Radiohead are completely surprised by their success on TikTok.
The group’s 1997 single Let Down returned to the United States. Billboard Hot 100 in August, 28 years after its release after the song became popular on the platform.
Frontman Thom Yorke admits the song’s resurgence seems “weird” because he initially fought to have it removed from their 1997 album OK Computer.
Yorke said Sunday time the newspaper Culture magazine: “I find this particularly bizarre. Because I fought tooth and nail to keep it off the record, but [guitarist] Ed O’Brien said, ‘If it doesn’t, I’m leaving.'”
Ed O’Brien later told the publication that he considered the song the “emotional heart” of the album, but he was still confused by the song’s popularity on TikTok – so he asked his children about it.
He said: “I was surprised [by the son’s success on TikTok]. So I talked to my kids, who are 18 and 21, about it, and they said, “What are you waiting for?” Teenagers are depressed. It’s depressing music!'”
It is pertinent to mention that Radiohead announced last month that they would return to stage in several European cities later this year, marking their first concerts since 2018.
Thom Yorke also explained the reason for the band’s hiatus, saying, “The wheels came off a little bit, so we had to stop.”
