerts since 2018.
Thom Yorke also explained the reason for the band’s hiatus, saying, “The wheels kind of came off, so we had to stop.”
